A new World Health Organization study reveals that 92 percent of people in the world lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO limits.
The study represents the most detailed outdoor (or ambient) air pollution-related health data, by country, ever reported by the agency. It is based on data derived from satellite measurements, air transport models and ground station monitors for more than 3,000 rural and urban locations, agency officials said.
WHO also said Tuesday some three million deaths a year are linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution. Nearly 90 percent of air-pollution-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, with nearly two-thirds occurring in WHO's South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, the study revealed.
WHO found 94 percent of air-pollution-related deaths are due to noncommunicable diseases – notably cardiovascular diseases, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
"Air pollution continues take a toll on the health of the most vulnerable populations — women, children and the older adults," Flavia Bustreo, MD, assistant director general at WHO, said in a statement. "For people to be healthy, they must breathe clean air from their first breath to their last."
WHO said major sources of air pollution include inefficient modes of transport, household fuel and waste burning, coal-fired power plants and industrial activities. The organization notes, however, that air quality can also be influenced by dust storms, particularly in regions close to deserts.