New Delhi: The United Nations (UN) Health Agency the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concerns about consistently rising Air Pollution in the World. The WHO in a statement said that “Air Pollution kills an estimated 7 million people every year, and it is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health’ alongside climate change.”
According to the WHO, Every year, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths and result in the loss of millions more healthy years of life. In children, this could include reduced lung growth and function, respiratory infections, and aggravated asthma.
The WHO released its new air quality guidelines for the first time since its last global update in 2005. The new air quality guidelines (AQGs) aim to save millions of lives from air pollution.
The WHO further added that “Global Air Quality Guidelines provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood,”
“Since WHO’s last 2005 global update, there has been a marked increase of evidence that shows how air pollution affects different aspects of health. For that reason, and after a systematic review of the accumulated evidence, WHO has adjusted almost all the AQGs levels downwards, warning that exceeding the new air quality guideline levels is associated with significant health risks,” the WHO said.
To read the new guideline issued by the WHO on air pollution, click here,
(_Vinayak.Barot)