The World Health Organization strengthened its air quality guidelines on Wednesday, saying air pollution was now one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, causing seven million premature deaths a year. The UN health agency last issued air quality guidelines, or AQGs, in 2005, which had a significant impact on pollution abatement policies worldwide. The new WHO guidelines recommend lower air quality levels for six pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Premature deaths“Almost everyone around the world is exposed to unhealthy levels of air pollution,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In adults, ischaemic heart disease — also called coronary heart disease — and strokes are the most common causes of premature death attributable to outdoor air pollution.

Source: The Guardian September 22, 2021 15:45 UTC