Breathing clean air is a luxury already on the threshold of possibility, since, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) about 99% of the planet's population breathes air with pollution levels that exceed the limits considered acceptable.
The WHO says that populations in poor countries are the most exposed to particulate finas and nitrogen dioxide pollution, which endanger their health and cause premature mortality.
In low- and middle-income countries, nitrogen dioxide levels are 1.5 times higher than in richer countries.
The regions of Africa and the Western Pacific have levels of these particles in the atmosphere that are almost eight times higher than recommended by the WHO guidelines.
The lowest levels were recorded in Europe. Only 17% of cities in high-income countries have particulate finas above the limit definited and updated in 2021 by the WHO.
The updated 2022 report of the WHO air quality database includes information for the period between 2010 and 2019, where more than six thousand cities in 117 countries are under pollutants with particulate finas PM 10 and PM 2.5 (i.e., with a diameter of 10 or 2.5 micrometers) and nitrogen dioxide.
The organization, cited by the newspaper Notícias, revealed that these two types of pollution are related to the use of fossil fuels and associated with various respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases.
PM 2.5 particles are suficiently small enough to be able to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing respiratory diseases and even cardiovascular accidents. In addition, there is evidence that it affects other organs, causing other types of illnesses.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus believes that the world needs to move more quickly to move away from fossil fuels.
"As for nitrogen dioxide, it is associated with respiratory diseases, particularly asthma and respiratory symptoms such as coughing, dustiness and difficulty breathing. It is also behind many hospital admissions and emergency room visits," he said.
Maria Neira, director of the WHO's Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health pointed out that air pollution kills at least seven million people prematurely every year.
"After having survived a pandemic, it is unacceptable that there are still seven million preventable deaths and countless years of lost good health due to air pollution," he stresses.
That's what we mean when we look at the mountain of air pollution data, evidence, and solutions that are available. But, many investments continue to be buried in a polluted environment rather than in an effort to ensure clean, healthy air, he afirmed.