Air pollution - World Health Organization (WHO)
Jul 29, 2024 · Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires are common sources of air pollution. Pollutants of major public health concern include ...
How air pollution is destroying our health - World Health …
Nov 1, 2018 · How air pollution affects our body. Particles with a diameter of 10 microns or less (≤ PM 10) can penetrate and lodge deep inside the lungs, causing irritation, inflammation and damaging the lining of the respiratory tract. Smaller, more health-damaging particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (≤ PM 2.5 – 60 of them make up the ...
Air pollution data portal - World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO monitors the exposure of air pollution and its health impacts (deaths, DALYs) at the national, regional and global level from ambient (outdoor) and household air pollution. Such estimates are used for official reporting like the world health statistics, and the Sustainable Development Goals. The Air Pollution Data Portal includes Burden of Disease statistics, air …
Pollution - World Bank Group
Sep 19, 2023 · Pollution is the largest environmental cause of disease and premature death. Pollution causes more than 9 million premature deaths, the majority of them due to air pollution. That’s several times more deaths than from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Global health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are reminders of the strong ...
Climate Explainer: Climate Change and Air Pollution - World Bank …
Sep 1, 2022 · In addition to health, air pollution is also linked to biodiversity and ecosystem loss, and has adverse impacts on human capital. Reducing air pollution, on the other hand, not only improves health but strengthens economies. A recent World Bank study found that a 20% decrease in PM 2.5 concentration is associated with a 16% increase in ...
Ambient (outdoor) air pollution - World Health Organization (WHO)
Oct 24, 2024 · Ambient (outdoor) air pollution is estimated to have caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019. Some 89% of those premature deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries, and the greatest number in the WHO South-East Asia and Western Pacific Regions. Policies and investments supporting cleaner transport, energy efficient homes ...
Air pollution: The invisible health threat - World Health …
Jul 12, 2023 · Air pollution is a major environmental threat and one of the main cases of death among all risk factors, ranking just below hypertension, tobacco smoking and high glucose. WHO estimates that, globally, air pollution is responsible for about 7 million premature deaths per year from ischemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer, …
Household air pollution - World Health Organization (WHO)
Oct 16, 2024 · Household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237 000 deaths of children under the age of 5. The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution are associated with 6.7 million premature deaths annually. Household air pollution exposure leads to noncommunicable ...
Health consequences of air pollution - World Health Organization …
Jun 25, 2024 · In 2019, air pollution caused about 6.7 million deaths. Of these, almost 85% are attributable to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including ischemic heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes. This makes air pollution the second leading cause of NCDs globally after tobacco.
New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save ...
Sep 22, 2021 · “Air pollution is a threat to health in all countries, but it hits people in low- and middle-income countries the hardest,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “WHO’s new Air Quality Guidelines are an evidence-based and practical tool for improving the quality of the air on which all life depends.