<
https://www.sciencealert.com/almost-nowhere-on-earth-is-safe-from-air-pollution-now-scientists-warn>
"A world-first study has found almost nowhere left on Earth with consistently
safe levels of air pollution.
The study, led by Monash University in Australia, found that only 0.001 percent
of the world's population was exposed to low levels of air pollution in 2019;
globally, 70 percent of days exceeded safe limits.
Air pollution causes around 8 million deaths each year. Tiny particles less
than 2.5 micrometers in width (known as PM2.5) can invade the airways and blood
vessels, causing strokes, lung cancer, and heart disease.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has set the safety threshold for daily
PM2.5 exposure to 15 μg/m³, but between 2000 and 2019, the average level of air
pollution across the globe was more than double that limit (32.8 µg/m³).
This study is the first to show the change in daily air pollution exposure
globally over several decades. Data were drawn from 5,446 monitoring stations
in 65 countries and processed using machine learning and simulations.
Eastern Asia had the worst air pollution over this two-decade period, with an
average annual PM2.5 exposure of 50 μg/m³, followed by southern Asia (37.2
μg/m³) and northern Africa (30 μg/m³).
The regions with the lowest PM2.5 air pollution over two decades were Australia
and New Zealand (8.5 μg/m³), other regions in Oceania (12.6 μg/m³), and
southern America (15.6 μg/m³)."
Via Rixty Dixet.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
