In 2022, a staggering 90% of the global population faced unhealthy air quality, with only six countries meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safety standards for air pollutants, according to a report by Swiss air quality firm IQAir.
This report assessed air quality based on PM 2.5, fine particulate matter known to damage lungs and contribute to heart attacks, asthma, and early deaths. Long-term exposure to PM 2.5 has also been associated with increased mortality rates from Covid-19.
Initially, the WHO set air quality guidelines in 2005 at less than 10 micrograms of PM 2.5 per cubic meter. These guidelines were revised in 2021 to below 5 micrograms per cubic meter. The 2022 report identified Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, and Bangladesh as the most polluted countries.
Columbus, Ohio, topped U.S. pollution charts with PM 2.5 at 13.1 µg/m³.The top polluted cities globally were Lahore, Pakistan; Hotan, China; Bhiwadi and Delhi, India; and Peshawar, Pakistan. Lahore had the highest PM 2.5 levels, reaching 97.4 micrograms per cubic meter, up from 86.5 the previous year.
India and Pakistan were noted for having the worst air quality in Central and South Asia, where PM 2.5 concentrations were about seven times higher than the WHO’s recommended levels.
In the U.S., Columbus, Ohio, was the most polluted major city, with PM 2.5 levels hitting 13.1 micrograms per cubic meter.
The Biden administration proposed reducing the annual PM 2.5 limit from 12 to between 9 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter, but some health advocates feel this is insufficient.
Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, and New Zealand met the updated WHO air quality standards.
The report, which used data from over 30,000 monitoring stations across 131 regions, highlighted that air pollution reduces global life expectancy by over two years, with fossil fuel combustion contributing to 60% of particulate matter pollution.
Aidan Farrow from Greenpeace International stressed the need for better air quality monitoring to protect vulnerable communities.