Not only what was earlier termed as pollution but even air quality levels that were earlier considered safe are grievously damaging human health.
In the wake of the issue of Climate Change being a highlight at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) based on “clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood.”
The UN health body’s revised guidelines suggest that there’s a need to rethink the air quality levels needed in order to protect the health of people around the globe.
What is changing?
The WHO says that there is a “marked increase of evidence” clearly showing the ill-effects that current air pollution levels are having on human health globally. This made the health body adjust “almost all the AQGs levels downwards.”
The new guidelines revise current particulate matter level of PM2.5, which was considered safe till now, to unsafe. The WHO says that PM2.5 can “even enter the bloodstream, primarily resulting in cardiovascular and respiratory impacts, and also affecting other organs.”
It says that over 90% of the world population in 2019 was living in air pollution levels where long-term exposure to PM2.5 was far beyond the levels recommended by the 2005 air quality guideline.
Similar revisions have been made in the guidelines of ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO).
The new AQGs render almost all of India at health risk from air pollution.
The health hazard of air pollution
One of the biggest environment threats to our health, air pollution stands right alongside climate change in terms of disastrous consequences.
As per WHO, 7 million premature deaths are caused each year due to exposure to air pollution. In the rest, loss of millions of years of life are lost.
It highlights the risk of “reduced lung growth and function, respiratory infections and aggravated asthma” as direct consequence of air pollution in children. For adults, WHO highlights “ischaemic heart disease and stroke” causing premature death which can be attributed to outdoor air pollution. Other health risks it points out are diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. It states that air pollution is at par with “major global health risks” like tobacco smoking and unhealthy diet when it comes to the “burden of disease” that can be attributed to the hazard.
WHO says the health impact is greater with more exposure to air pollution, and its particularly harmful for people suffering from chronic conditions including asthma, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Other individuals at increased risk are older people, children and pregnant women.
Outdoor air pollution and particulate matter was classified as carcinogenic in 2013 by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
Change needed as per new guidelines
As per WHO, if air quality levels are improved, it will also help mitigate climate change apart from improving global health. A rapid scenario analysis it performed suggested that more than PM2.5 linked 80% fatalities can be avoided if countries reduce air pollution as per the new guidelines.
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