The world's poorest cities rarely meet air quality standards, according to a report released Thursday by the World Health Organization.
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The study measured the levels of deadly particles suspended in the atmosphere and found that 98 percent of cities in low and middle income countries did not meet WHO air quality standards. Zabol in Iran and Onitsha in Nigeria fared the worst, and India had 16 cities in the top 30 worst cities for air pollution. China, which has had air pollution problems for many years, has five cities in the top 30 after improving its air quality.
Fast-growing cities in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and the western Pacific were some of the worst affected regions, many with levels five to 10 times above WHO recommended levels.
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Billions of people are now estimated to be exposed to dangerous air, with poor air quality increasing the risk of several diseases such as stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases.
Only two percent of cities in poorer countries have air quality that meets WHO standards, while 44 percent of richer cities do. On average, pollution levels worsened by eight percent between 2008 and 2013, although most cities in rich countries improved the state of their air over the same period.
“When air quality improves, health costs from air pollution-related diseases shrink, worker productivity expands and life expectancy grows. Reducing air pollution also brings an added climate bonus, which can become a part of countries’ commitments to the climate treaty,” Dr. Carlos Dora of WHO said in a press release.
The report collected data from over 3,000 cities spanning 103 countries.