A new study has found out that 86% of people living in cities in the world are exposed to fine particulate matter. Citizens are exposed to particle matter at levels that exceed the World Health Organization’s 2005 guidelines.
The urban air pollution caused 1.8 million deaths in 2019, according to the study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.
PM2.5 is a fine particulate matter and have a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less. This is a leading environmental risk factor for disease. If we inhale this matter increases the risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease, lower respiratory infection and respiratory disease.
The new study has explored PM2.5 research in megacities. This includes 13,000 cities globally between 2000 and 2019.
Scientists found that average population-weighted PM2.5 concentration in all urban areas globally was 35 micrograms per cubic meter in 2019.
Scientists estimated 61 in every 100,000 deaths in urban areas was caused by PM2.5 in 2019.
But about 55% of the world’s population lives in cities. Southeast Asia had 27% increase in average population-weighted PM2.5 concentration in 2000-2019. Deaths caused by PM2.5 has also increased by 33% over those years. It has become 63 to 84 in 100,000 people.
On the other hand, African cities had an 18% decrease in PM2.5 concentrations. European cities had a 21% decrease. North and South American cities had 29% decreases. With these rates aging population and poor general health also influence pollution-related death rates.
