All articles tagged with #pm 25
Air pollution, especially PM 2.5, poses significant health risks including heart disease, diabetes, and brain damage. With regulatory standards being rolled back, individuals can protect themselves by using masks like N95s and staying informed about air quality. The article emphasizes the importance of awareness and personal action to mitigate the dangers of invisible airborne toxins.
The article emphasizes the importance of outdoor air quality monitors for personal health and community awareness, highlighting recent concerns over regulatory changes that could lead to dirtier air, and illustrating how localized pollution, like from a nearby recycling center or fire pit, can significantly impact air quality even in urban settings.
Only seven countries and three territories met the World Health Organization's air pollution guidelines for fine particulate matter in 2023, with the United States ranking as the 33rd least polluted country. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized stricter standards for fine particulate matter, aiming to lower the annual standard to 9 micrograms per cubic meter by 2032. The report highlighted the health risks associated with PM 2.5 exposure, including heart attacks, asthma attacks, premature death, and elevated risks for communities of color and lower socioeconomic populations. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India had the highest levels of fine particulate matter pollution, with Bangladesh's levels averaging more than 15 times higher than the WHO's recommended threshold.
Breathing in microscopic air pollutants, known as PM 2.5, may increase the risk of developing dementia, according to a new analysis of existing research by public health scientists at Harvard. The meta-analysis examined 16 observational studies and found consistent evidence of a connection between PM 2.5 and dementia, even when an individual’s annual exposure was less than the current Environmental Protection Agency standard. The EPA is considering strengthening air quality standards to lower PM 2.5 exposure.
A new report from IQAir reveals that only six countries met the World Health Organization's recommendations of safe air pollutant levels, and about 90% of the global population in 2022 experienced unhealthy air quality. The report found that the top five most polluted countries in 2022 were Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain, and Bangladesh. The most polluted cities globally were Lahore, Pakistan; Hotan, China; Bhiwadi, India; Delhi, India; and Peshawar, Pakistan. Air pollution takes more than two years off the average global life expectancy, and 60% of particulate matter air pollution comes from fossil fuel combustion.