Every single person located in large cities in many poor and middle-income countries are facing excessively high rates of air pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that outdoor air pollution has grown 8 percent globally in just five years.
Air pollution is a growing problem that kills more than 3 million people prematurely every year, according to WHO. The organization claims that pollution is wreaking havoc on human health.
Although nearly all regions in the world are affected, fast-growing cities located in the western Pacific, Southeast Asia and the Middle East has the worst air pollution levels. Many of the cities have levels at five to 10 times above the recommended level by WHO, according to The Guardian.
About 98 percent of cities in poorer countries and 56 percent in high-income countries suffer from air pollution. Data shows that more than four out of five people live in cities that do not meet WHO air quality guidelines.
Findings were taken from the U.N. health agency's third Global Urban Ambient Air Pollution Database, which examined the air in 3,000 cities, including towns and villages across 103 countries. Despite improvement in some regions, air pollution levels rose to 8 percent from 2008 to 2013, according to ABC News.
Zabol, Iran is the city with the highest annual mean concentration of particulate matter while the most polluted city in the world is in Onitsha, Nigeria. India, on the other hand, has eight cities in the world's top 30 based on the list from WHO.
Ambient air pollution is the greatest environment risk to health, according to a statement released by WHO. The problem can put more people at risk for heart disease, lung cancer, strokes and respiratory diseases.
Outdoor air pollution is now the biggest single killer in the world, more than HIV or malaria. The numbers are expected to double as urban population and car numbers increase by 2050.
Awareness is rising as more cities are also monitoring their air quality, according to Dr. Maria Neira, director for environment and public health from WHO. Neira explains that when air quality improves, a decrease in global respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses will decrease.
