Nigeria and Niger are among the world countries with the highest concentrations of PM2.5, and the problem is worsening, the State of Global Air 2020 report warns.
According to the report, Nigeria showed a PM2.5 concentration of 70.4 while that of Niger was 80.1. India and Nepal have the highest concentrations of PM2.5. India has been recording steady increase of PM2.5 pollution over the past decade. The report put India on top of countries showing high exposure to PM2.5 concentration at 83.2 micrograms per cubic metre of air, followed closely by Nepal with 83.1 micrograms per cubic metre.
Globally, an estimated 476,000 infants died from exposure to air pollution in 2019. “Infants born in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the highest rates of neonatal deaths attributable to air pollution, from 9,000 to 13,100 per 100,000 live births,” the report says.
WHO’s Air Quality Guideline level for PM2.5 is only 10 micrograms per cubic metre.
PM2.5, or particles smaller than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (less than a 30th of the diameter of a human hair and capable of entering the bloodstream via the lungs), are emitted by vehicles, coal-burning power plants, industrial activity, waste burning, and other human activities such as cooking. Read more…
