Breathing in urban India is hard: of the world's top twenty cities with the worst air, 13 of them are found in India, according to a new analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite the attention recently given to Chinese cities for atrocious air pollution, many of India's cities …
The Ministry of Environmental Protection has for the first time defined what constitutes a smog polluted day. In a recently released draft, the ministry indirectly states that the defining characteristic is PM2.5, particles smaller than 2.5 microns that can penetrate the lungs and seriously damage health. The ministry published the …
World Health Organisation study finds Indian capital had dirtiest atmosphere of 1,600 cities around the world for PM2.5 particles India's state air monitoring centre has admitted that pollution in Delhi is comparable to that of Beijing, but disputed a World Health Organisation (WHO) finding that the Indian capital had the …
Bangladesh has been ranked fourth among 91 countries with worst urban air quality in the latest air pollution monitoring report of World Health Organisation (WHO). Moreover, three Bangladeshi cities have been put among the top 25 cities with poorest air. The 2014 version of the Ambient Air Pollution (AAP) database …
The World Health Organization says air pollution in many of the world's cities is breaching its guidelines. Its survey of 1,600 cities in 91 countries revealed that nearly 90% of people in urban centres breathe air that fails to meet levels deemed safe. The WHO says that about half of …
Thirteen of the dirtiest 20 cities were Indian, with New Delhi, Patna, Gwalior and Raipur in the top four spots. An effort by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to measure pollution in cities around the world has found New Delhi admits to having the dirtiest air, while Beijing’s measurements, like …
The database contains results of ambient (outdoor) air pollution monitoring from almost 1600 cities in 91 countries. Air quality is represented by annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5, i.e. particles smaller than 10 or 2.5 microns). The database covers the period from 2008 to 2013, with …
Environmental health effects vary considerably with regard to their severity, type of disease, and duration. Integrated measures of population health, such as environmental burden of disease (EBD), are useful for setting priorities in environmental health policies and research. This review is a summary of the full Environmental Burden of Disease …
Environmental experts warn high percentage of diesel engines in public transport may cause quarter of all air pollution deaths Diesel engines in buses, vans, cars and trains may be responsible for thousands of premature deaths a year and cost the NHS billions of pounds, say air pollution health experts. With …
The American Lung Association’s annual “State of the Air” report finds half of Americans still live in counties where ozone or particle pollutions levels make the air unhealthy to breathe. The 15th annual national report card shows that while the nation overall continued to reduce particle pollution, a pollutant recently …
Usman, 10, has developed asthma and has to use an inhaler when the situation becomes unbearable. The doctor, his mother says, has told them that the condition has more to do with his surroundings rather than any other factor. That is not surprising because Usman’s family lives in downtown, near …
About a third of the air pollution in China's smog-hit capital comes from outside the city, official media reported on Wednesday, citing a pollution watchdog. Chen Tian, chief of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said that about 28-36 percent of hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 came from surrounding provinces …
As a thick smog hung over Beijing last year, Stephanie Giambruno and her husband decided it was time for her and their two girls to return to the U.S. Giambruno’s husband stayed back in China for his job as general manager of a global technology company. He now skypes with …
It has shrouded England's most famous monuments for days, prompted a rash of calls to the emergency services over health fears and even stopped Prime Minister David Cameron from taking his early morning jog. A freak combination of weather conditions has left parts of the country covered in a smog …
Schools are being urged to stop pupils from using playgrounds at lunchtime and employees to avoid cycling, running or walking to work during rush hour in the areas of England worst affected by the ongoing rise in pollution. The government, public health doctors and experts in pollution are also advising …
Health experts have warned that the Kathmandu Valley could turn into a city of cardiac and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in next five years if nothing is done immediately to curb air pollution. Kathmandu is the fourth worst polluted city with 101.05 points, according to Pollution Index 2014, after Xi’an, …
India may upgrade nationwide fuel standards to eliminate cancer-causing particle emissions from vehicular exhaust by 2021, nine years behind other developing countries such as Turkey and Brazil. India’s pumps may start selling fuels of the same quality sold in Europe by April 2021, according to a draft copy of recommendations …
Beijing is imposing harsh fines against polluting enterprises in an attempt to cut down on the region's notorious smog. Beijing's environmental watchdog said it levied fines of 7.09 million yuan ($1.14 million) on owners of 266 coal-fired boilers from November to March. That is more than double the figure from …
Genetics may partially explain observed heterogeneity in associations between traffic-related air pollution and incident asthma. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of gene variants associated with oxidative stress and inflammation on associations between air pollution and incident childhood asthma. Original Source
A 2013 scientific assessment of black carbon emissions and impacts found that black carbon is second to carbon dioxide in terms of its climate forcing. High concentrations of black carbon in the atmosphere can change precipitation patterns and reduce the amount of radiation that reaches the Earth's surface, which affects …
