Air pollution is killing people, and the signs are that the numbers are not going to fall. The World Health Organization has commissioned a study and it shows that more than 3,000 cities worldwide had an increase of 8% when it comes to microscopic particle pollution in the five years leading up to 2013. In middle and lower income areas, 98% fail to meet WHO targets compared to 56% in wealthier areas.
Nitrogen oxides, sulfur, and black carbon are listed among the pollutants that claim upwards of 3 million people worldwide every year. The particles settle in the lungs, work their way into the bloodstream and as a result, there will be cardiovascular disease, asthma, and even the risk of strokes. Nature produced a study that said if things did not change, by the time we reached 2050, the figures will double.
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THE WHO’s director of public health Maria Neira has spoken to The Guardian and explained that many countries are facing an emergency when it comes to air pollution and that it is one of the worst problems that the word is facing at the moment.
Airborne microscopic particles kill millions of people each year, but they also lessen some of the effects of man-made global warming. Michael Reilly
The plus side to these particles is that they help to cool down the planet. Sulfur in particular as the reflect sunlight, and it ends up back in space rather than landing on earth. With black carbon, it is the fact that they absorb the sun, but here there is a downside. It tends to be close to the location of continental glaciers and they will melt at a faster rate.
Story Via; Technologyreview.com