The IQAir study notes that Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo seem the dirtiest.
Most of the world’s population is breathing in polluted air, with only seven countries that meet the World Health Organization (WHO) Air quality standards last year, according to a new report.
The air quality monitoring database based in Switzerland Iqair unveiled its results on Tuesday, which are based on data of 40,000 air quality surveillance stations in 138 countries, noting that Chad, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Democratic Republic of Congo seem the most polluted in the world.
Among the countries analyzed, only Australia, New Zealand, Bahamas, Barbados, Granada, Estonia and Iceland have respected international airline standards, depending on the database.
Gap
The magnitude of the problem can be much greater than that reported, since many parts of the world do not have the necessary monitoring for more precise data. Through Africa, for example, there is only one surveillance station for 3.7 million people.
The data difference could grow broader following an announcement by the US State Department last week that it will no longer make the data that it brings together from its embassies and consulates around the world.
Many developing countries have relied on air quality sensors mounted on the American embassy and the buildings of the consulate to follow their level of smog, but the US State Department ends the surveillance system, citing budgetary constraints.
“Most countries have some other data sources, but this will have a significant impact on Africa, because it is often the only sources of air quality monitoring data accessible to the public,” said Christi Chester-Schroeder, director of air quality sciences at Iqar.
Christa Hasenkopf, director of the Clean Air program at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC), said that at least 34 countries will lose access to reliable pollution data after the American program is closed.
The State Department’s program has improved air quality in cities where monitors have been placed, strengthening life expectancy and even reducing risk allowances for American diplomats, which means that it has paid itself, said Hasenkopf.
Following the decision of the State Department, more than 17 years of data were deleted last week from the official air quality monitoring site of the American government, AirNow.gov, including the readings collected in Chad.
According to the report, Chad and Bangladesh had average SMOG levels more than 15 times higher than WHO directives last year.
Chad was ranked the most polluted country in 2022 due to the dust of the Sahara as well as burns of uncontrolled cultures.
Climate change plays an increasing role in conducting pollution, warned Chester-Schroeder, with higher temperatures causing more ferocious and longer forest fires that have swept parts of Southeast Asia and South America.
