Key Points
Singapore: Pakistan remained one of the worlds three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed...
Average concentrations of PM2.5 small airborne particles that damage the lungs reached 79.9 micrograms per cubic metre in Bangladesh in 2023, and 73.7 micrograms in Pakistan..
Because of the climate conditions and the geography (in South Asia), you get this streak of PM2.5 concentrations that just skyrocket because the pollution has nowhere to go, said Christi Chester Schroeder, air quality science manager at IQAir, a Swiss air-monitoring organisation...
About 20% of premature deaths in Bangladesh are attributed to air pollution, and related healthcare costs amount to 4%-5% of the countrys GDP, said Md Firoz Khan, an air pollution expert at Dhakas North South University...
Considering the large potential benefits and relatively low cost, its stunning that we dont have an organised global effort to deploy resources to close these data gaps, especially in places where the health burden of air pollution has been largest, she said.. (Reporting by David Stanway)..
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