According to WHO 90% of world breathing bad air read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1024-according-to-who-90-of-world-breathing-bad-air

The World Health Organization said, Nine out of 10 people globally are breathing poor quality air, calling for dramatic action against pollution that is blamed for more than six million deaths a year.

Maria Neira, the head of WHO's department of public health and environment, told, New data from the UN's global health body is enough to make all of us extremely concerned.

She said, the problem occurs mostly in cities, but air in rural areas is worse than many think Poorer countries have much dirtier air than the developed world, but pollution affects practically all countries in the world and all parts of society.

Based on data collected more than 3000 cities, researchers found 92% of the world’s population lives in air quality levels exceed who limits. The data focuses on dangerous particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, or PM2.5.

PM2.5 includes toxins like sulfate and black carbon, which can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system. Air with more than 10 micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 on an annual average basis is considered substandard.

The WHO has estimated that more than six million deaths per year are linked to exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution.

Data is more solid for outdoor pollution, which is blamed for more than three million fatalities annually. But indoor pollution can be equally as harmful, especially in poorer developing world homes where cooking often involves burning charcoal.

 

Nearly 90-percent of air pollution-related deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific region including China, Malaysia and Vietnam are the hardest hit.