Air Pollution: A Global Health Threat

By Anna Fleck

Air pollution is the greatest environmental health hazard to humankind, leading to over six million deaths a year and an economic cost that equates to over $8 trillion dollars. That’s according to the World Air Quality Report 2022 released Tuesday by Swiss air quality technology company IQAir. The analysis found that out of a surveyed 131 countries, regions and territories, only 13 met World Health Organization air guidelines of annual PM2.5 concentrations at or below 5 μg/m3 in 2022, many of which were in Oceania.