Overview
Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
Household combustion devices, motor vehicles, industrial facilities and forest fires are common sources of air pollution. Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Outdoor and indoor air pollution cause respiratory and other diseases and are important sources of morbidity and mortality.
WHO data show that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceedsWHO guideline limitsand contains high levels ofpollutants,with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures.
Air quality is closely linked to the earth’s climate and ecosystems globally. Many of the drivers of air pollution (i.e. combustion of fossil fuels) are also sources of greenhouse gas emissions. Policies to reduce air pollution, therefore, offer a win-win strategy for both climate and health, lowering the burden of disease attributable to air pollution, as well as contributing to the near- and long-term mitigation of climate change.
Impact
From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a majorthreat to healthand climate.
Ambient (outdoor) air pollution in both cities and rural areas is causing fine particulate matter which result in strokes, heart diseases, lung cancer, acute and chronic respiratory diseases.
Additionally, around 2.4 billion people are exposed to dangerous levels of household air pollution, while using polluting open fires or simple stoves for cooking fuelled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal dung and crop waste) and coal.
The combined effects of ambient air pollution and household air pollution is associated with 7 million premature deaths annually.
Sources of air pollution are multiple and context specific. The major outdoor pollution sources include residential energy for cooking and heating, vehicles, power generation, agriculture/waste incineration, and industry.Policies and investments that support sustainable land use, cleaner household energy and transport, energy-efficient housing, power generation, industry, and better municipal waste management can effectively reduce key sources of ambient air pollution.
WHO response
WHO promotes interventions and initiatives for healthy sectoral policies (including energy, transport, housing,urban developmentandelectrification ofhealth-care facilities), addressing key risks to health from air pollution indoors and outdoors, and contributing to achieving health co-benefits from climate change mitigation policies.
WHO provides technical support to WHO’s Member States in the development of normative guidance, tools and provision of authoritative advice on health issues related to air pollution and its sources.
WHO monitors and reports on global trends and changes in health outcomes associated with actions taken to address air pollution at the national, regional and global levels.
WHO has also developed and implementedastrategyfor raising awareness on the risk of air pollution, as well as available solutions that can be implemented to mitigate the risks of exposure to air pollution. Through digital outreach and partnerships, WHO has helped enrich the value proposition of addressing air pollution for health and environment ministries, city governments and other stakeholders from sectors with significant emissions.
Fact sheets
Databases and tools
- Ambient air quality database
- Air pollution and health training toolkit for health workers
- Air quality standards
- Benefits of action to reduce household air pollution tool (BAR-HAP tool)
- Clean household energy solutions toolkit (CHEST)
- Database on electrification of health-care facilities
- Global health observatory: public health and environment
- Global health observatory: air pollution data portal
- Health impact assessment (HIA tools)
- Household energy assessment rapid tool (HEART) templates
- Household multiple emission sources (HOMES) model
- Integrating health in urban and territorial planning: the directory
- Maps and data
- National air quality standards
- Occupational Burden of Disease Application tool
Initiatives and groups
Resolutions and decisions
- Health and the environment: addressing the health impact of air pollution (WHA68.8)
- Health and the environment: draft road map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution: report by the Secretariat (WHA69.18)
- Health, environment and climate change: report by the Director-General (WHA71.10)
- Health, environment and climate change: road map for an enhanced global response to the adverse health effects of air pollution: report by the Director-General (WHA71/10 Add.1)
News
Latest publications
![Air pollution (2) Air pollution (2)](https://i0.wp.com/iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/375840/9789240071650-eng.pdf.jpg?sequence=4)
30 January 2024
Health and Energy Platform of Action report 2020-2022: building connections for better health
Energy is linked to many of the sustainable development priorities, including public health, genderequality, food security, clean water, education, economic...
![Air pollution (3) Air pollution (3)](https://i0.wp.com/iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/375800/9789240088061-eng.pdf.jpg?sequence=4)
23 January 2024
Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment: version with International Classification...
In this version of the compendium, each guidance is coded using the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI).The compendium provides...
![Air pollution (4) Air pollution (4)](https://i0.wp.com/iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/375334/9789290210955-eng.pdf.jpg?sequence=4)
28 December 2023
WHO South-East Asia Dialogue
In today’s interconnected and hyperconnected world, those in a fast-changing field such as health must keep running on the knowledge treadmill. Health...
![Air pollution (5) Air pollution (5)](https://i0.wp.com/iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/374234/9789290209904-eng.pdf.jpg?sequence=6)
20 November 2023
Opportunities for transition to clean household energy in Nepal
According to the 2016 Nepal Demographic andHealth Survey, 66% of Nepali households usemainly solid fuel for cooking on inefficient stoves.Incomplete...
Documents
![Air pollution (6) Air pollution (6)](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/air-pollution/air-quality-and-health/air-quality-database-v6-1-jan-24.tmb-144v.png?sfvrsn=52c858b1_1)
1 February 2024
WHO Ambient Air Quality Database (Update Jan 2024)
The WHO Ambient Air Quality Database compiles data on ground measurements of annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter of...
![Air pollution (7) Air pollution (7)](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/air-pollution/air-quality-and-health/thumbnail_faq_urban-directory.tmb-144v.png?sfvrsn=9f3cce3b_1)
13 December 2023
Frequently asked questions - directory for integrating health in urban & territorial planning
The directory is an online repository of open access resources and tools that provide information of the importance of planning and designing urban areas...
![Air pollution (8) Air pollution (8)](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/air-pollution/air-quality-and-health/thumbnail-cc-roadmap.tmb-144v.png?sfvrsn=517ec622_2)
28 November 2023
Achieving universal access and net-zero emissions by 2050
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030’s target for universal access to clean cooking and the overarching ambition for achieving net-zero...
![Air pollution (9) Air pollution (9)](https://i0.wp.com/cdn.who.int/media/images/default-source/air-pollution/air-quality-and-health/thumbnail_un-guidance-repository.tmb-144v.png?sfvrsn=ae9ce0e6_1)
Exposure to air pollution is the second leading cause of deaths from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), after tobacco-smoking. For 2019, WHO estimated that...
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