This factor kills millions of people and worsens the spread of Corona

World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that exposure to polluted air kills seven million people worldwide each year and increases the risk of lung disease, including the Corona virus .

The World Health Organization on Wednesday released its first air quality guidelines since 2005, which aim to reduce deaths from key pollutants that cause cardiovascular and respiratory disease by switching to clean energy sources .

At a press conference, the UN official urged “all countries and all those struggling to protect our environment to follow it to alleviate suffering and save lives.”

In its guidelines to its 194 member states, the organization lowered the recommended maximum number of a number of pollutants, including fine particles and nitrogen dioxide, both found in fossil fuel emissions.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization said that since 2005, “a great deal of evidence has accumulated showing to a greater extent how air pollution affects all parts of the body, from the brain to the fetus in the womb, even at lower concentrations than previously observed.

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Adhanom urged governments to cut emissions and tackle climate change, noting that the new guidelines come at an “important time” ahead of the Glasgow Climate Summit, which begins on October 31.

The organization says prolonged exposure to even lower concentrations of household air pollution can cause illnesses such as lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, causing an estimated seven million deaths per year.

“Air pollution poses a threat to health in all countries, but it particularly affects people in low- and middle-income countries,” noted Tedros, as disadvantaged countries face increasing levels of air pollution. air pollution, combined with large-scale urbanization and economic development heavily dependent on the use of fossil fuels.

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“Clean air must be a basic human right and a necessary condition for the health and productivity of societies,” says Hans-Henri Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe.

“Although air quality has improved somewhat over the past three decades, millions of people still die prematurely, often among the most vulnerable and marginalized populations,” he said in a statement.

Air pollution, along with climate change, is one of the most significant environmental threats to health, according to the World Health Organization.

For children, air pollution can delay lung development, limit lung function, lead to respiratory infections and exacerbate asthma. In adults, ischemic disease and stroke are the most common causes of premature death from outdoor air pollution.

The organization pointed out that new data shows that outdoor air pollution can be a cause of diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.

WHO has said urgent action is needed to reduce exposure to air pollution, putting disease risk on a par with smoking and unhealthy diet.