The Air You Breathe

What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution is a complex mixture of gases and particles that are formed from the burning of fuels and other material or photochemical reactions in the atmosphere. Common sources of air pollutants include vehicle emissions, outdated power generators, industrial emissions, agricultural fires and waste burning, as well as household fuels such as wood, coal, charcoal and kerosene. Natural sources such as desert dust and volcanoes also create air pollution.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AIR POLLUTION, ITS SOURCES, AND ITS EFFECTS ON HEALTH

Over 90 percent of the world’s population breathes polluted air.

Air quality monitoring is one of the foundational steps to ensuring a clean air for all. Measuring air pollution helps us…

• Identify sources of pollution

• Estimate the harms of pollution and benefits of clean air

• Pressure decision-makers to act

• Monitor and enforce existing air quality management policies

World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) health-based guidelines for particulate matter (PM) are:

There is no threshold under which negative health effects do not occur.

Right now, a high percentage of cities around the world exceed the WHO guidelines. Use these data sources to see if your country or city has publicly available data on air quality.