In which cities is the most polluted air on Earth?
According to a report World Health Organization (WHO), in 2010, some 223,000 people worldwide died from lung cancer caused by exposure to air pollution. And more than half of these deaths would have occurred in China and elsewhere in East Asia. WHO has published a list of 10 most polluted cities in the world . The list includes four Iranian cities, three Pakistani, two Indians and one city in Mongolia and Botswana.
While WHO recommends one average annual 20 mcg/m3 , the city of Paris displays, for example, 38 micrograms (concentration of micrograms per cubic metre of air). Take this number as a comparison.
The Middle East and North Africa are the most polluted regions in the world with an annual average level of over 130 mcg/m3, followed by South-East Asia with a level close to 100 mcg/m3. Here are the worst cities in the world to breathe , according to WHO.
10. Lahore, Pakistan
Flickr – Guilhem Vellut
The most beautiful and known city in Pakistan is also one of the most polluted cities in the world. With an average annual figure 200 mcg/m3 According to data from 2003/2004, it was classified as the third most contaminated city in Pakistan and the 10th in the world.
9. Kanpur, India
209 mcg/m3
8. Yasuj, Iran
With an annual average rate 215 mcg/m3 According to the 2009 data, Yasuj was rated fourth most contaminated city in Iran and 8th in the world.
7. Gaborone, Botswana
With an average annual figure 216 mcg/m3 According to data from 2005, Gaborone is the most polluted city in Botswana and the 7th in the world.
6. Peshawar, Pakistan
Peshawar is the second most polluted city in Pakistan and sixth in the world with a rate of 219 mcg/m3 according to 2003 data.
5. Kermanshah, Iran
Five million people are poisoned by daily pollution in developing countries. With an average annual figure 229 mcg/m3 Kermanshah is the 3rd most polluted city in Iran and 5th worldwide.
4 ex-æquo. Quetta, Pakistan
According to a report, 25% of deaths in developing countries are related to environmental factors. Quetta ranks 4th among the most polluted cities. With an annual average rate 251 mcg/m3 (2003/2004), it is also the most contaminated in Pakistan.
4 ex-æquo. Ludhiana, India
Ludhiana is the most polluted city in India, and 4th in the world with an average annual level of 251 mcg/m3 according to 2008 data. The Ministry of the Environment banned industrial pollution in January 2010. The ban was lifted in February 2011, but the Department of Industry is preparing an action plan to keep pollution control.
3. Sanandaj, Iran
In the third place of the most polluted cities in the world, we find the capital of Kurdish culture and the province of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, with an average annual level of 254 mcg/m3 according to 2009 data.
2. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
According to the WHO report, Oulan-Bator takes second place among the world’s most polluted cities, with an average annual figure of 279 mcg/m3 according to 2008 data. A study conducted by the Ulan-Bator Institute of Public Health showed that the number of people suffering from respiratory diseases increased by 45% between 2004 and 2008.
1. Ahvaz, Iran
Ahwaz, in the south-west of Iran, which produces most of the country’s oil, takes the lead in this ranking of the world’s most polluted cities, with an average annual rate of 372 mcg/m3 according to 2009 data.
Remember the moments spent in Bangkok or Ho-Chi-Minh to no longer be able to breathe, or even sometimes in Paris. Imagine what would be to breathe in one of these cities...
Have you visited one of these cities? How was it?
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