| Asian City Air Pollution Data Are Released |
|
A study of 20 major Asian cities shows hundreds of millions are breathing such heavily polluted air they are at risk for major health problems. Led by the Stockholm Environment Institute's center at the University of York in England and the Clean Air Initiative for Asia Cities, the study found while there have been some improvements, the chemical, smoke and particle pollution dramatically exceeds World Health Organization limits.
WHO scientists estimate 537,000 people in Southeast Asia and the Pacific die prematurely each year due to air pollution. The study included air quality data for Bangkok; Beijing; Busan, South Korea; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Hong Kong; Jakarta; Kathmandu, Nepal; Kolkata, New Delhi, and Mumbai, India; Metro Manila, Philippines; Seoul; Shanghai, Singapore; Surabaya, Indonesia; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo. The study was released as Asian environment ministers held the first governmental meeting on Asian urban air quality this week in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.http://www.playfuls.com/news_003348_Asian_City_Air_Pollution_Data_Are_Released.html |