Disturbing new data shows only 7 countries met safety benchmarks last year: 'More than half of these deaths'

Last year, only seven countries met the World Health Organization's air quality benchmarks set to improve public health, Reuters reported in March. With the United States' recent suspension of air quality monitoring efforts, "the war on smog [will] only get harder."

What's happening?

In 2021, the WHO updated its air quality guidelines after 15 years, attempting to lower the global burden of disease and death caused by unclean air. According to the organization, poor air quality is responsible for over seven million premature deaths annually — "more than half of these deaths are recorded in developing countries" — and millions more become ill from smog and household air pollution. 

Chad and Bangladesh were the countries with the worst pollution, as reported by Reuters, and they were found to have average smog levels more than 15 times that of the WHO's recommended limits. In Chad, PM2.5 levels (fine particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less) reached 91.8 micrograms per cubic meter in 2024. The WHO standard is no more than 5 micrograms per cubic meter. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. has decided to suspend global air quality monitoring efforts. The State Department told the Associated Press this was "due to funding constraints." The decision halts the sharing of valuable data with countries around the world. 

More than 17 years of relevant data was recently removed from the U.S. official air quality monitoring site, according to Reuters.

"Most countries have a few other data sources," Christi Chester-Schroeder told Reuters, "but it's going to impact Africa significantly, because oftentimes these are the only sources of publicly available real-time air quality monitoring data." Chester-Schroeder works with IQAir, an air quality technology company based in Switzerland.

Why is this concerning?

In addition to premature death, exposure to particular matter has been linked with serious conditions such as asthma, decreased lung function, and cardiovascular illness, per the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. Children and older people, as well as people with heart or lung disease, can be disproportionately affected.

Learning more about the levels of fine particulate matter worldwide will be key to effectively understanding all of its potential consequences and supporting the communities most impacted. But you can't improve what you don't track. 

Although following WHO's air quality guidelines is not legally mandated, it is highly encouraged as a matter of public health. With the loss of the U.S. initiative to monitor PM2.5 levels globally, regions like Africa that have relied on this strong source of data are left without a tool critical to the fight for cleaner air. 

How will countries track their progress toward the WHO's standards if they can't measure effectively? Coordinated efforts are required for lasting change when it comes to problems as big and ultimately borderless as air pollution. 

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What's being done to improve air quality?

While the global achievement of WHO's air quality standards so far is meek, some organizations and cities around the world have decided to take on air pollution themselves. 

Last year, the EPA restored a policy mandating industrial facilities that release high levels of dangerous pollutants to maintain their pollution controls even after falling below the mandated threshold. This policy targets harmful chemicals like benzene that can cause adverse health symptoms and increase cancer risks. 

At the same time, scientists are exploring an array of innovative methods for tackling the problem of air pollution. And major cities around the world have dedicated clean air zones that will reduce pollution from vehicles by encouraging alternative modes of transportation. 

These initiatives may challenge more cities, states, and countries to follow in their footsteps and do more to look after the health of their residents and the planet. As individuals, we can inspire each other to consider making the switch to an electric vehicle or transitioning our homes to sustainable and cost-saving energy sources like solar power.

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