The W.H.O. report, which examined pollution levels in nearly 1,600 cities in 91 countries for the years 2008 to 2013, found that the annual mean for PM 2.5 concentrations in Delhi was 153 micrograms per cubic meter. Delhi’s reading was almost three times that of Beijing, whose annual mean in the report was 59. Air pollution killed about seven million people globally in 2012, making it the world’s biggest environmental health risk. About 80 percent of those deaths came from heart attacks and strokes, although air pollution also increases lung cancer deaths. Presentation courtesy of Dr. Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction

1. World Health Organization Releases Annual
Report on State of Global Air Pollution
9 May 2014

2. Ambient (Outdoor) Air Pollution in Cities
Database 2014

3. The database contains results of
ambient (outdoor) air pollution
monitoring from almost 1600 cities in
91 countries. Air quality is
represented by annual mean
concentration of fine particulate
matter (PM10 and PM2.5, i.e. particles
smaller than 10 or 2.5 microns).
Ambient (Outdoor) Air Pollution in Cities
Database 2014
World Health Organization

4. WHO GLOBAL AIR POLLUTION REPORT
A Few Example from the Report of Cities
Experiencing Severe Environmental Disasters

5. THE NUMBER OF CITIES
EXPERIENCING AIR, WATER,
AND SOIL POLUTION IS
INCREASING

6. NEW DEHLI: RATED MOST POLLUTED
CITY IN THE WORLD in 2014

7. NEW DEHLI

8. MUMBAI: WORLD’S MOST
CROWDED CITY

9. LANZHOU: MOST POLLUTED
CITY IN CHINA

10. BEIJING

11. PERNIK, BULGARIA: EUROPE’S
MOST POLLUTED CITY

12. LONDON

13. CAIRO

14. LAGOS, NIGERIA

15. LIMA, PERU

16. LOS ANGELES

17. NEW YORK CITY

18. MEXICO CITY