Switzerland fails to meet WHO air quality standards

A traffic jam near the Gotthard Tunnel KEYSTONE/© KEYSTONE / URS FLUEELER

Only seven countries met air quality standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO) last year. Switzerland is not one of them.

Delhi is the world’s most polluted capital city for the fourth time since 2018, according to the World Air Quality Report 2023External link by Swiss air quality company IQAir.

India, on the other hand, with an average of 54.4 micrograms of PM 2.5 particles per cubic metre, is the third most polluted country in the world out of 134, after Pakistan (73.7) and Bangladesh (79.9). The Geneva-based WHO recommends no more than five micrograms.

Only Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand met WHO standards in 2023.

+ Swiss-led research helps uncover new truths about air pollution

According to the report, 1.36 billion people in India are exposed to PM 2.5 values that exceed the levels recommended by the WHO, and 1.33 billion people – or 96% of the population – live in areas with levels seven times higher.

The study data came from over 30,000 monitoring stations and sensors operated by research institutions, government agencies, universities, private companies, and independent organisations.

Translated from Italian by DeepL/ts

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