Democracy Dies in Darkness

Nearly everyone is exposed to unhealthy levels of tiny air pollutants, study says

Only 0.001 percent of the global population is exposed to levels of PM 2.5 pollution that the World Health Organization deems safe

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Updated March 7, 2023 at 9:15 a.m. EST|Published March 6, 2023 at 6:38 p.m. EST
Commuters wearing masks walk across an intersection in the central business district on Monday, a day with high levels of air pollution in Beijing. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
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correction

A previous version of this article incorrectly said the Environmental Protection Agency set its threshold for annual PM2.5 concentrations to 9 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter. The current standard is 12 micrograms per cubic meter, with a possible revision to 9 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter. A previous version incorrectly stated 0.001 percent of the global population equates to one out of one thousand people. The article has been corrected.

Nearly everyone — 99 percent of the global population — is exposed to unhealthy levels of tiny and harmful air pollutants, known as PM 2.5, according a new study released Monday in Lancet Planetary Health. The findings underline a growing urgency for policymakers, public health officials and researchers to focus on curbing major sources of air pollution, such as emissions from power plants, industrial facilities and vehicles.