Car drivers in Asia are exposed to up to nine times more pollution than Europeans and Americans.
Delhi
Pollution : Travelling by car in Delhi exposes people to black
carbon levels five times higher than Europe and America, say
scientists who found that Asian residents are exposed to nine times
more air pollution than their Western counterparts.
According
to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 88 per cent of
premature deaths in low- and middle-income countries in Asia can be
attributed to air pollution.
The
number of road vehicles in Beijing increased from 1.5 million in 2000
to more than 5 million in 2014 and the number in Delhi is expected to
increase from 4.7 million in 2010 to 25.6 million by 2030.
In
a study published in the journal Atmospheric Environment, researchers
looked at studies of pollution exposure and concentration levels in
Asian transport microenvironments (walking, driving, cycling,
motorbike riding and bus riding).
Researchers
from the University of Surrey in the UK focused on the levels of fine
particles, black carbon produced by carbon-rich fuels such as
gasoline and diesel fuel, and ultrafine particles (UFP) small enough
to travel deep into a citizen's lungs.
The
study found evidence that pedestrians walking along busy roadsides in
Asian cities are exposed to up to 1.6 times higher fine particle
levels than people in European and American cities.
Car
drivers in Asia are exposed to up to nine times more pollution than
Europeans and Americans, while black carbon levels were seven times
higher for Asian pedestrians than Americans.
The
study reported that in Hong Kong, UFP levels were up to four times
higher than in cities in Europe. In New Delhi, average black carbon
concentration in cars was up to five times higher compared to Europe
or North America.
Story
By BS
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