WHO New guidelines [TKB Health]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has created new guidelines regarding air quality. If all the countries follow these guidelines, then every year thousands of people not going to die. Their untimely death could have been avoided. This new guidelines was awaited for 15 years. It is being claimed that if these guidelines had been made earlier, thousands of people could have been saved during the Corona period.

The smallest particles of pollution i.e. PM 2.5 which are called particulate matter. These are very dangerous. They can enter the tissue of your lungs. As well as in the veins of blood. Due to these people can get asthma, heart related diseases and other respiratory diseases. The new guidelines were not updated for 15 years.

It has been said in the new guidelines that PM 2.5 will have to be reduced from 10 micrograms per cubic meter to five micrograms per cubic meter. In the year 2016, there were more than 4 million untimely deaths all over the world. Half of these deaths were due to poor air quality, air pollution and PM 2.5. If the new guidelines for the year 2021 are implemented, then there will be a drop of 80 percent in the amount of PM 2.5. About 3 millions people will be saved from dying every year.

In this new guideline, such arrangements have been made in which the governments of different countries can also make some changes according to their own. Changes in the rules can be made keeping in view the environmental and health related problems of their country. It also includes the pollution outside the house and the pollution inside the house. Also, PM 10 which is larger than PM 2.5, ozone, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide can also be monitored.

This guideline was issued in the 76th United Nations General Assembly. Covid-19 and climate change were being discussed in this meeting. With the help of this new guidelines, we will achieve success on three fronts. Firstly, the health of the people will improve. Second, the air quality will improve. Apart from this, the third front will benefit in the struggle with the climate crisis.

Talking to CNN, Dorota Jarosinska said that the world should immediately implement these guidelines. Because of this, millions of lives can be saved. Also, rapid success can be found in fighting coronavirus and Covid-19 infection. Because air pollution had emerged as an important factor in the Covid-19 infection. Which has been mentioned in many studies.

PM 2.5 and PM 10 are released from burning of fossil fuels i.e. petrol, diesel etc., wild fires, agricultural residues etc., due to which there are many types of respiratory problems including asthma, heart related diseases, chronic bronchitis etc. With these problems, if someone is infected with Covid-19, then his condition becomes even more serious.

According to a recent study, there was a rapid increase in the cases of Covid-19 in the year 2020 due to the wild fire in America. Because the amount of particulate matter in the air had increased. Especially in western America because that’s where most of the fires happened. The highest temperature was also recorded. This study was published in the journal Science Advances.

Tariq Benmarnia, a climate change epidemiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, said there is a lot of evidence to suggest that levels of lethal PM 2.5 remain elevated, even with minimal pollution. Too much nitrogen dioxide is also released, which is harmful to health. Therefore, it is necessary that the new guideline regarding air quality should be implemented as soon as possible worldwide.