Polluted cities. Quality of life

Where are the most polluted cities in the world? / 1

Data published by WHO have led many to consider Delhi as "the most polluted city in the world". Opinions based on these data are weak, because although WHO takes information from monitoring stations in more than 1,600 cities in all populated continents, only covers less than a third of the cities of more than 100,000 people. Not all highly polluted cities are great.

Evaluations and measurements can be wrong, but they are irrelevant in relation to the magnitude of the actual numbers. Fourteen or fifteen times above the WHO maximum level (10 mg / m3) makes no difference. Anyway, if you live there is already dead, sentenced to diseases you never recover unless escape in time. Sure, it's easier said.

If you watch the next scene, in broad daylight, not in the evening or in the early hours of the morning do you encourage to run to "strengthen" their lungs with exercise?

Joggers and walkers on a smoggy morning near the India Gate monument in New Delhi. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty Images

Pollution is not only a matter of undeveloped and poor countries. Also it exists in developed countries, which of course are not reaching the dantesque levels of the first (India, China, etc.)

PM2.5 is not the only form of air pollution - in fact there are many - but is responsible for more deaths worldwide. Another notable murderer is NO2, now known by the scandalous attempt by VW to manipulate the presentation of their emissions. In Europe, diesel cars that emit high NO2 are numerous by the huge subsidy program. In London, this pollutant kills more people than PM2.5. In the city center, where they circulate the iconic red buses with diesel engine, Oxford Street is the street most contaminated with this substance.

In the UK there are now plans to develop an ultra low emission zone in the capital. The new red buses are now electric-diesel hybrids. An environmental NGOs used this fact against the UK government in the European Court of Justice, which sanctioned for its failure to protect citizens in 40 of 43 urban areas of the country. Residents of hundreds, perhaps thousands, cities can not make these claims because the necessary measurements are not registered by their governments.

Oxford Street in London was named The most polluted road in the world for NO2. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images

Here are some views of the most polluted cities. If you do not live in them, he is lucky, but contribute to air their city cleaner. NO CONTAMINATE AND BE AWARE OF YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO OUR PLANET.

In this view, no haze or is a winter day, it's just another day, perhaps noon (China, Beijing)

Buildings are shrouded in smog in Lianyungang, China Getty

Delhi, India (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 153)

Air pollution in Delhi is mainly caused by industry and traffic, which has produced high levels of several substances particulate matter - including carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and metal compounds. According to CNN, there are approximately 8.5 million registered vehicles in the city.

Smog envelops buildings on the outskirts of the Indian capital city New Delhi Getty

Patna, India (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 149)

The second largest city in eastern India, Patna has an estimated population 1.68 million in 2011. It is an important agricultural and commercial center, colas most active exports are grains, sugar cane, sesame and rice.

Vehicles drive across Mahatma Gandhi Setu Bridge, built over the River Ganges in the eastern Indian city of Patna Reuters

Gwalior, India (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 144)

Gwalior, one of the largest cities of Central India, is surrounded by three major industrial and commercial areas: Sitholi, Banmore and Malanpur.

Men sit on a wall overlooking the city from the 8th century Gwalior Fort in Gwalior Getty

Raipur, India (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 134)

Raipur has become an important regional commercial and industrial destination for the coal, energy, steel and aluminum and is the largest steel market in India.

City traffic Contributing to air pollution is a problem in India Getty

Karachi, Pakistan (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 117)

Air pollution, lack of adequate infrastructure for waste management and degradation of water bodies are the main environmental problems in Karachi. The city air is quickly contaminated by emissions from vehicles rickshaws and buses, industrial emissions, open burning of garbage, trash fires and house.

Children walk across an improvised bridge Placed above a drain full of rubbish in a slum area of ​​KarachiGetty

Peshawar, Pakistan (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 111)

Emissions from vehicles, industrial emissions and brick kilns, burning of solid waste and waste, poorly maintained vehicles are some of the sources of pollution in Peshawar.

Labourers work as smoke rises from a brick kiln in PeshawarGetty / AFP

Rawalpindi, Pakistan (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 107)

A rapidly growing city in the northern region of Pothohar Punjab, Pakistan, Rawalpindi is home to several textile factories. Their high traffic levels have increased air pollution in the region.

A man shovels sand and salt into an oven at a factory in Rawalpindi Reuters

Khorramabad, Iran (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 102)

In 2012, pollution contributed to the premature deaths of 4,500 people in Tehran and about 80,000 throughout Iran, according to the Ministry of Health.

Khoramabad, in Lorestan Province of Iran, is the basis of the regional agricultural industryWiki Commons / Ninara

Ahmedabad, India (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 100)

Ahmedabad has become an important economic and industrial center in India and is the second largest producer of cotton in the country. The heavy duty construction, infrastructure and housing has contributed to high levels of air pollution.

Labourers travel in a tractor trolley past hospital buildings under construction in Ahmedabad, India Reuters

Lucknow, India (annual average PM2.5, ug / m3: 96)

The capital of Uttar Pradesh is among the most polluted cities. The lack of transport infrastructure and increasing number of vehicles aggravates the problem, according to India's Centre for Science and Environment.

Scavengers search for usable refuse in a garbage dump in LucknowReuters

References

What is 2-5 PM?

https://www3.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm#0

Karl Mathiesen (2015) Where is the World's Most Polluted city?

December 2, 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/dec/02/where-world-most-polluted-city-air-pollution

World Environment Day 2015: 10 Most polluted cities in the world

• June 4 2015 12:00 BST

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/world-environment-day-10-most-polluted-cities-world-1504260

Ciudades contaminadas-Calidad de vida

¿Dónde están las ciudades más contaminadas del planeta?/1

Los datos de la OMS han llevado a muchos a considerar  Delhi como "la ciudad más contaminada del mundo". La base de estos datos es endeble, porque aunque la OMS toma la información de las estaciones de monitoreo en más de 1.600 ciudades en todos los continentes poblada, solamente cubre menos de un tercio de las ciudades de más de 100.000 personas. No todas las ciudades muy contaminadas son grandes.

Las evaluaciones y mediciones pueden tener errores de medición, pero son  irrelevantes en relación a la magnitud de las cifras reales. Catorce o quince veces por encima del nivel máximo de la OMS (10 mg/m3) no hace gran diferencia. De todas maneras, si usted vive allí ya está muerto, condenado a enfermedades de las que nunca se recupera, salvo que escape a tiempo. Claro, es más fácil decirlo.

Si usted mira la siguiente escena, en pleno día, no al atardecer ni en las primeras  horas de la madrugada ¿se animaría a correr para “fortalecer” sus pulmones con el ejercicio?

Joggers and walkers on a smoggy morning near the India Gate monument in New Delhi. Photograph: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images

La contaminación no es asunto único de los países no desarrollados o pobres. También existe en los países desarrollados, que claro están no llega a los niveles  dantescos de los primeros (India, China, entre otros)

PM2.5 no es la única forma de contaminación del aire - de hecho hay muchos - pero es responsable del mayor número de muertes en todo el mundo. Otro asesino notable es NO2,  ahora conocido por el intento escandaloso de VW para manipular la presentación de sus emisiones. En Europa, los coches que emiten diesel con alto contenido de NO2 son numerosos por el enorme programa de subsidios. En Londres, este contaminante mata a más personas que el PM 2,5. En el centro de la ciudad, donde circulan los icónicos autobuses rojos con motor diesel, Oxford Street es la calle  más contaminado con esta sustancia.

En el Reino Unido existen ahora planes para desarrollar una zona de emisión ultra baja en la capital. Los nuevos autobuses rojos son ahora los híbridos eléctricos-diesel. Una ONG ambiental  usó  este hecho contra el gobierno del Reino Unido en el Tribunal de Justicia Europeo, que sancionó por su incapacidad para proteger a los ciudadanos en 40 de 43 zonas urbanas del país. Los residentes de cientos, quizás miles, de las ciudades no pueden hacer estas demandas porque las mediciones necesarias no son registradas por sus gobiernos.

Oxford Street in London was named the most polluted road in the world for NO2. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

A continuación algunas vistas de las ciudades más contaminadas. Si usted no vive en ellas, es afortunado, pero contribuya para que el aire de su ciudad sea más limpio. NO CONTAMINE Y SEA CONCIENTE DE SU RESPONSABILIDAD CON NUESTRO PLANETA.

En esta vista, no hay neblina ni es un día de invierno, es un día cualquiera, quizás mediodía (China, Beijing)

Buildings are shrouded in smog in Lianyungang, China Getty

Delhi, India (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 153)

La contaminación del aire en Delhi es causada principalmente por la industria y el tráfico vehicular, que ha producido altos  niveles de material particulado compuesto de varias sustancias - incluyendo carbono, nitrógeno, azufre y compuestos metálicos. Según la CNN, hay aproximadamente 8,5 millones de vehículos registrados en la ciudad.

Smog envelops buildings on the outskirts of the Indian capital New Delhi Getty

Patna, India (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 149)

La segunda ciudad más grande en el este de la India, Patna tiene una población estimada de 1,68 millones en  2011. Es un centro agrícola y comercial importante, colas exportaciones más activas son de granos, caña de azúcar, ajonjolí y arroz.

Vehicles drive across Mahatma Gandhi Setu Bridge, built over the River Ganges, in the eastern Indian city of Patna Reuters

Gwalior, India (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 144)

Gwalior, una de las ciudades más grandes de la India central, está rodeado por tres principales áreas industriales y comerciales: Sitholi, Banmore y Malanpur.

Men sit on a wall overlooking the city from the 8th century Gwalior Fort in Gwalior Getty

Raipur, India (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 134)

Raipur se ha convertido en un destino comercial e industrial regional importante para las industrias del carbón, energía, acero y aluminio y es el mayor mercado del acero en la India.

City traffic contributing to air pollution is a problem in India Getty

Karachi, Pakistan (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 117)

La contaminación del aire, la falta de infraestructura adecuada para gestión de los residuos y la degradación de los cuerpos de agua son los principales problemas ambientales en Karachi. El aire de la ciudad se contamina rápidamente por las emisiones de vehículos de rickshaws y autobuses, las emisiones industriales, quema al aire libre de basura, incendios de basura y de la casa.

Children walk across an improvised bridge placed above a drain full of rubbish in a slum area of KarachiGetty

Peshawar, Pakistan (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 111)

Las emisiones de los vehículos, las emisiones de hornos industriales y de ladrillo, la quema de desechos sólidos y desperdicios, vehículos con pésimo  mantenimiento, son algunas de las fuentes de contaminación en Peshawar.

Labourers work as smoke rises from a brick kiln in PeshawarGetty/AFP

Rawalpindi, Pakistan (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 107)

Una ciudad de rápido crecimiento en la región del norte de Pothohar Punjab, Pakistán, Rawalpindi es el hogar de varias fábricas textiles. Sus altos niveles de tráfico han aumentado  la contaminación del aire en la región.

A man shovels sand and salt into an oven at a factory in Rawalpindi Reuters

Khorramabad, Iran (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 102)

En 2012, la contaminación contribuyó a la muerte prematura de 4.500 personas en Teherán y alrededor de 80.000 en todo Irán, de acuerdo con el Ministerio de Salud.

Khoramabad, in Lorestan Province of Iran, is the regional base of the agricultural industryWiki Commons/Ninara

Ahmedabad, India (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 100)

Ahmedabad se ha convertido en un importante centro económico e industrial en la India y es el segundo mayor productor de algodón en el país. El trabajo pesado de construcción,  infraestructura y la vivienda ha contribuido a los altos niveles de contaminación del aire.

Labourers travel in a tractor trolley past hospital buildings under construction in Ahmedabad, India Reuters

Lucknow, India (promedio anual PM2.5, ug/m3: 96)

La capital de Uttar Pradesh se encuentra entre las ciudades más contaminadas del país. La falta de infraestructura de transporte y creciente número de vehículos agrava el problema, según la India del Centro de Ciencia y Medio Ambiente.

Scavengers search for usable refuse in a garbage dump in LucknowReuters

Referencias

What is PM 2-5?

https://www3.epa.gov/pmdesignations/faq.htm#0

Mathiesen Karl, (2015)Where is the world's most polluted city?

2 de diciembre del 2015

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/dec/02/where-world-most-polluted-city-air-pollution

 

World Environment Day 2015: 10 most polluted cities in the world

·         June 4, 2015 12:00 BST

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/world-environment-day-10-most-polluted-cities-world-1504260

Urban pollution, deadly enemy and invisible

Polluted cities and health risk

A shrouded in smog busy expressway in Beijing, China, this week. Beijing issued an orange alert for heavy smog on Monday after recording the highest level esta year. Photograph: How Hwee Young / EPA

Every day, hundreds of millions of people get up in an insecure external environment for human survival. Air pollution kills 3.3 million people each year, mainly in the cities; more than HIV, malaria and influenza combined. Research on this silent mass murderer insidiously reveals something surprising. While the governments of more than 190 nations meet in Paris to discuss a possible new global agreement on climate change, it not even knows Count pollution kills more people.

In China, about 1.6 million Chinese die from breathing polluted air every year. Beijing is an emblematic case. In 2015, it was the reported level of PM 2.5 to 391 micrograms per cubic meter (mg / m3), so that Chinese authorities advised residents to stay in their homes. According to WHO, the acceptable annual average limit is 10 ug / m3.

The list is dominated by the ultra-Miasmic India and Pakistan, cities with Delhi first. On an average day, residents of the Indian capital breathe polluted air with fine particles with a concentration of 153μg / m3. Three times the level of Beijing and 15 times the WHO of 10 ug / m3.

A large part of humanity breathes daily unknowingly poison. The implication is profound, because without knowing the air is bad, nothing will be done to address or solve the problem.

WHO says "The cities that collect and disseminate information on outdoor air quality must be praised for their action. This is the crucial first step to identifying if there is a problem of outdoor air pollution and begin to take corrective measures."

The positive aspect is that the stigma of pollution in Delhi forces politicians to act. The government tries to introduce stricter regulations on vehicle manufacturers and build a ring road around the city. In China, a recent survey found that 94% of adults believe that air pollution is a problem that the government must prioritize; therefore already they have been taken substantial measures. The Beijing government runs a program of alternative driving days according to registration numbers and closing coal plants.

2.5 pm, material particles, or PM, is the term for particles found in the air, including dust, dirt, soot, smoke and liquid droplets. The particles may be suspended in the air for long periods of time. Some particles are large or dark enough and are seen as soot or smoke. Others are so small they can only be detected with an electron microscope.

Many natural and artificial sources emit PM directly or emit other pollutants react in the atmosphere to form PM. These solid and liquid particles come in a wide range of sizes. Particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) pose a health problem because they can be inhaled and accumulate in the respiratory system. Particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5) are known as "fine particles" and pose the greatest health risks. Due to its small size (approximately 1/30 of the average width of a human hair) fine particles can lodge deep in the lungs.

Where do PM2.5 come ? All types of combustion activities (automobiles, power plants, wood, etc.) and certain industrial processes generate these particles. The "coarse" particles have diameters between 2.5 and 10 micrometers are called "thick"; between sources are crushing or grinding dust or paved roads. Other particles can be formed in the air from the chemical change of gases. Indirectly formed when gases from burning fuels react with sunlight and water vapor. These may be the result of fuel combustion in motor vehicles, in power plants and other industrial processes.

Air pollution in Lima almost three times the level permitted by the World Health Organization (WHO), registering 12.5 tons per square kilometer per month of sediment atmospheric dust (PAS), the National Institute of Statistics and Information reported.

Sometimes alternative measures are used. In Lima, Peru, the average particle suspension set (PAS, settleable atmospheric dust) by WHO is 5 tons per square kilometer per month, while in Lima the average is 12.5 tons. Apparently, the situation is not so bad. When figures districts, the area of greatest air pollution in October 2015 was San Juan de Lurigancho with 37.7 t / km2 / month, nearly eight times higher than allowed by WHO are reviewed, while Bellavista was the least polluted with an average of 3.9 t / km2 / month.

In a Green Talk in the 2014m at the University of Lima, a specialist of the Court of Environmental Control Agency Assessment and Environmental Control, I mention the causes of air pollution in Peru and protocols and agreements that seek to control this pollution. Peru is subscribed to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Convention, both linked to the care of the ozone layer; and the Kyoto Protocol, which seeks to decrease between 2008 and 2012 emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane and fluorinated gases. The State also promulgated rules aimed at preserving air quality, such as those relating to regulation of the levels of United National Air Pollution Alert or the National Standards for Environmental Air Quality. Unfortunately, as with most laws, these rules are literally painted on the wall, neither the authorities nor citizens worry too much about them. The national get is Carpe Diem, live now, the future is not interested.

For its part, the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (SENAMHI) reported that in January 2015, the average value of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrograms (PM2.5) in the district of Ate was 34, 5 ug / m3, San Borja 13.1 ug / m3, Jesus Maria (Campus Martius) 20.3 ug / m3, Santa Anita 18.5 ug / m3, Villa Maria del Triunfo 19.6 ug / m3, Huachipa 29 9 ug / m3, San Juan de Lurigancho 20.7 ug / m3, San Martin de Porres 16.5 ug / m3, Carabayllo 23.2 ug / m3 in Puente Piedra and 27.8 ug / m3.

In Latin America, the city with the worst air quality indicators is Lima and has cleaner air is Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO). When you have more than 10 micrograms per cubic meter, there is pollution. Lima has an average of 38 mg of PM 2.5 / m3; Salvador has 9 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter.

 On average Lima is 38 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter, in the north of the Peruvian capital cone 58 micrograms was measured, ie almost six times the level set by WHO. Ate and El Agustino top the list of the seven districts with the most polluted air in Lima, according to the latest technical report from the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI). The presence of particulate matter in these communes (ie waste by burning fuels, coal and wood) was 119 micrograms per cubic meter (ug / m) in October. Followers Villa Maria del Triunfo (109 ug / m³), ​​Santa Anita (66) San Borja (53.4) and Jesus Maria (40.1). There is no difference with Miasmic cities in India: Exceed more than 10 times the PM 2.5. This figure reveals the futility and mendacity INEI statistics. Actually the figures were manipulated or not done any actual field work (like the fraudulent 2005 census, which was conducted just a sampling).

WHO declares that the situation is worsening in most places, especially in developing countries.

References