Disparities in air pollution exposure are increasing worldwide, particularly as low- and middle-income countries are experiencing growing levels of air pollution because of large-scale urbanization and economic development that has largely relied on the burning of fossil fuels.
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世卫组织欧洲区域主任Hans Henri P. Kluge博士说：“据世卫组织估计，每年有数百万人死于空气污染的后果，主要是死于非传染性疾病。
“Annually, WHO estimates that millions of deaths are caused by the effects of air pollution, mainly from noncommunicable diseases.
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清洁的空气应该是一项基本人权，也是社会健康和生产力的必要条件。
Clean air should be a fundamental human right and a necessary condition for healthy and productive societies.
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然而，尽管过去三十年空气质量有所改善，但仍有数百万人过早死亡，且往往是最脆弱和最边缘化的人群。
However, despite some improvements in air quality over the past three decades, millions of people continue to die prematurely, often affecting the most vulnerable and marginalized populations,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge.
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我们知道问题的严重性，也知道如何解决。
“We know the magnitude of the problem and we know how to solve it.
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更新后的指南为决策者提供了坚实的证据和必要的工具来应对这一长期健康负担。”
These updated guidelines give policy-makers solid evidence and the necessary tool to tackle this long-term health burden.”
Global assessments of ambient air pollution alone suggest hundreds of millions of healthy life years of life lost, with the greatest attributable disease burden seen in low and middle-income countries.
The more exposed to air pollution they are, the greater the health impact, particularly on individuals with chronic conditions (such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart disease), as well as older people, children and pregnant women.
In 2019, more than 90% of the global population lived in areas where concentrations exceeded the 2005 WHO air quality guideline for long term exposure to PM₂ .