Billions Of People Breathe Dirty Air As Every Nation Flunks Health Guideline
A new report says no country has met the World Health Organization's Air Quality Standard. Meanwhile, Ukraine is set to receive 50 ventilators donated from Maryland, Hong Kong lifts its flight bans, and more.
Bloomberg:
Every Country Is Flunking WHO Air Quality Standard: Report
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are breathing dirty air that far exceeds health guidelines, and climate change is making pollution worse, according to a new report that analyzed real-time air quality data from tens of thousands of monitoring stations. Those sensors measured levels of PM2.5, particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and smaller in length that’s found in vehicle exhaust, power plant emissions, desert dust storms and smoke from cooking stoves and wildfires. Scientists have linked exposure to PM2.5 with heart and lungdisease and 7 million premature deaths each year. (Woody, 3/22)
Reuters:
No Country Met WHO Air Quality Standards In 2021 - Data
Not a single country managed to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) air quality standard in 2021, a survey of pollution data in 6,475 cities showed on Tuesday, and smog even rebounded in some regions after a COVID-related dip. The WHO recommends that average annual readings of small and hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 should be no more than 5 micrograms per cubic metre after changing its guidelines last year, saying that even low concentrations caused significant health risks. (3/22)
In updates from Ukraine —
The Baltimore Sun:
Maryland Donating 50 Ventilators To Ukraine As The Russian Invasion Continues
Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday that the Maryland Department of Health donated 50 ventilators to Ukraine to help hospitals treat the wounded during Russia’s invasion. The Republican governor said the Astral portable ventilators were donated to the Paul Chester Children’s Hope Foundation — a Dickerson-based grassroots medical organization that provides surgical care to people in developing countries. “The State of Maryland continues to stand in solidarity with President Zelensky and the people of Ukraine,” Hogan said in a news release. “We are proud to make this donation to help save lives and aid the Ukrainians in the fight against Russian aggression.” (Oxenden, 3/21)
The Washington Post:
David Beckham Lends Instagram Account To Ukrainian Doctor In Kharkiv
Soccer legend David Beckham handed over control of his Instagram account — and its 71.5 million followers — on Sunday to a Ukrainian doctor caring for pregnant women and their babies in the war-torn city of Kharkiv. Throughout the day, Iryna, a pediatric anesthesiologist and the head of the regional perinatal center in Kharkiv, posted a moving first-person account of her daily life in Ukraine’s second-largest city, an early target in Moscow’s advance that has been ravaged by missile strikes. (Pannett, 3/21)
And more global developments —
The Washington Post:
Hong Kong Lifts Flight Bans, Suspends Mandatory Mass Testing Amid Waning Tolerance For ‘Zero Covid’
Hong Kong will lift flight bans in place for nine countries including the United States and reduce mandatory quarantine for returning residents to seven days, in the first easing of the city’s draconian coronavirus restrictions in many months as the financial hub buckles under the weight of its “zero-covid” policy. (Yu, 3/21)
AP:
Indonesia Set To Lift Quarantine Rules For Overseas Tourists
Indonesia will lift all quarantine requirements for overseas visitors entering the country, its tourism minister said Monday, two years after it imposed border restrictions due to COVID-19.Tourism and Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno told reporters that foreign tourists will still be required to have a negative PCR test before entering the country. Quarantine requirements will be lifted from Tuesday, he added. (Tarigan, 3/21)
