First Air Quality Profile of Two Sub-Saharan African Cities Finds Troubling News
Pollution Up to 5 Times Over International Guidelines
Dan Westervelt setting up a low-cost air quality monitor.
Ambient air pollution is a global public health crisis, causing more than 4.9 million premature deaths per year around the world. In Africa, it has surpassed AIDS as the leading cause of premature death. According to one study, air pollution specifically, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may cause at least as many as 780,000 premature deaths annually in Africa and worsen a significant number of diseases, including asthma, lung cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.