See How Your City’s Air Pollution Compares to the World’s Worst
Particulate matter is only one component of air pollution, but it poses significant health risks, especially particles less than 2.5 microns in size. Particulate matter pollution can worsen asthma and lead to heart disease, stroke, and other health conditions . So … how much are you breathing in?
The New York Times has a tool that can help you compare air pollution levels in your city (calculated by Berkeley Earth , which also has some good maps) with air pollution levels in some of the most polluted cities in the world.
Where I am in Pittsburgh, the worst level of particulate matter pollution last year was 44 micrograms per cubic meter, a level that is considered “harmful to the health of vulnerable groups.” New York and Chicago are similar. Particulate matter levels in Houston are considered “unhealthy” and Mexico City is “very unhealthy”. (Rural areas do not appear to be available in the tool; you will have to select the closest major city to you.)
It gets worse. Certain cities in California are experiencing particularly severe air pollution in terms of the worst concentration each year, thanks to wildfires that are becoming more common due to climate change . San Francisco evaluated as “very unhealthy” with the maximum index 197. Internationally Beijing has the level designated as “dangerous” and New Delhi deserves “extreme” levels with enormous 900 g / m 3.
If you are in an area with high levels of contamination, you can wear a particulate filter mask. But the best way to tackle this problem is to get the big decision makers – companies and, more importantly, governments – to take action to reduce the amount of pollution generated. The World Health Organization notes that carbon dioxide emissions are also responsible for major contributors to air pollution. This means that policies to reduce air pollution “offer a win-win strategy for both climate and health, reducing the burden of disease associated with air pollution, and contributing to short- and long-term mitigation of climate change. “