More than 80 percent of the urban population in the world lives in a place where the air quality is below the standards set by the World Health Organization, a new report has found. While cities like Beijing, Mexico City, and New Delhi are famous for their poor air, even cities like London, Paris, and Rome made the list of locations where air quality is below healthy standards. Ninety-eight of 100 cities in low- and middle-income countries also fail to meet the expectations of a safe environment.
Air pollution has been linked to premature deaths and ailments including asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer. "When dirty air blankets our cities the most vulnerable urban populations — the youngest, oldest, and poorest — are the most impacted," WHO official Flavia Bustreo said in a press release.
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