Noxolo Miya
Pretoria - Air pollution in South Africa is 4.7 times the World Health Organization’s annual air quality guideline value, and Pretoria ranks 6th among cities with high pollution.
This is according to the recently released Swiss IQ Air Quality Index 2022 Report, which found that air pollution continued to be the world’s largest environmental health threat.
Worldwide, poor air quality accounts for 93 billion days lived with illness and more than 6 million deaths each year, the report said.
“Exposure to air pollution causes and aggravates several health conditions, which include asthma, cancer, lung illnesses, heart disease and premature mortality.
“Children under 18, pregnant women and older adults all have an increased risk of developing or worsening health conditions from air pollution exposure.”
The report assessed air quality data from monitoring stations across more than 7 300 cities globally.
In the report, South Africa ranked 39th out of 131 countries in terms of worst air quality last year. Chad ranked first, being the worst in terms of air quality, with PM2.5 concentrations at 89.7 μg/m3. PM2.5 includes particles of sulfates, nitrates, black carbon and ammonium, the report indicated.
In the top 10 towns and cities with the highest air pollution in South Africa, Pretoria ranked number 6, while Cape Town took first place, with 6.7%, Bloemfontein was at 16.2, eMbalenhle 17.4%, Hartbeespoort at 18.3% and Joburg 21.7%. Pretoria came in at 217%, the report indicated.
A few of these towns reflected poor air quality due to ongoing veld fires, but most were due to Eskom’s coal-fired power stations. South Africans living close to coal-fired power stations were generally more exposed to higher levels of sulphur dioxide, carbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.
The analysis showed that 12 out of 15 regional cities in Africa which have the least air pollution are in South Africa. Last year, eight of South Africa’s cities, including Bloemfontein, Tshwane and Joburg, were among those listed as most polluted in Africa.
Pretoria News