Health alert: Dhaka's air worst in world on Friday morning

Air pollution in Dhaka City.

Dhaka, Feb 16 - Dhaka has topped the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality with an AQI of 239 at 8:24 am on Friday.

The air was classified as “very unhealthy,” according to the air quality index.

An AQI between 151 and 200 is considered “unhealthy” while 201-300 is “very unhealthy” and 301+ is considered “hazardous,” posing severe health risks to residents.

Pakistan's Lahore, India’s Delhi and Kolkata and Iraq’s Baghdad occupied the second, third, fourth and fifth spots on the list, with AQI scores of 223, 219, 199 and 187 respectively.

The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.

The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone.

Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.

As per World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections. - UNB