Living in a city with poor air quality can have immense effects on
your health. Air pollution can increase a person’s risk of asthma,
emphysema, and chronic respiratory disease. Long-term health problems
can also occur when living in a polluted environment that contains
hazardous chemicals and poisons in the air. Chances of developing heart
disease, liver and kidney damage, as well lung cancer, increase daily
when you continuously breathe in toxins. We’ve compiled a list of the
cities with the worst air quality in the world, and the harmful side
effects their citizens develop.
Tianying, China
Tianying, China’s air is polluted with lead concentration as a result of
illegal mining. 140,000 people inhale the dust and lead toxins on a
daily basis, which causes severe cases of lead poisoning in the city.
Residents reportedly suffer from hearing and visual problems, stomach
aches, colon impairment, and kidney malfunction. Long-term health
effects on the brain include acquired learning disabilities, shortened
attention spans, and hyperactivity. Tianying is one of the
worst-polluted cities in China, with attempts at a clean-up project
failing miserably
Chernobyl, Ukraine
Chernobyl experienced the world’s most devastating nuclear disaster in
1986 when a nearby power plant melted a powerful reactor. The amount of
radiation that filled the air has made it impossible to live within a 19
mile radius of the ghost town. The chemical particles present in the
air quality include uranium, plutonium, and cesium-137. Since the
accident, more than 4,000 cases of thyroid cancer have been found in
children and young adults. Residents in the surrounding areas of
Belarus, Ukraine and Russia are still breathing the dangerous air
quality, risking skin lesions, respiratory disease and birth defects.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Mongolia’s capital contains an air quality of six-seven times higher
than international health standards. The city’s residents are most
likely to contract a respiratory illness from breathing in the toxins
from wood and coal burning, local power plants, and dust from the
desert. A surplus of unfamiliar diseases are developing from the
combination of the air’s chemicals, motivating environmental stress in
the troubled region. The government of Mongolia has received a $45
million donation from the World Bank to clean up its city, but a change
in lifestyle is also necessary to keep Ulaanbaatar clean.
Delhi, India
The World Health Organization has ranked Delhi’s air quality the worst
in the world. The air pollution in India’s capital kills around 1.5
million people each year, with the most frequent cause of death being
chronic respiratory disease. Vehicular pollution is reported to be the
main cause of the city’s poor air quality, alongside burning garage and
the use of diesel generators. The polluted air increases the chance of
autism, epilepsy, and diabetes in developing children, and early death
for adults. The Indian government has yet to take substantial action on
the environmental stressors creating such severe health risks, but air
quality monitoring stations are a temporary aide
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