Dhaka's Air Quality 'Moderate' This Morning

Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the ‘moderate’ zone on Monday.

With an air quality index (AQI) score of 72 at 9 am, the metropolis ranked 20th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality, reports UNB.

An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.

Pakistan’s Lahore, the UAE’s Dubai, and India’s Delhi occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 178,

162 and 154, respectively.

An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.

Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous',

posing serious health risks to residents.

In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria 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.

Read: Dhaka's air quality is 'unhealthy' (https://www.unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/dhakas-air-quality-isunhealthy/101726)

Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has

long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases,

lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.

As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every

year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung

cancer and acute respiratory infections.