Air pollution was front and center once again in early June, when the skies over New York City turned an apocalyptic orange as smoke and ash from fires in Canada blanketed the region.
As many as 120 million people in 18 U.S. states were warned of air quality that was considered unhealthy for anyone.
Canada’s wildfires this year came earlier and fiercer than usual and have burned over 10 million acres. Heat and drought associated with global warming are major reasons for the increase and a contributor to bigger fires that have spread across every province. The situation has been made worse by a shortage of firefighters.
Poor air led to the cancellation of some events associated with Fête nationale, or St-Jean-Baptiste Day, one of Quebec’s biggest holidays.
The size of the particles that fill the air is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems.
Fine particles, called PM2.5, (particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter -- about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair) pose the greatest health risk, according to the EPA.
In June New York State warned residents that particles in the PM2.5 size range can travel deep into the respiratory tract and can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath.
PM2.5 is of the six major air pollutants commonly factored in determining air quality and is considered the most harmful, according to a report on world air quality by IQAir. That's the Swiss technology company that operates a free real-time air quality information platform and collaborates globally with governments and organizations to improve air quality.
These fine particles are produced in nature by wildfires, dust storms and sand storms; as well as by human activity such as combustion engines, power generation, industrial and agricultural processes, construction, and wood and coal burning, the IQAir report says.
IQAir’s 2022 World Air Quality Report reviewed the status of air quality worldwide for that year, looking at PM2.5 air quality data from 7,323 cities in 131 countries, regions, and territories. Data were aggregated from measurements taken from over 30,000 global air quality monitoring stations.
Residents of the northeastern U.S. wouldn't have believed it this year, but the U.S. ranked in the top 33 in 2022. Here are those countries, regions and territories with the cleanest air averages.
33. United States
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.9 micrograms per cubic meter
In January 2023, the EPA decided to revise the primary, health-based annual PM2.5 standard from its current level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to within the range of 9 to 10. The World Health Organization’s guideline for annual PM2.5 concentrations is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
32. Nicaragua
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.9
31. United Kingdom
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.9
30. Angola
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.8
29. Denmark
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.6
28. Cambodia
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.3
27. Liechtenstein
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.3
26. Portugal
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 8.1
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25. Costa Rica
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.9
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24. Argentina
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.7
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23. Ireland
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.5
22. Luxembourg
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.4
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21. Canada
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.4
20. Bolivia
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.3
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19. Suriname
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.0
18. Norway
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 7.0
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17. Sweden
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 6.2
16. Belize
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 5.6
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15. Andorra
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 5.4
14. Trinidad and Tobago
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 5.1
Following are the 13 countries, mostly islands, out of the 131 countries and regions included in the report that succeeded in achieving PM2.5 concentrations at or below the World Health Organization’s guideline for annual concentrations of 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
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13. Finland
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 5.0
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12. Estonia
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 4.9
11. New Zealand
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 4.8
10. Puerto Rico
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 4.3
9. Australia
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 4.2
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8. Grenada
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 3.8
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7. New Caledonia
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 3.5
6. Iceland
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 3.4
5. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 3.3
4. Bermuda
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 3.0
3. U.S. Virgin Islands
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 2.9
2. French Polynesia
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 2.5
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1. Guam
2022 average PM2.5 concentration: 1.3
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