Public Agenda (Accra)
Patricia Ofori Atta
23 November 2007
World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that more than 1.5 billion people living in the urban areas have dangerous high levels of air pollution which could lead to an outbreak of various diseases.
Air pollution is estimated to cause approximately 1 billion premature deaths worldwide per year. More than half of this burden is borne by people in developing countries.
According to WHO assessment of the burden of disease due to air pollution, more than two million premature deaths each year can be attributed to the effects of urban outdoor air pollution and indoor air pollution. More than half of this disease burden is borne by the populations of developing countries.
This came to light at the Ghana Health Service 's Monthly Health Promotion Programme in Accra, which was, aimed at educationg the general public on preventive health care. The theme of the programme was "The Effects of Air Pollution on Health".
WHO report on air pollution said that clean air is considered to be a basic requirement of human health and well-being. However, air pollution continues to pose a significant threat to health worldwide.
WHO observed that, cooking and heating with solid fuels on open fires or traditional stoves results in high levels of indoors air pollution while the indoor smoke contains a range of health-damaging pollutants, such as small particles and carbon monoxide.
The report revealed that more than two billion people worldwide continue to depend on solid fuels, including biomass fuels (wood, dung, agricultural residues) and coal, for their energy needs.
The Programme Manager of Occupational and Environment Health of Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Edith Clark stated that air pollution is charactized by emissions of particulates such as gases and radiation.
She said air pollution is a major challenge to development due to health and environmental impacts if not properly addressed.
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