In the last month, the Western Amazon has become the most polluted region in the world according to the Swiss air monitoring platform IQAir. Forest fires intensify the emission of pollutants and the average concentration of particulate matter has put the region ahead of countries such as India, Pakistan and China — which have historically faced problems with air quality.
The months of September and October traditionally see peaks in air pollution in most cities in Brazil due to fires in the Amazon. However, the data sent at the request of the CNN show that, this year, cities have recorded pollution levels above the average for the month of August.
In Rondônia, the capital Porto Velho (RO) had the month of August this year four times more polluted than last year. The city’s air was classified as “hazardous”, highest degree of pollution for seven days.
This Thursday (05), the city is in the “very unhealthy” range, with pollutant levels almostand 36 times higher than that recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) of 5 µg/m3 (micrograms per cubic meter).
The smoke corridor from forest fires carries the pollution cloud hundreds of kilometers away from the focus of the fires. The city of São Paulo recorded a more polluted month on average, as did Rio de Janeiro, which had the air twice as bad as last year .
In Acre, Rio Branco (AC), also registered rates twice as bad than compared to August last year. The municipality was the most polluted capital in Brazil this Wednesday (4), with levels more than 26 times higher than recommended.
IQAir predicts that Porto Velho (RO) will remain with an air condition ranging from “Unhealthy” to “Very Unhealthy” in the coming week. heat and low humidity of the air aggravate the effects of atmospheric pollution.
This content was originally published in Western Amazon is the most polluted region in the world, according to monitoring on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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