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posted by martyb on Saturday May 14 2016, @04:57PM   Printer-friendly
from the clean-it-up dept.

Over 80 percent of the world's city dwellers breathe poor quality air, increasing their risk of lung cancer and other life-threatening diseases, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report warned Thursday.

Urban residents in poor countries are by far the worst affected, WHO said, noting that nearly every city (98 percent) in low- and middle-income countries has air which fails to meet the UN body's standards.

That number falls to 56 percent of cities in wealthier countries.

"Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health," Maria Neira, the head of WHO's department of public health and environment, said in a statement.

There may be something to this--children in New York City are twice as likely to be hospitalized for asthma as the national average.


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by jmorris on Saturday May 14 2016, @07:30PM

    by jmorris (4844) on Saturday May 14 2016, @07:30PM (#346143)

    Since prehistory cities have been nasty, smelly and unhealthy at the same time they exert an attraction because of the benefits. Most of the world is still existing in a state where they are themselves in a pre-industrial civilization but with access to enough Western tech to build up simulacra of modern cities... that lack most of the things that make them safe enough to actually live in. But even our own metro areas are less safe than the countryside and probably always will be. So decide what is important to you and quit bitchin'.

    Oh, and next time the UN and the rest of the New World Order types are pushing to force everybody into cities, tell them to STFU.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 15 2016, @04:13AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 15 2016, @04:13AM (#346278)

    > Since prehistory cities have been nasty, smelly and unhealthy

    Just because something has been doesn't mean it should continue to be.
    Or perhaps you'd prefer that your children risk polio?