Assessing the Impact of Winter Air Pollution on Human Health in Pakistan
Assessing the Impact of Winter Air Pollution on Human Health in Pakistan 1. Introduction Winter air pollution in Pakistan has reached critical levels, severely impacting public health, particularly during colder months when smog engulfs major cities like Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad. In November 2024, Lahore recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeding 1,000, making it the world’s most polluted city. The crisis has become a leading cause of premature deaths, reduced life expectancy, and widespread respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Overview of Air Pollution as a Global Environmental and Health Crisis Air pollution is a critical global environmental and health crisis, impacting billions of people worldwide Billions of people still have unhealthy air: new WHO data 4. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies it as a major threat to health, as almost the entire global population (99%) breathes air exceeding WHO air quality limits, increasing the risk of dis...