Our lungs work hard to keep us alive. Each minute, the average adult takes between 12 and 16 breaths — that’s the equivalent of 17,280 to 23,040 a day, or between 6.3 million and 8.4 million breaths a year (Puressentiel Pollution report 2018, uk.puressentiel.com). And, what do our lungs need more than anything? Enough oxygen-rich air to keep us breathing and healthy. But this life-giving resource is becoming infiltrated by more and more harmful, gases and particulates, which for the most part, are being introduced as a direct result of human actions.
This mix of particles and gases, known as air pollution, can reach dangerous concentrations, both outside and indoors. They can be damaging to the health of humans and non-human animals, as well as to whole ecosystems. Common pollutants include soot, smoke, mould, pollen, methane, carbon dioxide and monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur oxide, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, who.int), nine out of 10 people on the planet are now breathing polluted air. And, a staggering 91 per cent of the world’s population live in places where air quality exceeds the WHO safety guideline limits. The result is a growing global health crisis, with air pollution already killing no less than 7 million people a year — that’s equal to 13 deaths a minute, and 800 an hour — almost equivalent to the number of breaths we each take in that time. It accounts for more than three times the amount of people who die from malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined, every single year.
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October 2019
 
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