In Morocco, out of 100 deaths caused by pollution, 47% are due to diseases of respiratory origin such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
According to the WHO, 7 million deaths annually worldwide are caused by polluted air, including 3.2 million deaths due to polluted indoor air, the Moroccan daily + Le Matin + reported on Saturday.
According to the WHO, air pollution is the single biggest contributor to the environmental burden of disease and one of the leading preventable causes of death and disease worldwide. 99% of the world’s population now breathes polluted air, according to Apanews.
This is not reassuring, according to health policy and systems researcher Dr. Tayeb Himdi, who says that 9 out of 10 people on earth breathe polluted air. According to the same source, 7 million deaths annually worldwide are caused by polluted air, including 3.2 million deaths due to polluted indoor air, knowing that we spend nearly 90% of our lives in enclosed spaces including place of residence, schools and workplaces.
The WHO explains this phenomenon by the use of polluting open fireplaces or simple stoves for cooking, which are fueled by kerosene, biomass (wood, animal waste and agricultural residues) and coal.
Outdoor air, however, remains the main culprit, causing 3.8 million deaths per year. Air pollution is multi-factor since it emanates, among other things, from domestic energy used for cooking and heating, vehicles, electricity production, agriculture, not to mention the incineration of waste and the industry.
At the local level, according to a national study by the Ministry of Health dating from 2019 cited by Dr Tayeb Himdi, Morocco records, each year, 10,000 deaths directly linked to unhealthy air. Breathing polluted air is also one of the main causes of the emergence or aggravation of a range of diseases.
According to the same source, out of 100 deaths caused by pollution, 47% are due to diseases of respiratory origin (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc.), 27% to heart disease (stroke and other cerebral vascular accidents), 18% are linked to strokes and 8% are caused by pollution-triggered lung cancer.
Air pollution in enclosed spaces can be reduced, emphasizes Dr. Himdi, by frequently ventilating the rooms for 10 to 15 minutes morning and evening to renew the air and opt, as far as possible, for clean energies in order to to cool or heat your living or working space, he recommends.
Globally, the WHO recommends “reducing major sources of ambient air pollution through policies and investments that promote sustainable land use, cleaner household energy and transportation, housing, energy-efficient power plants and factories, and better management of municipal waste”.