Air quality in the Philippines in 2019 polluted, not safe -Swiss monitor

Air quality in the country last year was considered polluted and unsafe for Pinoys, based on a report from Swiss-based air monitor IQAir.

According to the 2019 World Air Quality report, the Philippines was said to have 17 ug/m3 of PM2.5.

The PM2.5 is a small, inhalable pollutant with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers. It is thirty times smaller than the diameter of a single strand of human hair.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the safe level of air quality ranged from 10 ug per cubic meter of PM2.5, or below.

This small, fine pollutant can enter the respiratory tract, and cause asthma, lung cancer and heart disease in humans, reported Mel Tiangco on "24 Oras."

Compared to the rest of Southeast Asia, the country has the lowest concentration of the pollutant.

In IQAir's country ranking, Indonesia placed first with a PM2.5 annual mean of 51.7 ug/m3. This was followed by Vietnam and Myanmar, with 34.1 ug/m3 and 31.0 ug/m3, respectively. —Angelica Yang/LDF, GMA News