More than 1 million people died from dirty air in one year, according to World Health Organisation

China is the world’s deadliest country for outdoor air pollution, according to analysis by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The UN agency has previously warned that tiny particulates from cars, power plants and other sources are killing 3 million people worldwide each year.

For the first time the WHO has broken down that figure to a country-by-country level. It reveals that of the worst three nations, more than 1 million people died from dirty air in China in 2012, at least 600,000 in India and more than 140,000 in Russia.



At 25th out of 184 countries with data, the UK ranks worse than France, with 16,355 deaths in 2012 versus 10,954, but not as poorly as Germany at 26,160, which has more industry and 16 million more people. Australia had 94 deaths and 38,043 died in the US that year from particulate pollution.



Maria Neria, director of the WHO’s public health and the environment department, told the Guardian: “Countries are confronted with the reality of better data. Now we have the figures of how many citizens are dying from air pollution. What we are learning is, this is very bad. Now there are no excuses for not taking action.”

Gavin Shaddick, who led the international team that put together the data, said: “Globally, air pollution presents a major risk to public health and a substantial number of lives could be saved if levels of air pollution were reduced.”



Sixteen scientists from eight international institutions worked with WHO on the analysis, which gathered data from 3,000 locations, using pollution monitors on the ground, modelling and satellite readings.

They looked at exposure to tiny particulates 2.5 microns in size, known as PM2.5s, which penetrate the lungs and are the air pollutant most strongly associated with an increased risk of death. “The real driver of ill health is ultra-fine particles, 2.5s – they have the ability to permeate the membrane of the lungs and enter our blood system,” said Shaddick, who is based at the University of Bath. “Increasingly there is an understanding that there are not just respiratory diseases but cardiovascular ones associated with PM2.5s.”

In the UK more than 90% of the population lives in areas with levels of PM2.5s above the WHO’s air-quality limits of 10 micrograms per cubic metre for the annual mean. The government is in the high court on 18 and 19 October facing a legal challenge by environmental law group ClientEarth, which says ministers’ clean-up plans for another pollutant – nitrogen dioxide – are inadequate.

Globally, 92% of the population breathes air that breaches WHO limits but the world map of deaths caused by PM2.5s changes when looked at per capita. When ranked by the number of deaths for every 100,000 people, Ukraine jumps to the top of the list at 120.

It is followed by eastern European and former Soviet states, and Russia itself, probably due to a legacy of heavy industry in the region. China drops down to 10th, at 76 per 100,000, and India falls to 27th, with 49 per 100,000.



Most of the air pollution comes from cars, coal-fired plants and waste burning but not all of it is created by humans. Dust storms in places close to deserts also contribute to dirty air, explaining partly why Iran is at 16th highest for total deaths, at 26,000 a year.



Most of the total deaths worldwide – two out of three – occur in south-east Asia and the western Pacific, which includes China, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, South Korea and small Pacific island states.



Shaddick said: “We might think of [pollution in] Beijing as being very high, but when you fill in the gaps between the big [Chinese] cities, [air pollution in] regions [is] remarkably high compared to the WHO limits [10 grams per cubic metre for the annual mean], up in the 50s and 60s. That’s something we in the west can’t even comprehend. That was probably a bit of a shock [to me].”

The Pacific states of Brunei Darussalam, Fiji and Vanuatu have the lowest number of deaths from air pollution, the WHO found.



Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris and chair-elect of a network of cities combating climate change, said: “Fighting pollution is one of my top priorities as mayor of Paris. It is a vital public health issue and all mayors should take on their responsibility to deliver bold actions.”

The city of Paris voted on Monday to ban cars along a stretch of the river Seine to cut pollution, defeating a minority rightwing opposition.



Hidalgo added: “I have said it before and am saying it again: we cannot negotiate with Parisians’ health.”

Neira said Canada and Scandinavian countries deserved praise for curbing air pollution and singled out France too. “France is taking a lot of action, Paris is taking aggressive measures: aggressive in the good sense. [It] maybe unpopular because it’s for the health of people but they are putting some restrictions on individuals. We all need to understand this is a matter of public health,” she said.</s>More than nine out of 10 people worldwide live in areas with excessive air pollution, contributing to strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other problems, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

The U.N. health agency said in a new report that 92 per cent of people live in areas where air quality exceeds WHO limits, with southeast Asia, eastern Mediterranean and western Pacific regions hardest hit.

The country-by-country figures come from new satellite data over rural areas to complement traditional ground measurements of pollution, mostly in cities, in about 3,000 places worldwide.

A similar WHO report released in May that said 98 per cent of residents in large cities of low- and middle-income countries face excessively high air pollution.

A camel stands in front of a chemical plant that produces an abundance of carbon soot adjacent to the Caspian Sea in 1997 on Turkmenistan's Cheleken peninsula. The country has the highest rate of deaths per capita due to ambient air pollution in a new WHO report. (Reza/Getty)

WHO says one in nine deaths worldwide is linked to indoor and outdoor pollution.

Turkmenistan has the highest rate of deaths per capita due to ambient air pollution in the WHO's classification, followed by Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Egypt and China.

Tuesday's report focuses on outdoor air pollution, which is estimated to kill about 3 million people per year based on 2012 figures, the most recent available.

"There are two things happening. One is: rich countries are getting much better in improving the quality of the air. And two: poorer countries are getting worse. That is the overall trend," said Dr. Carlos Dora, WHO co-ordinator for environmental and social determinants of health.

The aim is to educate both policymakers and individuals about the risks, at a time of spiraling health care costs. Dora noted, for example, that doctors could advise their patients about higher risks of heart disease in some countries, or how solar lamps could substitute for kerosene lamps that are used in many parts of the developing world.

He said WHO has no evidence that face masks like those worn in many parts of Asia and beyond help reduce exposure to fine particles.

He noted that North America is faring well compared with Europe, mostly due to Europe's greater dependence on diesel fuel and partially due to farm policies that generate agricultural ammonia and methane.

While China ranked sixth among countries with the highest number of deaths per capita due to ambient air pollution, Dora said the country is doing "an amazing amount of stuff" to fight it, such as with clean cars. But coal-fired power plants, household burning of coal and wood to produce energy, and transportation remain big generators of pollution in China, he said.</s>New name reflects commitment to providing an exceptional patient experience

At our clinics and hospitals all across southern Wisconsin, employees and community members celebrated today as hospital leaders unveiled new signs along with a renewed commitment to patients. Beginning today, our hospitals, clinics, care centers and health plan in southern Wisconsin will be known as:

“Here in Wisconsin, we have been delivering care for more than a century,” said Damond Boatwright, SSM Health regional president of hospital operations. “Today we are renewing our vow to this community and everyone we serve. While our look may be changing, our mission and commitment to provide an exceptional experience to every patient remains the same.”

SSM Health has been providing high-quality compassionate health care services in Wisconsin for generations, opening St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison in 1912, followed by St. Clare Hospital in Baraboo in 1963 and finally St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital in 2012. While SSM Health hospitals have been partnering with Dean Clinic physicians for more than 100 years, SSM Health formally acquired Dean Clinic in 2013. Now, the SSM Health name will be used to better connect all of the facilities and services that make up its fully integrated health care delivery network in south-central Wisconsin.

“As we care for and serve our patients and members, our interactions with them define who we are and what we stand for,” said John Rose, MD, interim president of SSM Health Dean Medical Group. “We take the responsibility of their health into our hands and we are privileged to do so. We’re proud so many people choose us for their care and we will continue to work tirelessly for them.”

Over the coming months, the signs on the outside and inside of each of our clinics, hospitals and care centers will be changing over to the new SSM Health logo, however patients will see the same providers they have come to know and trust in the same locations they are familiar with.

SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through one of the largest integrated delivery systems in the nation.

In Wisconsin, SSM Health serves an 18-county area in the south-central part of the state through inpatient care at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Madison, SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital – Janesville and SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Baraboo. SSM Health provides outpatient medical and health services through a network of more than 50 SSM Health Dean Medical Group locations, and serves about 425,000 lives through Dean Health Plan. Also part of SSM Health are two skilled nursing facilities (SSM Health St. Mary’s Care Center in Madison and SSM Health St. Clare Meadows Care Center in Baraboo) and Navitus, a pharmacy benefit management services company.</s>LIMA — A new local nonprofit group, Health Awareness Leaders of Ohio, started off simply enough.

The general surgeon was making a visit to his dentist at Whole Health Dentistry in Lima and struck up a conversation about caring for all needs of a patient’s health. The idea caught on, and now numerous industries focused on health in the Lima area have joined ship. HALO held its first official meeting Tuesday at the Shawnee Country Club.

Weight loss guru Donna Krech of 20/30 Fast Track and Total Solutions said the organization will help make Lima a healthier area.

“We can change this community and we can make it better,” Krech said.

Krech said the group has three primary goals as health professionals attempt to join together; measurable improved health, prevention, repair and curing, and making sure everyone in the health field understood each other’s business. As part of the meeting, the various representatives brainstormed to make a list of three questions that explained how the helped patients.

“We want to completely understand everyone’s business,” Krech said. “That way, we can help each other’s patients feel better.”

Krech said that approach would have a domino effect and help medical personnel refer patients to others who could help.

Krech said the group was put together on an invitation only basis.

“We didn’t want it to turn into a marketing ploy,” Krech said. “We truly want people to start feeling great.”

The health coalition is comprised of people representing general surgery, nutrition, podiatry, proctology, dentistry, obstetrics, gynecology, urology, breast health, fitness and life coaching, just to name a few.

“We want to educate all of the members on whole health, not just in their specialty,” Krech said. “”We want to take a whole body approach to medicine, recognizing every part of the body.”

Health and fitness specialist Donna Krech speaks to members of Health Awareness Leaders of Ohio about the importance on focusing on a patient’s whole health needs during the group’s first official meeting Tuesday at the Shawnee Country Club. Health and fitness specialist Donna Krech speaks to members of Health Awareness Leaders of Ohio about the importance on focusing on a patient’s whole health needs during the group’s first official meeting Tuesday at the Shawnee Country Club.

Reach Lance Mihm at 567-242-0409 or at Twitter @LanceMihm.</s>A new report examining the health of women, infants and children in each state is a mixed bag for Maryland, which scores well for the health of children but poorly for the health of infants. The 2016 America’s Health Rankings Health of Women and Children report, published by the United Health Foundation, looked at more than ...</s>(CNN) Almost everyone on Earth now breathes polluted air, according to an air quality map released Tuesday by the World Health Organization.

The interactive map , based on global air pollution data, confirms that 92% of the world's population lives in places where outdoor air quality fails to meet WHO guidelines.

This is a concerning public health issue, as air pollution can harm your lungs, heart and even brain -- with the potential to cause premature death , said Dr. Maria Neira, director of the organization's Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health.

Just how deadly is air pollution? About 3 million deaths each year can be linked to exposure to outdoor air pollution, according to the WHO.

"What is still surprising is the fact that we have been alerting about these horrible figures for a while now, and it's not improving," Neira said.From 2008 to 2013, global urban air pollution levels rose by 8%, despite improvements in some regions, according to the WHO.

Data were collected from 2008 to 2015 using satellite measurements, air transport models and ground-station monitors based in more than 3,000 locations in 103 countries.

"With more accurate methodology and satellite information and better calculation of the estimates and using the standards, now we can be more confident in the data," Neira said.

PM measurements were used to build the map because particulate matter includes different pollutants, it is universally present around the globe and it poses a public health risk, she said.

PM2.5 includes pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon, which can sneak deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system.

"We also have data to show how PM2.5 affects the lung and the cardiovascular health. For example, PM2.5 exposure increases tissue and systemic inflammation, increases oxidative damage to DNA and cell membrane lipids, increases the risk for thrombosis," he said. "We also started to see cumulating evidence that PM2.5 lowers birth weight and impairs metabolic, cognitive and immune function."

These smaller particles can enter and deposit deep into your lungs, and cause the most health effects, said Stuart Batterman, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Michigan, who was not involved with the new WHO map.

"Those health effects can include aggravation or causation of asthma, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, hospitalizations and death," he added.

Where air quality is most alarming

Many of the areas lacking clean air are in the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean region, sub-Saharan countries and Southeast Asia, according to the map.

Nearly 90% of deaths linked to air pollution occur in low- and middle-income countries, and nearly two out of three occur in Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions, according to the WHO.

"Many of the places that have high levels of pollution have very little monitoring data, and this includes countries highlighted in the report, including most of Africa and much of the developing world," Batterman said of the WHO map.

"Air pollution is causing millions of deaths per year, mostly but not exclusively in the developing world, due to very poorly controlled combustion as well as indoor air problems from the use of biomass fuels indoors, such as wood, dung and coal," he said.

Yet much of the developed world shows high levels of PM as well, according to the map. This includes major cities in Europe, such as Paris and London, and those in the United States, such as Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

"The pollutants that affect most people in the United States include particulate matter, especially the smallest particles that enter deep into the lungs, and ozone. Ozone has tended to be a problem that has affected large portions of East Coast, Gulf and West Coast," Batterman said. "There's also major regions across the Midwest and elsewhere that have problems with ozone.

"Particulate matter pollution also has been an issue in many different regions," he added. "It is often a problem in some of the more urbanized areas, as well as industrialized areas of the country."

However, in order to move forward in efforts to improve air quality, identifying the type of pollutant in various regions is just as important as identifying the sources of pollution, Neira said.

"You would find out there is a big proportion coming from transit," Neira said. "Probably another part will be on the choices of energy we make every day, whether we use coal, fire, power plant or cleaner sources of energy. The way we heat our buildings, or refrigerate our buildings, on the household level. ... And for many countries around the world, there is still an issue of waste management."

The WHO recommends an assessment of sources of pollution. Once that is complete, that information can be shared with policymakers for change to happen.

"Governmental regulations and enforcement are absolutely essential to achieve better air quality. Air quality regulations will stimulate the development of cleaner technologies and force the use of pollution-control devices installed on the smokestacks and motor vehicles," Zhang said.

"The world needs cleaner and renewable energy. In the urban areas where vehicular traffic is the predominant source of local air pollution, efforts should be made to reduce the number of traveling vehicles by sharing rides, biking and using public transportation and electric vehicles."</s>LIMA — Lima home health aide, Martha “MJ” Meister, was recently recognized at the Ohio Council for Home Care and Hospice Annual Conference. Meister was named Homemaker/Aide of the Year.

The Homemaker/Aide of the Year Award recognizes individuals in both home care and hospice. The award was presented by the past chair of OCHCH, Deb Studer, and Interim Healthcare of Lima Quality Assurance Manager Penny Kill.

The 2016 OCHCH Annual Conference and Tradeshow took place Sept. 13 and 14 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus. The conference is the largest gathering of home care and hospice professionals in Ohio, attracting nearly 350 attendees and 75 exhibitors.

Reach John Bush at 567-242-0456 or on Twitter @bush_lima</s>The Middle East’s public health challenges are enormous, especially when one accounts for the region’s transient population of refugees and guest workers. The refugee population alone now numbers in the millions, and is straining health care systems in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey nearly to the breaking point.

Affluent Gulf Cooperation Council countries would be mistaken to assume that they are exempt from their neighbors’ public health problems. While GCC countries have made major improvements in hygiene and maternal and child health, they form the global epicenter of chronic noncommunicable diseases — such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and, increasingly, cancer — that result from lifestyle and diet.

Worse still, GCC countries’ national health systems have a shortage of local clinicians and trained professionals working in local public health services. This results in high turnover owing to overwork, and an increased need for foreign health care workers to fill sorely needed positions.

GCC policymakers have been right to focus on increasing access and subsidies for quality health care. But the fair distribution of health care services across native and migrant populations is often a thorny policy issue. And now policymakers must also devote more attention to the health care workforce itself, to ensure that it is properly educated and trained for the challenges that await the region.

Training programs in GCC national health systems today do not focus nearly enough on innovation or systems thinking to improve efficiency and effectiveness. If clinicians and health care workers do not receive multidisciplinary training, they will be unequipped to recognize and address local public health needs throughout the region. Specifically, to improve delivery of services and care, GCC countries will need to develop a new policy framework that spans both the education and public health sectors.

Higher education has expanded rapidly in the Middle East over the past decade. Governments have created educational free trade zones — such as the “Knowledge Villages” and “Education Cities” in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, respectively — and invested billions of dollars in new and existing universities, such as in Saudi Arabia. As a result, new universities, research institutions and educational programs have attracted scholars and other professionals to the region.

However, too few local students — and far too few young men — are pursuing public health careers. While the overall number of students studying public health is increasing, most come from outside the region, which will only intensify GCC countries’ current over-dependency on foreign workers.

Many of the region’s universities have put a premium on innovation, which bodes well for improving health care services. But, though public health is a major regional challenge, so far universities have been placing far greater emphasis on subjects in engineering and technological fields.

Within health care education itself, according to my own analysis of local institutions, students are learning to treat individual medical conditions, but they are not learning enough about larger public health issues, and current curriculums do not expose students to issues affecting refugees, migrants or the wider population. While institutions such as Weill Cornell in Qatar and the Gulf University of Science and Technology in Kuwait have launched innovative research and training programs that focus on these types of health challenges, much more is needed.

Another problem is that the region’s education and training programs do not encourage enough systemic thinking. Worldwide, public health policy is moving toward more multidisciplinary integration of engineering, medicine, social and management science and the humanities. By not yet embracing an integrated approach, GCC institutions risk falling behind the global standard.

Technology and new approaches to public health are important, but they will be ineffective if they are not tailored to meet the real needs of local people. This is why GCC countries should encourage and invest in technological development at the local level and create room for engineers to work with local public health professionals. Such partnerships are necessary for confronting the infectious and chronic diseases that threaten communities throughout the region, and they have the added benefit of providing entrepreneurial opportunities for the region’s youth.

Middle Eastern countries need fully integrated, innovation-oriented frameworks for training health care professionals so that they can address their current public health challenges and prepare for new, unexpected ones such as Middle East respiratory syndrome, Ebola and other infectious diseases that can appear with little or no forewarning.

The Middle East’s population will continue to grow. Whether the region will also grow in global importance as a hub for trade and economic development will depend in part on its governments’ ability to reform public health education and practice.

Muhammad Hamid Zaman is a professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University. © Project Syndicate/Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Initiatives, 2016, www.project-syndicate.org</s>< img alt =" Health" src =" http://www.enderlinindependent.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/17177627675_c2ef00c48b_m.jpg" width =" 180"/ > by< a href =" http://www.flickr.com/photos/87642443@N05/17177627675" > Pan American Wellness Company PAHO All-time low Line is a recently established free to gain access to website created by Peninsula. It is also a quarterly released magazine by the same firm which is dispersed just to the clients of the company. The very first version of the publication was published in the year 1996 and ever since the journal has actually come to be a growing number of informing, enjoyable and helpful. As the publication is primarily worried about company as well as provides its viewers with subjects which are connected with business. News, skilled views and also write-ups managing issues regarding ways to manage and deal company teams in the unpredictable company setting is released time to time. Articles also handle the health and also safety, employment legislations and the most recent adjustments in federal government regulation. . The publication is especially unique for the managers who are accountable for the health and also safety or manage the HR matters of the business. The magazine could be really valuable in offering a complete defense for business and also its affiliates as well. Occasionally following the health and wellness demands could be extremely strenuous as well as a time consuming job. This health as well as safety needs occasionally puts significant duty on the shoulders of the senior managers and business proprietors. All-time low Line to a particular degree helps the supervisors in fixing out these issues. The health as well as safety and security companies provided by peninsula aids the managers in recognize the problem in a much better method enabling them to satisfy their obligations. . The company is also taken part in providing worth additionaled companies, systems as well as understanding which will certainly keep the customers one step in advance

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. The company likewise stands by the customers in case of lawful case versus them. During lawful process the firm supplies complete lawful representation along with protection versus the costs which has to be sustained. It guarantees that the client obtains out of the lawful minefield with no loss. With the substantial encounter of 25 years at hand Peninsula will certainly make the toughest of situation run efficiently for the customers. The wide network of the company guarantees that its customers are offered with place solutions of their troubles wherever they might be located. The dressmaker made remedies along with the danger management problems helps safeguard the clients versus all type of risks. . Regarding the Writer: The writer creates write-ups on thebottomlineonline.co.uk. For additional information regarding All-time low Line Online, A Free Online Source for Health and wellness, Employment Regulation and also Employee guidance written by Peninsula can be discovered on the web. Please go to www.thebottomlineonline.co.uk</s>The Health Ministry is expected to launch guidelines for the implementation of the Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) on Friday.

A statement signed by the Minister of Health, Mr.Alex Segbefia, said the move will signal “another step in the commitment of the Ministry in ensuring that CHPS roll out is ensured.”

The Ministry therefore advised the Ghana Health Service to ensure that data on all service provided at the district level by both private and public facilities, are adequately captured and reported to facilitate the implementation of the programme.

“To ensure that CHPS is scaled in every part of this country, I will be launching the National CHPS Implementation Guidelines at the upcoming National CHPS Forum come Friday. This will signal another step in the commitment of my Ministry in ensuring that CHPS roll out is ensured.

“The investments in equipping District and Regional Hospitals to act as an effective referral centres will also continue. Measurement of performance and monitoring critical indicators defined under the Sustainable Development Goals are crucial going forward.”

“To achieve the targets of the SDG and move towards attaining Universal Health Coverage by 2030, Ghana Health Service needs to evaluate how it has been offering services in the past and how it can do things better. There is an urgent need to address the issues of quality of health care as well as ensuring equity in access to health. The past years have been bedeviled with strikes by health workers. This has indeed adversely affected service delivery. There is the need for service providers to learn to negotiate through any differences that they might have with their employers.”

“With the withdrawal of most of our development partners in the sector, there is the need for the health sector to be more efficient in its operations. The Ministry of Health and the Government of Ghana has committed itself to meeting and providing all the shortfalls in vaccines, ante-retroviral medicines, family planning commodities and all other essential supplies that will be needed for service delivery. Reaching everyone in the country with quality care is something that we as a Ministry have committed ourselves to.”

Government introduced the CHPS system to increase access to health services especially in remote communities.

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, early on indicated that, they are on course to provide CHPS compound across all 6,500 electoral areas, nationwide.

He announced that already, about 3,000 of the electoral areas had been covered, as the nation made giant strides towards universal access to health care.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states that 92% of the world's population lives in air pollution levels surpassing the organization's limits.