WHO Report: 90% of Moroccans Breathe Polluted Air, Causing 10,000 Annual Deaths

In a report on the consequences of air pollution, the World Health Organization states that 7 million people die each year worldwide, noting that 99% of the world’s population now breathes polluted air. A finding that concerns everyone, according to the researcher in health policies and systems, Dr. Tayeb Himdi, who affirms that in Morocco, 9 out of 10 people breathe polluted air, reports Le Matin.

Out of 100 deaths caused by pollution, 47% are due to respiratory diseases, 27% are of cardiac origin (strokes and other cerebrovascular accidents), 18% are related to strokes and 8% are caused by lung cancer triggered by pollution.

On the subject, the Ministry of Health conducted a local study in 2019, which reveals that in Morocco, 10,000 people die due to air pollution, and breathing polluted air also causes many respiratory diseases. For Dr. Tayeb Himdi, air pollution is a real health problem whose causes are multiple and related to human behavior. These include the use of kerosene, biomass (wood, animal droppings and agricultural residues) or coal-fired hearths or stoves. There is also the air pollution generated by vehicles, electricity, agriculture, waste incineration and industry.

According to the Moroccan researcher, it is essential to fight against air pollution in indoor spaces, "by frequently ventilating the rooms for 10 to 15 minutes morning and evening in order to renew the air and, as far as possible, opt for clean energies to cool or heat one’s living or work space."

As for the WHO, it recommends "reducing the main sources of ambient air pollution through policies and investments that promote sustainable land use, cleaner household energy and transport, energy-efficient housing and power generation, and better municipal waste management."