WHO says tens of thousands of urban dwellers in lower income countries exposed to low air quality

More than 80 percent of people living in urban areas that monitor air pollution are exposed to air quality levels that exceed the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO), a UN spokesman said here Thursday.

While all regions of the world are affected, populations in low-income cities are the most impacted: 98 percent of cities in low- and middle-income countries with more than 100,000 inhabitants do not meet WHO air quality guidelines, Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.