Dr. Conca reports that recent research by Eco Experts on global levels of pollution for air, light and noise, ranks the most and least toxic cities in the world. Cairo tops the worst ten list, followed by Delhi, Beijing, Moscow, Istanbul, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and Paris. Los Angeles is the only American city in the top ten list and comes in tenth. On the other hand, Zurich is the cleanest city in the world.
Pollution, of all kinds, can have a real impact on the health and well-being of everyday people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 9 out of 10 people around the world breathe polluted air. We seem to just accept it now as part of life. Furthermore, WHO estimates that about 7 million people die every year from exposure to fine particles in polluted air that penetrate deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing diseases like stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and respiratory infections, including pneumonia.
We have always known that high pollution levels can have devastating impacts on both physical and mental well-being, leading to obesity, insomnia and depression. What is unique about the Eco Experts’ report is that it includes not just air pollution but artificial light pollution and noise pollution as well.
These last two have dramatic effects on sleep and circadian rhythms, which in turn have effects on mental and physical well-being in ways we did not understand until recently. Poor sleep is indicated as a major cause of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lewy Body diseases as their associated build-up of specific proteins and peptides (short protein-like biomolecules), like alpha-synuclein and amyloid beta, occur when we do not have sufficient or quality deep sleep, particularly REM sleep.
Original URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2018/08/23/the-ten-most-polluted-cities-on-earth/#7761bbde18cc
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