The United Nations agency, the World Health Organization (WHO), issued on Wednesday its first update on air quality guidelines in 15 years, lowering the recommended limits of emissions, including those linked to the burning of fossil fuels. The WHO’s new guidelines, the first update since 2005, recommend air quality levels for six different pollutants, where evidence has advanced the most on health effects from exposure. When action is taken on the so-called classical pollutants—particulate matter (PM), ozone (O?), nitrogen dioxide (NO?), sulfur dioxide (SO?), and carbon monoxide (CO), it also has an impact on other damaging pollutants, the organization said in a statement. Particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are found in emissions from fossil fuels. “Disparities in air pollution exposure are increasing worldwide, particularly as low- and middle-income countries are experiencing growing levels of air pollution because of large-scale urbanization and economic development that has largely relied on the […]