The World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed on Tuesday that, globally, nine out of ten people breathe polluted air.
In Europe and the Americas, air pollution levels have remained stable over the last six years, with slight improvements.
According to the WHO’s report, fifteen locales in Portugal exceeded the maximum levels of fine inhalable particles (PM2.5), which the organisation says should not be higher than 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air.
The most polluted spots include Lisbon, Cascais and Almada, although perhaps surprisingly, the capital was not Portugal’s most polluted area, and it was on a par with the Algarve city of Portimão, which population-wise is a tenth of Lisbon’s size.
Porto, on the other hand, is below the set guidelines, while the northern city of Guimarães has the lowest reading on the list.
In question is pollution caused by tiny particles (PM2.5 - the finest and most capable of infiltrating organisms) that enter the lungs and cardiovascular system, causing life-threatening diseases such as strokes, heart attacks, lung obstructions and respiratory infections.
To put Portugal’s case into worldwide context, the highest level recorded in Portugal was in Estarreja (15), while the most polluted city in the world, Muzaffarpur in India, recorded 197 micrograms per cubic metre - however, to be revised.
The 15 places in Portugal that exceed the limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre are Estarreja (15),
Almada (14), Cascais (14), Lisbon (13), Portimão (13), Albufeira (12), Buraca (12), Faro (12), Algueirão-Mem Martins (12), Ílhavo (12), Marateca (12), Aveiro (11), Chamusca (11), Setúbal (11), and Vila do Conde (11).
A further seven locations (Barreiro, Coimbra, Loures, Odivelas, Perafita, Santiago do Cacém and Senhora da Hora (Matosinhos) are on the very limit of the recommended reading.