Friday, 01 April 2022

MEDIA ADVISORY

Launch of WHO’s Air Quality Database, Virtual Press Conference

When: Monday, 4 April at 14.00 CEST

Speakers: 

• Dr Maria Neira, Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO
• Dr Sophie Gumy, Technical Officer, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO

A record number of cities are now monitoring air quality, but the people living in them are still breathing unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, with people in low and middle-income countries suffering the highest exposures. At the press briefing, WHO will release its 2022 update of the air quality database which introduces, for the first time, ground measurements of annual mean concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), a common urban pollutant and precursor of particulate matter and ozone. The WHO air quality database also includes measurements of particulate matter with diameters equal or smaller than 10 μm (PM₁₀) or 2.5 μm (PM_2.5). 

The WHO air quality database will be released in the lead-up to World Health Day, marked on 7 April, and will focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being. WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year are due to avoidable environmental causes.

Join the virtual press conference:

Via Zoom:

• Link: https://who.zoom.us/j/97638289466
• Passcode: VPCa1rQu@l

By phone:

• Webinar ID: 976 3828 9466
• Passcode for phone access: 1600148854
• International numbers available: https://who.zoom.us/u/adrRZU6mrR

The embargoed press release will be sent on Monday 4 April. To request the embargoed report and database, please write toosseirann@who.int with copy to mediainquires@who.int 

Embargo lifts Monday, 4 April 2022 at 14:00 CEST (Geneva time).

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS

Please ensure you enter your name and media outlet (use name/outlet). Kindly note, only questions from media (one per journalist) are allowed. When you sign in you will be automatically put in the meeting room.

WHO reserves the right to remove any participant whose behaviour causes any disruption. The event is also broadcast on WHO social media channels and you can follow it there.

To ask a question, please click "raise hand" and this will enter you into the queue for questions. (It can be found under the tab: participants.) 

Please make sure you have a microphone connected or active on your computer. Do not ask questions via the chat as we cannot guarantee that we will can incorporate them into the q&a session.

Due to the volume of questions, we are no longer able to take them from phone callers and interpretation is not available via telephone.

Media contacts:
osseirann@who.int
mediainquiries@who.int

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