International report shows Pretoria’s air is cleaner than two years ago

The air quality in South Africa has improved since 2022, but several cities and towns in the country including Pretoria are still exposed to dangerous pollution levels.

This was revealed in the 2023 World Air Quality Report by IQ Air.

According to the report, Pretoria is the 39th most polluted capital city in the world.

The good news, however, is that a continued decline in air pollution is taking place in Pretoria over the long term.

In terms of the organisation’s air quality statistics this year being compared to those of 2019, there has been a decline of 17.2%.

According to the report, South Africa’s air quality is ranked 47th out of 134 countries and regions where the air pollution is measured.

South Africa’s air quality measurements however show that the country’s air pollution is four times higher than the recommended levels of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Our country is 16th on the list of countries in Africa with air pollution problems.

The worst air pollution on the continent, according to the report, can be found in Burkina Faso.

In South Africa, Nieuwoudtville in the Northern Cape has the cleanest air, while Benoni has the poorest air quality.

The report highlights the difficulties to measure air quality in Africa due to the lack of public air quality data.

Countries with the most air pollution in the world (in chronological order) are Bangladesh, Pakistan and India.

The Swiss air quality company responsible for the report used 30 000 air quality monitoring stations in 134 countries for the study.

To measure air quality, scientists look at the concentration of fine pollution particles (2.5 micrometres in diameter and smaller) in the air. The PM25 scale was used.

The number of units is measured in micrograms per cubic metre and is displayed on the scale. The lower the number of fine pollution particles in the air, the healthier the air.

The report emphasises that exposure to poor air quality can lead to and worsen diseases such as asthma, cancer and lung diseases.

Prof Janine Wichmann, an environment epidemiologist at the University of Pretoria and her team are currently taking part in a Nasa research project through satellite observations.

Wichmann specialises in the examination of the consequences of air pollution and climate change on health.

For the Nasa project she is examining, among others, the relationship between air quality levels and hospital admissions and deaths due to lung diseases and breathing problems in the Pretoria and Johannesburg areas from 2022 to 2024.

Wichmann explained that the report’s statement about the quality of data for the 2023 World Air Quality Report is vital to bear in mind.

“As mentioned in the report, several countries in Africa have no air quality data. The data comes from government-controlled monitoring stations,” said Wichmann.

She further said there is no certainty that the report’s data of low-cost test monsters can be verified against more reliable air quality monsters.

“To sum up, it cannot be said undeniably that Pretoria is number 39 on the world ranking list for heavily polluted capital cities,” Wichmann emphasised.

She highlighted that according to the WHO’s Guideline Report, the fact that health problems due to poor air quality currently appear to be equated with other serious global health risks such as unhealthy eating habits and smoking.

She said in 2019, 90% of the world’s population annual average air quality concentrations were higher than the allowed WHO guideline.

“Air pollution impels prevention initiatives such as cleaner energy resources and to institute a safer and more efficient transport system. Parents must also understand how dangerous secondhand smoking is to their children,” said Wichmann.

Her research shows that several sources of air pollution can cause the risk of allergic illnesses such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema as well as breathing diseases such as bronchitis.

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