Mongolia's children choke in toxic pollution (www.japantimes.co.jp)
from TheTimeKnife@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 13 Mar 2025 02:48
https://lemmy.world/post/26756565

As she watched her 5-month-old son lying in intensive care, wires and tubes crisscrossing his tiny body, Uyanga cursed her hometown Ulaanbaatar and its chronic pollution.

The toxic smog that settles over the Mongolian capital every winter has been a suffocating problem for more than a decade that successive governments have failed to dispel.

There are wisps of hope in a resurgent grassroots movement and a promised official push to action.

But the statistics are grim.

Respiratory illness cases have risen steadily, with pneumonia the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 5.

#world

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OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml on 13 Mar 2025 03:35 collapse

The PM2.5 AQI hits high 200s pretty regularly in the winter there: aqicn.org/historical/#city:ulaanbaatar/us-embassy

For reference, here are some other places’ PM2.5:

  • New Dehli, India: 200-300
  • Seoul, South Korea: 100-200
  • Beijing, China: 100-200 (used to be 200-300)
  • Jakarta, Indonesia: 50-100
  • Toronto, Canada: 0-50
  • London, UK: 0-50 (used to be 50-100)