C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - N I N E Air Pollution in Cities 29.1 INTRODUCTION Some cities face severe air pollution problems, while other cities of similar population sizes are much cleaner. For example, World Bank data from 1995 indicates that for a sample of major cities where air quality was monitored, the ambient particulate level of the average Asian city was four times higher than that of the average city in Western Europe. In the year 1995, there were at least 25 cities in Asia whose ambient particulate levels exceeded three times the World Health Organization’s annual particulate standard of 90 µg m−3 (micrograms per cubic meter). Urban air pollution can significantly degrade quality of life. In polluted cities, time spent outside is dangerous to one’s health. Such cities may have trouble attracting footloose
