AUTHOR=Faridi Sasan , Krzyzanowski Michal , Cohen Aaron J. , Malkawi Mazen , Moh’d Safi Heba Adel , Yousefian Fatemeh , Azimi Faramarz , Naddafi Kazem , Momeniha Fatemeh , Niazi Sadegh , Amini Heresh , Künzli Nino , Shamsipour Mansour , Mokammel Adel , Roostaei Vahid , Hassanvand Mohammad Sadegh 

TITLE=Ambient Air Quality Standards and Policies in Eastern Mediterranean Countries: A Review

JOURNAL=International Journal of Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 68 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/international-journal-of-public-health/articles/10.3389/ijph.2023.1605352

DOI=10.3389/ijph.2023.1605352

ISSN=1661-8564

ABSTRACT=Objectives: We designed this study to gather the NAAQS for six classical air pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, SO2 and CO in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries.
Methods: We searched several bibliographic databases; hand-searched in the relevant papers and reports and analysed unpublished data on NAAQS in the EMR countries reported from these countries to the WHO/ Regional office of the Eastern Mediterranean/ Climate Change, Health and Environment Unit.
Results: Almost all of the EMR countries have national ambient air quality standards for the critical air pollutants except Djibouti, Somalia, and Yemen. However, the current standards for PM2.5 are up to 10 times higher than the current health-based WHO AQGs. All countries would even benefit from the achievement of the Interim Target-2 (25 µg m-3) for annual mean PM2.5: it would reduce all-cause mortality by 3% to 37.5%.
Conclusion: Improvement of air quality management, including international collaboration and prioritization of SDS, supported by an update (or establishment) of NAAQSs and enhanced air quality monitoring are essential elements for reduction of air pollution and its health effects in the EMR.