More than 90 per cent of the global population lives in a place where the air does not meet World Health Organisation¹ safety guidelines, according to a study from the UN agency that warns of a public health emergency created by rising pollution levels.

世界卫生组织(WHO)的一份报告显示，全球逾90%的人口居住在空气质量不符合其安全标准的地区。它警告称，污染日益加剧导致一个公共卫生紧急状态。

The most detailed² research on outdoor pollution in individual countries undertaken by the organisation shows an estimated 3m deaths a year can be linked to dirty air from coal-fired power plants, old cars, factories and other sources.

WHO开展的这项关于各国室外污染最为详尽的研究表明，据估计每年300万例死亡与燃煤电厂、老式汽车、工厂以及其他来源排放的污染空气有关。

Millions more are affected³ by smoke inside homes from stoves or fires fuelled with wood or dung, meaning a total of 6.5m deaths were associated with air pollution in 2012, the agency said.

该组织表示，还有数百万人受到室内炉火或者燃烧木柴或粪便产生的烟雾的影响，这意味着2012年总计650万例死亡与空气污染有关。

Air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, and affects economies and people’s quality of life.

报告称：空气污染继续以惊人的速度上升，影响到经济和人们的生活质量。

It is a public health emergency, the study says.

这是一个公共卫生紧急状态。

An interactive⁴ map made by the agency reveals stark⁵ disparities among countries’ levels of particulate⁶ matter, one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution.

世卫组织制作的一幅互动地图显示，各国颗粒物浓度差异明显，颗粒物是空气污染的最危险形式之一。

Tiny particles, no bigger than 2.5 micrometres, can penetrate⁷ deep into the lungs and cardiovascular system.

直径小于或等于2.5微米的微小颗粒可以深入人体的肺和心血管系统。

WHO guidelines say annual average concentrations should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

世卫组织的标准是，年度平均浓度不应超过每立方米10微克。

The limit is met in much of the US, Canada and countries such as Australia and New Zealand.

美国、加拿大很多地区以及澳大利亚和新西兰等国家的微小颗粒浓度符合这个标准。

But many places in Europe, including parts of the UK, France and Germany, exceed it.

但欧洲很多地区超过了这一标准，包括英国、法国和德国的部分地区。

More than 90 per cent of the UK population lives in areas that break WHO limits, according to the study’s model, developed with an international team led by the University of Bath.

根据这项研究的模型，超过90%的英国人口生活在超过世卫组织标准的地区，该模型由巴斯大学(University of Bath)牵头的一个国际团队制作。

The higher levels of pollution in Europe could be down to the number of EU countries that encouraged the use of diesel⁸ cars compared with North America, said Annette Pruss-Ustun, a co-author of the study.

报告作者之一安妮特•普鲁斯-于斯顿(Annette Pruss-Ustun)表示，与北美相比，欧洲空气污染水平较高可能源于很多欧盟国家鼓励使用柴油汽车。