Back Society » Health » Vietnam’s Air Quality Among the Worst in the World

Vietnam’s Air Quality Among the Worst in the World

We’ve known for a while that air quality in Vietnam is less than stellar. Based on recent readings, we know for sure that breathing in Saigon is a risky proposition, but new statistics released by Yale University shows just how bad things are.

The prestigious university has published its Environmental Performance Index (EPI) that ranks countries based on a number of indicators to determine their overall score.

Data is broken out into two categories – Environmental Health and Ecosystem Vitality. Within each are a number of subcategories that each have their own scores. When aggregated, these scores yield an EPI for any given country.

Though Vietnam ranked 136 out of 178 countries based on EPI, this score was inflated by huge strides in the Water and Sanitation category.

That pretty sums up the good news in the report as Vietnam scored poorly in nearly every other category, particularly air quality, coming in at 170 overall. That means we enjoy the eight worst air quality score in the world, folks.

Yale’s data matches up with both government and private pollution readings in Saigon.

Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment caps the safe level of dust concentration at 300 micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3), a level which is already considered unhealthy by the US-based Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality Index (AQI). Typically, a reading of 100 or higher is no longer considered fresh air.

But hey, at least we don’t live in Beijing where breathing the air equates to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.


Related Articles:

[Photos] Saigon Choked By Poisonous Smog

Saigon's Air Quality Report Just Came Out and It's Not Good

Report: Vietnam in Top 10 for Worst Air Pollution


Related Articles

in Health

300 Years to Clean up 800,000 Tons of Unexploded Ordinance in Vietnam: Official

At a conference on unexploded ordnance in Vietnam, an official announced that it may take up to 300 years to clear the country of the deadly war remnants that are still inflicting casualties to this d...

in Health

40% Of Pregnancies In Vietnam End In Abortion: Report

Vietnam’s defunct but lingering family planning policies, poor sex education programs and easy access to clinics has resulted in one of the highest abortion rates in the world, according to a recent r...

in Health

4K Turkey Dash For the Orphans @ The Crescent

On November 17, come down to the Crescent to join Transcend People’s 4k Turkey Dash for the Orphans and Operation Smile in Vietnam.

in Health

66% of Covid-19 Cases in Hanoi Are Asymptomatic, Health Officials Say

Hanoi officials have warned of increased risk of Covid-19 outbreaks, as it was reported that 66.6% of confirmed cases in the capital were found to be asymptomatic.

in Health

7 Reasons Why Vietnamese Food is Good for You

While you may have to watch out where you’re buying your produce in Vietnam, the cuisine itself is about as healthy you can get. The Huffington Post recently talked to the Vietnamese owners of Pho, a ...

in Health

After 5 Years, Boy Finally Has Battery Removed from Nose

Doctors in central Vietnam treated a 10-year-old boy in Tam Tri Da Nang General Hospital earlier this week for emitting “unpleasant odors” from his nose, according to Tuoi Tre.

Partner Content