Azlan Othman
Brunei Darussalam is the second lowest polluted country in the world with particulate matter (PM) 2.5 mean annual exposure and just 5.9 microgrammes per cubic metre (g/m3), according to university of Oxford’s Our World in Data platform.
The lowest polluted country is Finland with (5.86g/m3) and three deaths per 100,000. This is followed by the Sultanate (5.96g/m3), Sweden (6.18g/m3), Canada (6.43g/m3) and Iceland (6.48g/m3).
PM2.5 refers to tiny particles that are less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, about one ten thousandth of an inch.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5g/m3.
Although Finland logged the lowest PM2.5 mean annual exposure, it is still above the WHO’s safety levels. In 2019, pollution accounted for 6.67 million deaths globally.
According to the United Nations, poorer countries tend to have less stringent air pollution laws, lower vehicle emission standards and higher numbers of coal power stations.
Meanwhile, members of the public in Brunei have expressed dissatisfaction with open burning which pollutes the environment.
