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WHO: 80% of Urban Residents Breathe Unsafe Air

More than 80% of people living in urban areas are exposed to unsafe air quality, according to a report released by the World Health Organization Thursday.

"Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming(adj.惊人的) rate, wreaking havoc(肆虐) on human health," WHO Director of Public Health and Environmental Policy Dr. Maria Neira said in the report. "At the same time, awareness is rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality."

In the past two years, the WHO's database of cities monitoring air pollution has nearly doubled - now covering 3000 cities in 103 countries.

The WHO warned of the serious affects poor air quality could have on the health of urban residents, linking it to risk of stroke（n.中风）, heart disease, lung cancer, and chronic and acute respiratory diseases including asthma(n.哮喘).

The report also showed that low- and middle-income countries generally have poorer air quality. 98% of cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants in low- and middle-income countries do not meet WHO air quality guidelines, while 56% in high-income countries fail to meet the standard.

世卫组织: 80%城镇居民呼吸的空气不安全

世界卫生组织星期四发表的一份报告说，80%以上的城镇地区居民呼吸的空气不安全。

世卫组织的公共卫生及环境政策主管内拉博士在报告中指出，城镇地区的空气污染程度正在以令人担忧的速度增长，严重危害人体健康。

在以往两年里，世卫组织的城镇空气污染监督数据库扩大了将近一倍，目前已覆盖103个国家的3000个城镇。

世卫组织警告说，空气污染会对城镇居民健康造成严重影响，可能导致中风、心脏病、肺癌以及包括哮喘在内的慢性和急性呼吸道疾病。

世卫组织的报告显示，中低收入国家的空气污染程度更严重。在中低收入国家，98%的10万人口以上城市的空气质量没有达到世卫组织的安全标准，而在高收入国家，空气质量没有达标的10万人口以上城市只有56%。

Canada Reaches Turning Point in Combating Wildfire

Canadian officials say they have reached a turning point in combating the huge wildfire that has destroyed a large area of the province of Alberta in western Canada.

Cooler temperatures and light rain in the region have made for "great firefighting weather," said Chad Morrison, an Alberta fire official. "We can really get in there and really get a handle on this fire and really get a death grip on it."

While the flames so far have not reached any major oil processing facilities, they remain closed and global oil prices have soared(v. 飙升) over concerns about the Canadian fires.

It is not immediately clear when processing facilities will open. Many oil workers have been evacuated（v. 疏散；撤离） and are camped out with their families.

Experts estimate oil production will be shut down for at least two or three weeks.

Alberta is home to the world's third-largest oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.