{"id":79063,"date":"2024-08-21T16:22:48","date_gmt":"2024-08-21T19:22:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/?p=79063"},"modified":"2025-08-20T15:41:36","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T18:41:36","slug":"air-quality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/","title":{"rendered":"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brazilian cities have increasingly been experiencing peaks in air pollution, known as \u201ccritical episodes.\u201d On August 18, for instance, S\u00e3o Paulo recorded the worst air quality level of this winter, according to CETESB: 212\u00b5g\/m\u00b3 of PM2.5, meaning 212 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns. In April, Boa Vista reached even higher figures than S\u00e3o Paulo (317\u00b5g\/m\u00b3 PM2.5). The same occurred in Manaus last October (499\u00b5g\/m\u00b3 PM2.5). For comparison, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers up to 15 \u00b5g\/m\u00b3 of particulate matter in the air acceptable. Children, particularly newborns and those in their early years of life, are among the most severely affected: air pollution can cause irreversible damage to their health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Instituto Alana and Instituto Ar<\/a> conducted the study \u201c<\/em>Air Quality on Alert<\/em><\/a>\u201d<\/em>, launched during the event \u201cCritical Episodes of Air Pollution\u201d<\/em>, organized by the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA) and the Ministry of Health on the 20th, in Bras\u00edlia. The report provides a comparative analysis of critical levels and emergency plans adopted in eight regions: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Ecuador (South America); the United States and Mexico (North America); and Spain, France, and England (Europe). The results show that Brazil falls significantly short when it comes to protecting its population, especially children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen air pollution reaches very high levels, immediate action may be required to reduce emissions and protect public health. In our research, Brazil and Ecuador scored the worst results. Our country has been outdated for more than 35 years, and no state has an action plan for critical episodes, except for S\u00e3o Paulo, whose plan dates back to 1978 and is severely outdated. In other words, we take no action,\u201d stated Evangelina Ara\u00fajo, air quality specialist and Executive Director of Instituto Ar, who coordinated the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHO documents<\/a> indicate that atmospheric pollution currently represents one of the greatest environmental risk factors for human health. According to the WHO, 50,000 Brazilians die each year due to air pollution. National air quality standards are based on indices established in 1990. Even with pollution peaks up to five times higher than in the countries analyzed in the new study\u2014Brazil being surpassed only by Ecuador\u2014these established thresholds are rarely reached, as they are overly lenient and outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report, which highlights major international air quality laws, also outlines measures adopted to protect children during critical pollution episodes. \u201cBoth in S\u00e3o Paulo, which exceeded the threshold for an \u2018alert,\u2019 and in Boa Vista and Manaus, where smoke from forest fires choked the city last October\u2014making it the third most polluted city in the world, reaching twice the Air Quality Index (AQI) limit set for a state of \u2018emergency\u2019\u2014nothing was done,\u201d said JP Amaral, Nature Program Manager at Instituto Alana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study recommends both medium- and long-term solutions, such as encouraging active mobility in cities and creating green areas and parks around schools, as well as emergency measures already adopted internationally. In Colombia, for instance, the Plan para la atenci\u00f3n de episodios de contaminaci\u00f3n del aire del \u00e1rea metropolitana de Bucaramanga (CDMB)<\/em><\/a> includes immediate actions to protect children during critical pollution episodes. When air quality reaches the \u201calert\u201d level, schools suspend classes throughout the affected area. In emergencies, evacuation of the entire population within the perimeter exposed to pollution is carried out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the United States, the Air Now<\/em> plan also includes general guidelines and specific measures for schools. Protocols begin at the \u201cmoderate\u201d air quality level, with recommendations to reduce the duration and intensity of outdoor physical activities. In Spain, \u201chorizontal strategic programs\u201d outline long-term actions to improve air quality. There, the goal is to establish protection measures for vulnerable groups based on epidemiological studies conducted in priority areas, such as school zones, in order to determine epidemiological surveillance plans more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In London, the strategy is also long-term: the Healthy School Streets<\/em> initiative implements a series of measures, such as reducing vehicle traffic, creating bike lanes, and developing green spaces and parks around schools, where pollution levels are monitored by sensors. \u201cOur country is lagging behind in this debate compared to other nations, including those in South America. Brazil has a constitutional and moral duty to combat pollution and mitigate critical episodes, in order to ensure health and quality of life for children and for the entire population,\u201d said JP Amaral.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brazilian cities have increasingly been experiencing peaks in air pollution, known as \u201ccritical episodes.\u201d On August 18, for instance, S\u00e3o Paulo recorded the worst air quality level of this winter, according to CETESB: 212\u00b5g\/m\u00b3 of PM2.5, meaning 212 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns. In April, Boa Vista […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":76305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"mc4wp_mailchimp_campaign":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[690],"tags":[838,691],"class_list":["post-79063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-air-quality","tag-alana-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMembers of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment - Alana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Alana and Instituto Ar conducted the study \u201cAir Quality on Alert\u201d\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment - Alana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Alana and Instituto Ar conducted the study \u201cAir Quality on Alert\u201d\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-08-21T19:22:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-20T18:41:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fernanda Miranda\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fernanda Miranda\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fernanda Miranda\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/person\/838cbc9eae0169db96b57177eb02ac16\"},\"headline\":\"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-21T19:22:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-20T18:41:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\"},\"wordCount\":773,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"air quality\",\"Alana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\",\"name\":\"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment - Alana\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-08-21T19:22:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-20T18:41:36+00:00\",\"description\":\"To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Alana and Instituto Ar conducted the study \u201cAir Quality on Alert\u201d\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"Integrantes do Instituto Ar e do Instituto Alana apresentam novo estudo durante evento sobre Qualidade do Ar no Minist\u00e9rio do Meio Ambiente\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/\",\"name\":\"Alana\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alana\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo3.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo3.png\",\"width\":156,\"height\":71,\"caption\":\"Alana\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/person\/838cbc9eae0169db96b57177eb02ac16\",\"name\":\"Fernanda Miranda\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a8e4566b73f5ad800b36ad40d31d9dfebd0ea92abb09b4e73982b4641d97297?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a8e4566b73f5ad800b36ad40d31d9dfebd0ea92abb09b4e73982b4641d97297?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fernanda Miranda\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/author\/fernanda-miranda\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment - Alana","description":"To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Alana and Instituto Ar conducted the study \u201cAir Quality on Alert\u201d","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment - Alana","og_description":"To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Alana and Instituto Ar conducted the study \u201cAir Quality on Alert\u201d","og_url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/","og_site_name":"Alana","article_published_time":"2024-08-21T19:22:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-20T18:41:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fernanda Miranda","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fernanda Miranda","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/"},"author":{"name":"Fernanda Miranda","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/person\/838cbc9eae0169db96b57177eb02ac16"},"headline":"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment","datePublished":"2024-08-21T19:22:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-20T18:41:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/"},"wordCount":773,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg","keywords":["air quality","Alana"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/","url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/","name":"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment - Alana","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2024-08-21T19:22:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-20T18:41:36+00:00","description":"To gain a clearer understanding of the indices used and the protocols adopted in different countries when very high levels of pollution are reached, Alana and Instituto Ar conducted the study \u201cAir Quality on Alert\u201d","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/MIR07726-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"Integrantes do Instituto Ar e do Instituto Alana apresentam novo estudo durante evento sobre Qualidade do Ar no Minist\u00e9rio do Meio Ambiente"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/air-quality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Members of Instituto Ar and Instituto Alana present new study during event on Air Quality at the Ministry of the Environment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#website","url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/","name":"Alana","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#organization","name":"Alana","url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo3.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logo3.png","width":156,"height":71,"caption":"Alana"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/person\/838cbc9eae0169db96b57177eb02ac16","name":"Fernanda Miranda","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a8e4566b73f5ad800b36ad40d31d9dfebd0ea92abb09b4e73982b4641d97297?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0a8e4566b73f5ad800b36ad40d31d9dfebd0ea92abb09b4e73982b4641d97297?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fernanda Miranda"},"url":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/author\/fernanda-miranda\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79063"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79064,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79063\/revisions\/79064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alana.org.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}