EU watchdog says 40% of world's population has been exposed to harmful ozone, with Asia the worst

On September 30, the European Union's Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) announced an analysis showing that from January to August 2026, approximately 40% of the world's population was exposed to levels of ground-level ozone that are harmful to health. A combination of intense heat and man-made air pollution pushed up concentrations. By region, Asia was the most severely affected.

Ground-level ozone is an air pollutant that is the main component of photochemical smog. Unlike the ozone layer in the sky, which blocks harmful UV rays, in the human body, UV rays can have harmful effects on the respiratory tract and can also damage ecosystems and crops. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from automobiles and factories are generated through chemical reactions under strong sunlight and high temperatures.

According to CAMS, 60% of the population in Asia is exposed to ``extremely poor'' air quality ratings based on ozone concentrations, reaching 90% when ``poor'' and ``very poor'' are included. In Europe, ozone pollution worsened due to successive heat waves from June to August, with half of the population exposed to levels that were ``bad'' or better.