Pollution Levels Rose In Boston After 3-Year Drop, World Air Quality Report Finds

BOSTON (CBS) – The 2021 World Air Quality report was released Tuesday, and the findings were troubling.

Only 3% of cities worldwide and no country met the World Health Organizations guidelines released in September of last year.

Among the world's worst offenders were Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. New Delhi was the worlds most polluted capital city for the fourth consecutive year.

In U.S. major cities, pollution levels rose from 9.6 to 10.3 parts per million from 2020 to 2021. Los Angeles was the most polluted of the major cities, despite deceasing their overall levels by 6%.

After a three year drop in pollution levels in Boston, the city had its first rise in 2021, from 7.2 to 8.0. That marks a rise of more than 11%.

The City of Worcester also saw rising pollution levels in 2021, spiking from 8.3 to 9.1.