一项新的研究发现，生活在南亚和中亚的人们经受了全球最高水平的空气污染。
The air in these areas has the highest amounts of the most kind of air pollution. PM2.5 is atmospheric particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter or less. A micron is one millionth of a meter. PM2.5 is so small that it can enter human lungs and the blood.
这些地区天空中的空气污染种类最多。PM2.5是指直径为2.5微米或更小的大气颗粒物。1微米是一百万分之一米。PM2.5非常微小，可以进入人体肺部和血液当中。
The Switzerland-based company IQAir released its latest study on Tuesday. The company operates an air quality information system. The yearly IQAir reports began in 2017.
总部位于瑞士的IQAir公司周二发布了它们的最新研究报告。该公司运营了一套空气质量信息系统。IQAir年度报告始于2017年。
Glory Dolphin Hammes is chief of IQAir North America. She told VOA: "PM2.5 actually kills more people than any other air quality pollutant."
格洛瑞·多芬·哈梅斯是IQAir公司北美区域的负责人。她对美国之音表示：“PM2.5实际上比其它任何空气质量污染物造成的死亡人数都要更多。”
Based on data from IQAir's worldwide network, Bangladesh is the country with the highest levels of PM2.5 air pollution. Chad, Pakistan, Tajikistan and India are also among the five nations with the lowest air quality.
根据IQAir全球网络的数据，孟加拉国是PM2.5空气污染水平最高的国家。乍得、巴基斯坦、塔吉克斯坦和印度也位居空气质量最差的5个国家的行列。
IQAir found that New Delhi, India, is the capital city with the most PM2.5 pollution. Dhaka, Bangladesh; N'Djamena, Chad; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; and Muscat, Oman, are the other capital cities rated as having extremely polluted air.
IQAir公司发现，印度的新德里是PM2.5污染最严重的首都。孟加拉国的达卡、乍得的恩贾梅纳、塔吉克斯坦的杜尚别以及阿曼的马斯喀特是其它被评为空气污染严重的首都城市。
People seeking the world's cleanest air will find it in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. The territory's main city, Noumea, is at the top of IQAir's clean air ranking.
寻找全球最清洁空气的人们会在法国海外领地新喀里多尼亚找到它。该地区的主要城市努美阿在IQAir的清洁空气排名中名列前茅。
Other places where the air is very clean include the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. Cape Verde, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, also has very little air pollution.
其它空气非常洁净的地区包括美属维尔京群岛以及加勒比海的波多黎各。位于大西洋非洲海岸外的佛得角也几乎没有空气污染。
Some parts of the developing world lack enough monitoring, Dolphin Hammes said. Those areas include parts of Africa, the Middle East and South America. Developed countries usually have a greater number of air quality monitors than developing countries and areas.
哈梅斯表示，发展中国家的某些地区缺乏足够的监测。这些地区包括非洲、中东和南美洲的部分地区。发达国家通常拥有比发展中国家和地区更多的空气质量监测设备。
Monitoring is at a higher level than in past years in some countries, she said. With that additional monitoring, Dolphin Hammes noted, "there are two countries (Chad and Tajikistan) that are among the most polluted countries that weren't on our report last year."
她说，一些国家的监测水平要高于过去几年。哈梅斯指出，通过这些新增的监测，“乍得和塔吉克斯坦这两国进入污染最严重的国家，但是我们去年的报告中就没有它们。”
In 2021, air pollution levels increased from those of a year earlier: the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the world saw a decrease in air pollution because of less ground and air transportation. Another reason for the rise in air pollution last year was an increase in wildfires, Dolphin Hammes said.
2021年的空气污染水平比前一年，也就是新冠大流行的第一年有所增长。2020年由于地面和空中交通减少，全球空气污染水平有所下降。哈梅斯表示，去年空气污染水平提高的另一个原因是山火增加。
Last year, the World Health Organization cut the recommended yearly PM2.5 limit by half – from 10 micrograms per cubic meter to five micrograms per cubic meter. The WHO said the reduction would prevent millions of deaths worldwide.
去年，世卫组织将建议的PM2.5年度限值减半，从每立方米10微克降低到每立方米5微克。世卫组织表示，这一减少将防止全球数百万人死亡。
Scientists supported the new recommendations. But they worry that some countries would have trouble reaching them. Much of the world was already failing to meet the 10-microgram limit, Reuters news agency reported.
科学家们支持新的建议限值。但他们担心一些国家很难达标。据路透社报道，全球大部分地区都未能达到10微克的限值。
IQAir's yearly reports are based on PM2.5 measurements from what is now a total of 6,475 cities in 117 countries, regions and territories. The worldwide information comes from "tens of thousands of regulatory and low-cost air quality monitoring stations," the company said. The stations are operated by governments, nonprofit organizations, research centers and citizen scientists.
IQAir年度报告是基于对117个国家、地区以及领地的6457个城市的PM2.5测量值。该公司表示，全球信息来自于数万个具有监管权的低成本空气质量监测站。这些站点由政府、非营利组织、研究中心以及公民科学家运营。
I'm Steve Herman.
我是史蒂夫·赫尔曼。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)