The air quality in Porto Velho on Wednesday (24) was the worst in Brazil, according to real-time monitoring by IQAir.
The Swiss air quality technology company analyzes pollution levels in several countries.
According to the measurement, on July 24, the capital of Rondônia had an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 132: the highest in the country.
This number indicates that the air is considered "unhealthy for sensitive groups".
The higher the IAQ, the more polluted and harmful the air is.
The main air pollutant in the capital of Rondônia is PM 2.5, an ultrafine inhalable particle that is more difficult to eliminate from the body.
The concentration of this pollutant in Porto Velho is 9.6 times higher than the annual value recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The main sources of particulate matter are: burning of fossil fuels, burning of plant biomass, ammonia emissions in agriculture and emissions from construction and paving of roads.
The situation worsened due to dense smoke that covered the city on Wednesday (24).
According to experts, the main causes of smoke and poor air quality are deforestation and fires.
According to the IQA ranking on Wednesday (24), Porto Velho is ahead of cities such as Campinas (SP), which had an index of 99, and São Paulo (SP), with 75.
Also according to the monitoring carried out by the Swiss company, the IQA is expected to worsen and reach critical levels by the end of July Porto Velho.

Source: Amazon Agency