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UAE residents beat air pollution level

More than half of UAE residents (57 per cent) are taking active measures to reduce air pollution, with a quarter (26 per cent) claiming to do it regularly and almost a third (31 per cent) doing it sometimes when they remember, YouGov's new survey revealed.
On the occasion of World Environment Day, YouGov asked respondents what measures do they take to reduce air pollution around them. Majority of UAE residents (69 per cent) try using lesser electricity at home by switching off appliances when not in use, using energy efficient fixtures, and so on. Women are more likely than men to check pollution in this manner (74 per cent vs 66 per cent).
Setting the air conditioner on 24 degrees or above (61 per cent), recycling or reusing products (61 per cent), washing full loads in the machine or dish washer (58 per cent) and taking shorter showers (56 per cent) are some of the top measures taken by people to reduce pollution around them.
Improving the quality of air indoors is equally important in order to reduce household pollution. Large number of people use environmentally safe cleaning products (59 per cent), keep indoor plants (58 per cent) or avoid smoking inside the house (47 per cent) in order to improve the quality of air indoors.
Outside their homes, people either turn off car engine when idle (60 per cent) or keep it properly tuned (58 per cent), and some people reduce individual car use by opting for car pools or public transport (49 per cent).
Only 3 in 10 (30 per cent) said they are investing in air-tracking or purifying devices, which is the least employed method to control pollution. Low awareness about these products could be a reason for this as the research shows that 28 per cent people said they are unaware of this being a potential method to reduce pollution.
The research shows that close to half of UAE residents (48 per cent) reported that either they themselves or their family members have suffered irritation in their eyes, nose or throat as a result of air pollution. More than a third have also experienced skin allergies (35 per cent) and breathlessness (34 per cent) as a result of polluted air, with a higher number of women saying they or their closed ones have suffered these conditions as compared to men.
Some people claim to have suffered more severe illnesses like respiratory ailments such as asthma (28 per cent) and mental health issues such as depression (14 per cent).
The data was collected online among 1,005 respondents in the UAE between May 20 and 27 2019.
- waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com