{"id":28337,"date":"2025-03-28T15:26:20","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T07:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/?p=28337"},"modified":"2025-03-28T15:26:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T07:26:22","slug":"global-air-quality-standards-pm2-5-pm10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/global-air-quality-standards-pm2-5-pm10\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Air Quality Standards of PM2.5 and PM10"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This global snapshot provides an overview of air quality standards in India, the United States, China, Europe, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Africa, emphasizing the standards for particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>High levels of both PM2.5 and PM10 in the air can be harmful to your health, especially when you&#8217;re exposed to them over a long time. That&#8217;s why there are regulations and guidelines in place to limit the amount of these particles in the air, helping to keep the air cleaner and protect your health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1345\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-13.png\" alt=\"What is PM2.5 and PM10?\" class=\"wp-image-28338\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-13.png 1345w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-13-600x452.png 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-13-1024x771.png 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-13-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/image-13-768x578.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1345px) 100vw, 1345px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">What are PM2.5 and PM10?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>PM2.5 (Particulate Matter 2.5): These are extremely small airborne particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller. They are about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair. PM2.5 particles can stay suspended in the air for a long time and are small enough to be inhaled deep into your lungs. They can come from sources like vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and even natural sources like dust and pollen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PM10 (Particulate Matter 10): These are slightly larger particles with a diameter of 10 micrometers or smaller. While they are larger than PM2.5, they are still very small and can also be inhaled into your lungs. PM10 particles come from similar sources as PM2.5, including dust, vehicle emissions, and industrial activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">World Health Organisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) provides<a href=\"https:\/\/iris.who.int\/bitstream\/handle\/10665\/345329\/9789240034228-eng.pdf?sequence=1\"> air quality guidelines<\/a> for particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10, which are recognized globally. These WHO guidelines are designed to protect public health and are based on scientific evidence regarding the health effects of exposure to particulate matter. They are intended to help countries set their own air quality standards and regulations that aim to minimize the health risks associated with air pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the WHO air quality guidelines for PM2.5 and PM10:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>WHO PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)*<\/strong><\/td><td>15<\/td><td>5<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>WHO PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>45<\/td><td>15<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>* \u00b5g\/m\u00b3 &#8211; micrograms per cubic meter<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-83064344 gb-headline-text\">What is the PM2.5 Annual Limit?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The PM2.5 annual limit is the highest amount of tiny particles (PM2.5) allowed in the air during one year. Countries and regions often have their own air quality standards or adopt guidelines set by international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Australia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.legislation.gov.au\/Details\/F2021C00475\">The air quality standards<\/a> are set by the National Environment Protection (Ambient Air Quality) Measure, which is a legislative instrument developed by the National Environment Protection Council (NEPC) in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Australia PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>25<\/td><td>8<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Australia PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>50<\/td><td>25<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Canada<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Canada has established<a href=\"https:\/\/ccme.ca\/en\/air-quality-report\"> air quality standards and guidelines<\/a>, including those for particulate matter (PM2.5). These standards are set by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Here are the air quality standards for PM2.5 in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Canada PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>27<\/td><td>8.8<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">United States<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The United States sets National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). As per the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/criteria-air-pollutants\/naaqs-table\"> EPA Report 2024<\/a>, here are the air quality guidelines for PM2.5 and PM10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>United States PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>35<\/td><td>9<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>United States PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>150<\/td><td>\u2013<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Japan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.env.go.jp\/en\/air\/aq\/aq.html\">Air quality standards<\/a> in Japan are established and regulated by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE), which is responsible for setting environmental policies and regulations in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Japan PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>35<\/td><td>15<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bangladesh<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The<a href=\"https:\/\/doe.portal.gov.bd\/sites\/default\/files\/files\/doe.portal.gov.bd\/page\/cdbe516f_1756_426f_af6b_3ae9f35a78a4\/2020-06-10-11-02-5a7ea9f58497800ec9f0cea00ce7387f.pdf\"> standards<\/a> were set by the Department of Environment (DOE) of the Government of Bangladesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Bangladesh PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>65<\/td><td>15<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Bangladesh PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>150<\/td><td>50<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">United Kingdom<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As per<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/statistics\/air-quality-statistics\/concentrations-of-particulate-matter-pm10-and-pm25\"> the guidelines<\/a> by the Department for Environment, Food &amp; Rural Affairs, United Kingdom, Air Quality Standards of PM2.5 and PM10 are as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>United Kingdom PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>25<\/td><td>20<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>United Kingdom PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>50 (more than 35 times in a single year)<\/td><td>40<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">European Union (Combining Multiple Countries)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The European Union (EU) has established<a href=\"https:\/\/data.consilium.europa.eu\/doc\/document\/PE-88-2024-INIT\/en\/pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> air quality standards<\/a> that apply to its member states. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>EU PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>25<\/td><td>10<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>EU PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>45<\/td><td>20<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">China<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The People&#8217;s Republic of China has established air quality standards and guidelines for various pollutants. The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8920460\/\"> standards<\/a> are issued by the Chinese Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE). Here are the air quality standards in China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>China PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>75<\/td><td>35<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>China PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>150<\/td><td>70<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">India<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>India&#8217;s air quality standards are set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). As per the<a href=\"https:\/\/cpcb.nic.in\/upload\/NAAQS_2019.pdf\"> NAAQS (National Ambient Air Quality Standards) report<\/a> of the year 2019, here are the air quality guidelines for PM2.5 and PM10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Particulate Matter&nbsp;<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>24 hr limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Annual limit (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>India PM2.5 (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>60<\/td><td>40<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>India PM10&nbsp; (\u00b5g\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td><td>100<\/td><td>60<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">PM2.5 Standards of Different Countries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Countries like Australia, Canada, and the USA closely align with WHO recommendations, while the PM2.5 limits in China and India are 7 to 8 times higher than the WHO annual limits.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Annual-PM2.5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35666\" style=\"width:auto;height:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Annual-PM2.5.jpg 960w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Annual-PM2.5-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Annual-PM2.5-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Annual-PM2.5-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">PM10 Standards of Different Countries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nations such as the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia closely adhere to WHO guidelines. Similarly, China and India exceed WHO annual limits by 4 to 5 times.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" src=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/global-Pm2.5-and-Pm10-stanards.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28422\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/global-Pm2.5-and-Pm10-stanards.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/global-Pm2.5-and-Pm10-stanards-600x338.jpg 600w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/global-Pm2.5-and-Pm10-stanards-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/global-Pm2.5-and-Pm10-stanards-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/global-Pm2.5-and-Pm10-stanards-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This global snapshot provides an overview of air quality standards in India, the United States, China, Europe, Bangladesh, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Africa, emphasizing the standards for particulate matter, including PM2.5 and PM10. High levels of both PM2.5 and PM10 in the air &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Global Air Quality Standards of PM2.5 and PM10\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/blog\/global-air-quality-standards-pm2-5-pm10\/#more-28337\" aria-label=\"Read more about Global Air Quality Standards of PM2.5 and PM10\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11219,"featured_media":28339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"22029,6631,13492,17311,22554,11976","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,452,257],"tags":[272,278,269,217,74],"class_list":["post-28337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-pollution","category-air-quality","category-pm2-5","tag-air-pollution","tag-air-quality","tag-india","tag-pm10","tag-pm2-5","resize-featured-image"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11219"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28337"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35667,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28337\/revisions\/35667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartairfilters.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}