Dubai air quality:Top 10 polluted cities in the world

Gulf News tested the quality of the air in Dubai, and found the situation to be no worse than in some European urban areas.

Top 10 polluted cities in the world (source: Time, 2007)

1. Linfen, China
Number of people potentially affected: 3,000,000
Type of pollutant: Coal and particulates
Source of pollution: Automobile and industrial emissions

2. Tianying, China
Number of people potentially affected: 140,000
Type of pollutant: Lead and other heavy metals
Source of pollution: Mining and processing

3. Sukinda, India
Number of people potentially affected: 2,600,000
Type of pollutant: Hexavalent chromium and other metals
Source of pollution: Chromite mines and processing

4. Vapi, India
Number of people potentially affected: 71,000
Type of pollutant: Chemicals and heavy metals
Source of pollution: Industrial estates

5. La Oroya, Peru
Number of people potentially affected: 35,000
Type of pollutant: Lead, copper, zinc and sulfur dioxide
Source of pollution: Heavy metal mining and processing

6. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
Number of people potentially affected: 300,000
Type of pollutant: Chemicals and toxic byproducts, including sarin and VX gas
Source of pollution: Cold War-era chemical weapons

7. Norilsk, Russia
Number of people potentially affected: 134,000
Type of pollutant: Air pollution - particulates, sulfur dioxide, heavy metals, phenols
Source of pollution: Major nickel and metal mining and processing

8. Chernobyl, Ukraine
Number of people potentially affected: Initially estimated at 5.5 million, currently disputed
Type of pollutant: Radiation
Source of pollution: Nuclear meltdown

9. Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
Number of people potentially affected: 275,000
Type of pollutant: Organic chemicals, oil and heavy metals
Source of pollution: Petrochemical and industrial complexes

10. Kabwe, Zambia
Number of people potentially affected: 255,000
Type of pollutant: Lead and cadmium
Source of pollution: Lead mining and processing