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[00:00.40] A recent study by the U.N. children’s agency UNICEF found that more than 500 million children in East Asia and Pacific countries breathe unhealthy air.

[00:16.61] The pollution is linked to the deaths of 100 children under age 5 every day.

[00:24.58] June Kunugi, UNICEF’s Regional Director for East Asia, said the polluted air limits growth, harms lungs and affects thinking abilities.

[00:38.65] “Every breath matters, but for too many children every breath can bring harm,” she said.

[00:46.62] Over 6,000 cities in 117 countries now record and follow air quality levels.

[00:57.51] Many mobile apps include air quality information as well.

[01:03.36] But it can be difficult to know how bad the air is by looking at these numbers.

[01:11.59] To help people better understand air quality levels, many countries have established an air quality index, or AQI.

[01:25.14] Larger numbers on this index mean worse air.

[01:31.25] Different countries have different air quality standards.

[01:36.83] For example, India’s daily PM 2.5 limit is more than 1.5 times higher than in Thailand and 4 times higher than WHO standards.

[01:55.42] For individuals, experts say the goal should be to limit exposure when air quality is bad, by staying indoors or wearing a mask.

[02:08.70] This is not always possible, though.

[02:11.88] Danny Djarum is with the World Resources Institute.

[02:16.40] He told the AP there are many people who live or work outside and “can’t really afford” to stay indoors.

[02:26.49] People also need to watch indoor air pollution that can be caused by common household activities like cooking or burning incense.

[02:38.98] While air purifiers can help reduce indoor air pollution, experts say they do have limitations.

[02:50.13] The devices work by pulling air from a room and then pushing it through a filter that traps pollutants.

[02:57.84] The filtered air is then sent back into the room.

[03:02.09] Air purifiers work best when used in small spaces and when people are nearby.

[03:09.79] This is because they can only clean a certain amount of air, said Rajasekhar Balasubramanian of the National University of Singapore.

[03:22.54] He added, “If we have a tiny air purifier in a large room, it won’t be effective.”