Some of the main problems causing it is traffic which leads to both air and sound pollution. UAE has one of the highest rates in air pollution in the world. The oil and gas industry is the main source of this air pollution, followed by the power and transportation sectors. Air pollution could be an outdoor cause or indoor. Outdoor pollution comes from vehicles, factories and machines. Indoor pollution can be from cleaning products, personal care products, air fresheners and electricity machines.

In the UAE air pollutants are classified into two categories, Primary Pollutants and Secondary Air Pollutants. Primary Air Pollutants are substances emitted directly from a process such as industrial processes or gases emitted from motor vehicles. Secondary Air Pollutants are not directly emitted, rather they are formed in the air when primary pollutants react or interact. An example of this would be when ground level ozone interacts with other pollution causing Photochemical Smog.

Although a great deal less frequently, air quality in the UAE is also affected by industrial and vehicular emissions, which can bring increased levels of sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone as well as PM10 (particulate matter that is 10 microns or less in diameter) into the air we breathe.

This is a very serious problem, UAE is spending more than Dh18 billion to fight health problems that result from emissions from vehicles. Air pollution has also led to the increase of many diseases such as skin diseases and eye-infections. The cause of the high amount of air pollution in the UAE is that it has grown in a very short period, in a period of 20 to 30 years.

The UAE experiences dust storms, usually in February-March and June-August. Strong winds pick up momentum and sweep dust from the desert, spreading it across the region. The results can be more than just irritating they can be both a safety and a health hazard.

A series of new measures in recent years to cut carbon emissions and slash industrial air pollutants from cement plants and open quarry operations appears to be paying off.

Air quality testing gauged from space via satellite reveals that the air that residents in the UAE breathe is well within international parameters as set forth by the World Health Organisation guidelines.

The results confirm that the country has undertaken significant efforts to improve the ambient air quality as an important component associated with quality of life. It also highlights the UAE National Agenda which will advance UAE Vision 2021?s goal of ensuring a high quality of life for its citizens and residents in a sustainable environment.

Air quality is one of the leading priorities under the UAE?s National Agenda because it is associated directly with human health, the environment and its impact on the economy. The country attaches great importance to improving air quality by achieving 90 per cent of the WHO Air Quality guidelines as a target by 2021.

In the capital, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (Ead) has also started detailed monitoring of particulate matter pollution, looking at levels of particles, known as PM10, which are only 10 micrometres in size, with a micrometre being a millionth of a metre.

There are also monitoring levels of the even smaller PM2.5 particles, which experts believe are especially harmful as they are able to penetrate in the lungs when inhaled.