US embassy monitoring halt: Air quality monitoring crisis may deepen in Bangladesh

The pausing of a US-funded air quality monitoring programme has weakened access to critical AQ data in 44 countries—including Bangladesh, according to a responsive article by Finland-based think tank the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

CREA warns that unless these countries build up their independent, regulatory-grade air quality monitoring capacity, there could be severe repercussions for public health, policymaking, and environmental regulation.

For years, the US government supported regulatory-grade air quality monitors at its embassies worldwide, including in Dhaka, providing real-time data on harmful particulate matter (PM2.5) through the AirNow platform run by the US State Department. These devices became essential tools in countries with limited local monitoring capacity, especially in regions suffering from chronic air pollution.

But that system came to a sudden halt on March 4, 2025, when funding constraints forced the discontinuation of the AirNow international data service. The data halt  has left several nations—including some of the world's most polluted—with no reliable means to monitor or respond to their deteriorating air quality.

CREA's analysis reveals that six countries have completely lost their ability to monitor air quality, while 28 countries have lost access to government-grade data, and 16 countries now need urgent reassessment of their monitoring infrastructure.

In 13 nations, the US embassy's monitoring station was the only source of regulatory-grade air quality data. These include nine countries in Africa (Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, Sudan, Gabon, Chad, and the Congo), three in Asia (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq), and one in the Caribbean (Curaçao).

"High-quality, open air quality data is the cornerstone of the global fight against air pollution. With the loss of access to the AirNow data and no clear return date on the horizon, there's an urgent need to start high-grade air quality measurements to maintain data availability and sustain the manifold benefits of the embassy monitoring program.

Monitoring capability is lost in at least 11 countries, while a further 18 countries with government monitoring still need to make their measurement data publicly accessible, and 56 countries to make data fully transparent. This is an opportunity for both national stakeholders and other international actors to step up," said Lauri Myllyvirta, Lead Analyst at CREA. 

Stamford University's professor Kamruzzaman Majumdar said that breathing clean air is a constitutional right of the people. Until recently, data from the US Embassy helped determine whether people were able to breathe clean air. But for the past month, we haven't had access to that information. As a result, the public is not receiving accurate data, the government is facing difficulties in making decisions, and experts are struggling with a lack of information. This creates a risk that air pollution may worsen further.

Studies underscore the real-world value of these embassy monitors. A 2022 study found that air quality data from US embassies helped reduce PM2.5 concentrations by 2 to 4 micrograms per cubic meter, contributing to significant health improvements in urban areas globally.

The same study showed that in 2019, the availability of reliable pollution data lowered premature death rates and yielded annual economic gains of at least $127 million per city, assuming a 10 km population impact zone. That figure could soar to $465 million if the entire city population benefits. The report also estimated that pollution data helped prevent between 303 and 895 premature deaths per city per year.

Beyond health and economic benefits, the emphasisesmonitors saved embassies an average of $33,971 annually in hardship payments for staff, compared to an average operational cost of just $9,712 per monitor.

While low-cost sensors are becoming more common and accessible, CREA emphasizes that regulatory-grade monitors—like those deployed by the US State Department—are essential for accurate calibration and validation, ensuring that air quality alerts and policies are based on sound science.

The sudden absence of such data now puts vulnerable countries at a disadvantage, particularly in policy making and public health response. CREA is urging immediate international cooperation and investment to reestablish monitoring capacity before the damage becomes irreversible.