Air pollution levels still too high across Europe: EU report
Air pollution levels still too high across Europe: EU report Xinhua
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Air Pollution: The Most Important Environmental Health Risk in Europe
COPENHAGEN, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) — The European Union (EU) environment agency has warned in a report published on Friday that air pollution is currently the most important environmental health risk factor in Europe.
Air Quality Guidelines Not Met
The European Environment Agency (EEA) stated in the report that air pollutant concentrations in 2021 remained well above the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its air quality guidelines.
Reducing air pollution to these guideline levels would prevent a significant number of attributable deaths in EU member states, added the EEA.
Main Air Pollutants and Related Deaths
The report revealed that over 320,000 deaths within the European Union in 2021 were related to three main air pollutants: fine particulate matter, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide.
- 253,000 deaths could have been avoided in the EU if the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations had met WHO recommendations.
- Pollution from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) resulted in 52,000 deaths.
- Short-term ozone (O3) exposure led to 22,000 deaths.
When a larger set of European countries outside the EU were included, the number of pollutant-related deaths across Europe reached 389,000, according to the report.
Health Impacts and Sustainable Development Goals
The European Environment Agency (EEA) estimates that exposure to air pollution causes or aggravates certain diseases like lung cancer, heart disease, asthma, and diabetes.
These findings highlight the urgent need to address air pollution and its detrimental effects on public health, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations.
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