Air pollution continues to cause the premature death of more than 400,000 Europeans annually. This is one of the conclusion shown on the new Air quality in Europe 2017 launched by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
In EFA we are committed to fight against air pollution, which short-term effects are particularly affecting patients with respiratory diseases. People with asthma suffer more on or after days with higher pollution levels as air pollution reduces lung function. Long-term effects of air pollution exposure include changes in mortality patterns and diseases incidence and prevalence, as this reports demonstrates.
Even though this year’s updated data shows “air quality in Europe is slowly improving”, high concentrations of air pollution still have a significant impact on Europeans' health. In particular, fine particulate matter resultant from road transport, agriculture, power plants, industry and households are the biggest emitters of air pollutants in Europe.
Poor air quality also has considerable economic impacts, increasing medical costs, reducing workers' productivity, and damaging soil, crops, forests, lakes and rivers. Therefore, improving air quality in European cities will bring major health benefits.
Learn more about our latest news on outdoor and indoor air pollution.
Latest news on air quality