{"id":111221,"date":"2025-12-01T12:06:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T11:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/?p=111221"},"modified":"2025-12-01T12:07:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T11:07:44","slug":"air-quality-improving-but-just-over-180000-deaths-still-attributable-to-air-pollution-in-eu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/environment\/air-quality-improving-but-just-over-180000-deaths-still-attributable-to-air-pollution-in-eu\/","title":{"rendered":"Air quality improving, but just over 180,000 deaths still attributable to air pollution in EU"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Just over 180,000 deaths in the European Union were\u00a0attributable\u00a0to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5<\/sub>)\u00a0concentrations above\u00a0World Health\u00a0Organization\u00a0WHO guideline levels\u00a0in 2023,\u00a0according to the latest European Environment Agency (EEA) air quality health impact assessment published today.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EEA briefing  \u2018Harm to human health from air pollution in Europe: burden of disease status, 2025<\/a>\u2019 confirms the nineteen-year trend that the estimated impact on health attributable to long-term\u202fexposure to three key air pollutants\u202f(fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone)\u202fcontinues to drop. However, almost everyone living in European cities (95%) is exposed to air pollution levels considerably above recommended WHO levels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premature deaths attributable to fine particulate matter fell by 57% in the EU between 2005 and 2023. This\u202findicates\u202fthat the\u202fEU\u2019s zero-pollution\u202faction plan\u2019s target of a 55% reduction in impact, was achieved for 2023.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s assessment is being published to coincide with the EU Clean Air Forum<\/a> being held on 1-2 December in Bonn, Germany. The event draws policymakers, scientists, and civil society from across Europe to discuss efforts to improve air quality. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Harm<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Harm to human health from air pollution in Europe: burden of disease status, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Premature deaths can be avoided <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Reducing air pollution to WHO guideline levels could have prevented 182,000 deaths attributable to fine particulate matter exposure, 63,000 to ozone (O3<\/sub>) exposure and 34,000 to nitrogen dioxide (NO2<\/sub>) exposure in the EU in 2023, according to EEA estimates.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eastern and south-eastern European countries suffer the most significant health impacts from air pollution due to high pollution levels.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key information for each country is included in a separate factsheet annex<\/a> to this press release, including information on national level health impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Quality of life suffers significantly <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to premature deaths, the impacts from\u202fliving with diseases related to air pollution\u202fare significant. For some diseases caused and\/or aggravated by air pollution, such as asthma, the main impact is poorer health. For others, such as ischemic heart disease and lung cancer, it is premature death.\u202f\u202fNew evidence suggests that air pollution may also cause dementia. Dementia\u2019s disease burden is estimated to be higher than that of other relevant diseases, the EEA briefing says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New EU air quality rules in place <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The\u202frevised ambient air quality directive, which entered into force last year, brings the EU air quality standards closer to the WHO recommendations, supporting further reductions in the health impacts of air pollution over the coming years. Still, air pollution\u202fcontinues to be the\u202ftop environmental health risk\u202fto Europeans\u202f(followed by other factors such as exposure to noise, chemicals and the increasing effects of climate-related heatwaves on health), causing chronic illness and attributable deaths, especially in cities and urban areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Background <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The EEA analysis\u202fcovers 41 European countries, including the 27 EU Member States, other EEA member and cooperating countries and\u202fadditional\u202fEuropean microstates. T\u00fcrkiye is not included in the PM2.5<\/sub>\u202festimations as the number of background monitoring stations from which data are available was too low to produce concentration maps for fine particulate matter. Consequently, PM2.5<\/sub>\u202festimations were made for 40 countries.\u202f\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EEA has been estimating number of deaths attributable to exposure to air pollution since 2014. The EEA uses the recommendations for health impacts set out in the 2021 WHO air quality guidelines. As with previous years, the health impacts of different air pollutants should not be added together to avoid double counting due to some overlaps in data. This is the case for both mortality and illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n