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Hundreds of thousands of people die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution in the EU. A report by the European Environment Agency mentions other environmental factors that threaten health.
More than 400,000 people in the European Union die prematurely each year as a result of air pollution. This is the result of a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) published in Copenhagen.
The report analyzed data on the impact of the environment on the health and well-being of Europeans. According to this, air pollution remains the biggest environmental threat to health in Europe. However, in 1990, the number of premature deaths attributable to her was still one million.
Noise, climate change and resistance to antibiotics
Second is noise pollution, which causes 12,000 premature deaths, according to the report. The effects of climate change are also increasingly influencing, for example heat waves and floods. People in urban settings are particularly affected by the consequences of climate change, said Catherine Ganzleben of the EEA.
Other factors mentioned by the Environment Agency are chemical compounds, resistance to pathogens resulting from overuse of antibiotics, and contaminated drinking water.
Highest rate of premature death in Eastern Europe
Also striking is the clear difference between Eastern and Western European countries. In many Eastern European countries, the rate of premature deaths due to environmental factors is much higher than in Western Europe.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has the highest proportion of deaths related to environmental pollution (27 percent), while Iceland and Norway have the lowest (9 percent). Therefore, the situation in Germany is also comparatively good.
“While in Europe we see improvements in the environment and the Green Deal is clearly focused on a sustainable future, the report shows that action is needed to protect the most vulnerable in our society,” said EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx. .
One in eight pollution-related deaths
The research is based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) from 2012. This is the most recent information available for the study. Consequently, around 13 per cent of annual deaths in the EU can be attributed to environmental factors. That corresponds to 630,000 people who died prematurely and about one in eight deaths.
Pollution is particularly associated with cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The EU Environment Agency stressed that eliminating “environmental risks” could prevent deaths from these diseases.
