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- More than 400,000 people die prematurely each year in European countries as a result of air pollution.
- For comparison: in 1990 there were about a million premature deaths.
- That’s in a report from the European Environment Agency.
- Air pollution remains the biggest environmental threat to health in Europe, it is said.
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, compared to previous years, the air quality has improved. 30 years ago, deaths from air pollution were one million.
Noise pollution is the second most important cause. According to the report, it causes 12,000 premature deaths. The effects of climate change are also increasingly influencing, for example heat waves and floods.
People in heavily affected cities
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.
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).
WHO data
The studies are based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) on causes of death and illness. According to this, around 13 percent of annual deaths in the EU, corresponding to 630,000 people who died prematurely, can be attributed to environmental factors and could therefore be prevented. The most common causes of death include cancer, heart disease, and stroke.
“While in Europe we see improvements in the environment and in the Green Deal a clear focus on a sustainable future, the report shows that measures are needed to protect the most vulnerable people in our society,” said the EEA Executive Director. , Hans Bruyninckx. . Poverty often goes hand in hand with living in a polluted environment and in poor health.
