Death toll across Europe is lower than in 2021
Air pollution caused by fine particles killed 239,000 people in the European Union (EU) in 2022, a 5% drop in one year, indicates a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) released this Tuesday.
“At least 239,000 deaths in the EU in 2022 are attributable to exposure to fine particle pollution exceeding the WHO (World Health Organization) recommended concentration of 5 ug/m3,” the Copenhagen-based agency said in a statement.
Italy, Poland and Germany have the highest number of deaths due to fine particles (PM2.5 – with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, equivalent to one thousandth of a millimeter).
The death toll across Europe is lower than in 2021, when fine particles, which penetrate deep into the lungs, caused the premature deaths of 253,000 people.
This is a confirmed trend, between 2005 and 2022, the number of deaths decreased by 45%, welcomes the AEA, considering that this could make it possible to achieve the objective of reducing deaths by 55% by 2030, as envisaged in the EU “zero pollution” action.
In addition to deaths caused by exposure to fine particles, 70,000 deaths are attributable to exposure to ozone (O3) pollution, mainly due to road traffic and industrial activities.
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas produced mainly by vehicles and thermoelectric plants, was responsible for 48,000 premature deaths.
The agency, which does not add the number of deaths, considering that this would lead to double counting, highlights that air pollution continues to be the most significant environmental threat to the health of Europeans.
