Air pollution kills thousands: Europe's health in danger!

Air pollution kills thousands: Europe's health in danger!

Kopenhagen, Dänemark - An alarming report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows the serious health consequences of air pollution in Europe. According to the latest data, an estimated 350,000 deaths per year are due to air pollutants, including 239,000 to fine dust pollution. An additional 70,000 cases are documented due to ozone and 48,000 due to nitrogen dioxide. These figures illustrate the urgency with which the ongoing health risks have to be carried out by poor air quality, which are particularly serious in urban areas, such as Euractiv reported.

The EU environmental agency emphasizes that air pollution remains the greatest environmental health risk for the European population. Health problems such as ischemic heart diseases, strokes and respiratory diseases lead to a high number of premature deaths. Countries such as Italy, Greece and Poland are particularly affected, where the PM2.5 values ​​are alarming. Despite a positive trend - the mortality rate in connection with fine dust has dropped by 45 percent since 2005 - the air quality remains dangerously bad. The EEA therefore urgently calls for a strict implementation of the new guidelines for air quality, which came into force on December 10th, such as Welt reported.

The new EU regulations aim to regulate the concentrations of pollutants such as fine dust, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. However, critics express concerns that these measures are not far -reaching enough to adequately protect the health of the citizens. Experts warn that despite these legal regulations, many people continue to suffer from the consequences of air pollution, which leads to avoidable diseases and premature deaths. The implementation of these guidelines is therefore crucial to improve the air quality.