Study: Air Pollution Could Kill 125,000 People in Europe Per Year, If Not Prevented

A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal shows the connection between air pollution and premature deaths in many countries in Europe.

The authors of the study had enough reasons to assume that air quality can greatly affect the living conditions of humans.

Not only is crappy air annoying, but it is also deadly.

The study showed that ambient air pollution is a major environmental problem. It can cause severe morbidity and mortality issues around the world. However, the full extent of the health effects of air pollution is still largely unknown.

Based on the findings of the study, a fair number of premature deaths in many European cities could have been prevented annually by an improved air condition. This could be achieved by lowering air pollution concentrations based on the WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines.

Around 50,000 to 125,000 annual premature deaths could be prevented.

The mortality rate varied considerably between each city; the denser concentration of air pollutants, the bigger the number is.

The findings of the study indicate that there need to be more policies directed at the rising concern and those policies should be enacted and enforced immediately. This is not to discredit existing guidelines for pursuing the EU (European Union) 's net zero emission goal but to encourage a more localized approach to reach it.

Direct action is necessary if Europe wants to reduce air pollution and achieve sustainable, liveable, healthier, and more eco-friendly communities.

Air Pollution

According to the WHO, air pollution-related conditions cause death for more than 7 million people every year. It is recorded as one of the leading causes of sickness and work absences globally.

Ambient air pollution poses both a severe and serious environmental and health problem. It accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths per year due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, acute and chronic respiratory diseases.

Case Analysis

Due to air pollution, deaths varied widely, with NO2 levels in Madrid, for example, responsible for 7% of annual deaths there. Cities in the Po Valley region of northern Italy, Poland, and the Czech Republic were the highest in mortality burden, with Brescia, Bergamo, and Vicenza's Italian cities all within the top five for PM2.5 concentrations.

Those with the lowest mortality burden included Tromso in Norway, Umea in Sweden, Oulu in Finland, and Reykjavik's Icelandic capital.

Sasha Khomenko, a co-author of the study from ISGlobal, said it was essential to implement local emissions reduction measures in light of the high variability in mortality linked to low air.

"We need an urgent change from private motorized traffic to public and active transportation (and) a reduction of emissions from industry, airports, and ports," she said.

Long Term Solution

It looks like people all over Europe had one thorn lifted off their chests.

The issue of healthier air conditions is one of the primary focuses of the EU, and to combat it, many European countries vow to commit to many projects that promote environmental improvement. Among those is the net zero emission initiative.

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