Air pollution has been one of the major environmental problems. It has caused much sickness and even death. The latest study shows that air pollution in Europe causes 467,000 deaths every year.
Air pollution is rampant in Europe. Even though the quality of air has improved, air pollution is still a major concern. Nine of ten cities in Europe has air pollution as an issue, as the European Environment Agency (EEA) has said.
This reduction in air pollution is improving the quality of air, though it is still not enough to reduce its impact on health and the environment. This has been the assessment of EEA Director Hans Bruyninckx in a statement along with the agency's annual report.
The number of premature deaths in the European Union is around 430,000 per year. That were the latest figures that was gathered in 2013, according to the BBC. Nitrogen dioxide, which is emitted by vehicles and central heating boilers, has been the cause of around 71,000 deaths per year.
There is also ground-level ozone, which is different from the ozone found in the atmosphere. Ground-level ozone is also a cause of death to an additional 17,000 deaths in the European Union. Ground-level ozone form when nitrogen dioxide is mixed with other air pollutants, making it even more deadly.
From data obtained through 2014, around 85 percent of people in Europe's cities are exposed to particle matter. These are small particles made up of dust, soot and other pollutants. PM10 can cause respiratory problems, while the even deadlier PM2.5 can enter the lungs and even bloodstream, as Phys Org reports.
Around 16 percent of people living in the cities in Europe are exposed to PM10 while those exposed to PM2.5 stand at eight percent. Some of the countries that have high PM2.5 content are Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Overall though PM2.5 levels have dropped in Europe between 2006 and 2014.
Air pollution remains a constant reminder that there is much to be done to improve the environment. Air pollution in Europe causes 467,000 deaths every year. Air pollution has additional threat as resistant bacteria can reside in it, as a study shows.
