According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution remains the single largest environmental health hazard in the whole part of Europe. In the mere fact, air pollution is the cause of half a million of deaths per year in the area. To be exact, 467,000 deaths are recorded due to air pollution.
Air Pollution: Largest Environmental Hazard
Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the air. Car emissions, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold spores may be suspended as particles. Ozone, a gas, is a major part of air pollution in cities. When ozone forms air pollution, it's also called smog. Some air pollutants are poisonous.
According to Medline Plus, inhaling air pollution can increase the chance you'll have health problems. People with heart or lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from it. Air pollution isn't just outside - the air inside buildings can also be polluted and affect your health.
According to the 2014 report WHO, the air pollution in 2012 caused the deaths of around seven million people worldwide, an estimate roughly matched by the International Energy Agency. And now, in Europe, it was announced by EEA that 467,000 deaths are caused by air pollution.
Air Pollution in Europe Is Linked To Death Of Half A Million Citizens
According to EEA, in Europe, emissions of many air pollutants have decreased substantially over the past decades. However, air pollutant concentrations are still too high. A significant proportion of Europe’s population live in areas, especially cities, where exceedances of air quality standards occur.
"Emission reductions have led to improvements in air quality in Europe, but not enough to avoid unacceptable damage to human health and the environment," EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx said in a statement in connection with the agency's annual report.
As reported by Daily Nation, emissions of nitrogen oxides from road transport had not fallen sufficiently. This emissions of can be linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, which can cause death for people. Nitrogen oxides are a group of gases that are composed of nitrogen and oxygen.
The countries with the worst levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) are Bulgaria, Poland and the Czech Republic. "If a lot of air quality blackspots are in towns and cities then it is clear that local and regional governments play a central role in finding solutions."
