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Air quality and health effects
 Air pollution affects us in many ways, perhaps more than we realize. Most important and obvious are the direct effects on human health. Recent research indicates that small particles (PM2.5) in the air caused about 350,000 premature deaths within the 25 EU countries in the year 2000. Another 20,000 premature deaths was caused by ground-level ozone.
In that same year, small particles were also responsible for around 100,000 serious hospital admissions in the EU25, and a much larger number of less serious effects, for example some 30 million respiratory medication use days and several hundred million restricted activity days.
But there are also other air pollutants and important indirect effects. This section (see menu in the left hand column) describes both the direct effects of different pollutants on health and vegetation, and some indirect effects, such as toxic groundwater and corrosion of materials, due to acidification.
You can also find out what to do at a personal level to help reduce emissions.
Check the level where you live!
Find your local respiratory health forecasts: Know your air for health (external link)
Find out the level of ozone pollution in your area or in any other place in Europe: Live map by EEA (external link) |
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December 2009
Reducing air pollution mitigates climate change
Measures aiming at reducing air pollutants like ozone ..
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October 2009
Still high ozone levels despite less air pollution
Ozone levels remain largely unchanged in many ..
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October 2009
Air quality exemptions questioned
The EU Commission has approved time extensions ..
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June 2009
EU states postpone air quality compliance
Nineteen member states have so far notified the ..
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June 2009
Small but dangerous
Fine particles cause 546,000 premature deaths each year
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June 2009
Cleaner ship fuels to save American lives
The US and Canada want ships to burn cleaner ..
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March 2009
Asian brown cloud affects food safety for billions
Man-made brown clouds are jeopardizing human health ..
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December 2008
Ozone: A growing threat
Existing emission controls are failing to reduce ground- ..
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December 2008
Climate policies improve health
Health savings of up to 25 billion euro could be ..
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October 2008
EU member states must act on PM10 pollution
The Commission has written to 23 member states ..
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June 2008
Climate change reduces European air quality
Changes in the European climate can cause significant increases in concentrations..
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June 2008
Link between ozone and premature death
Short-term exposure to current levels of ozone in many areas is likely to ..
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March 2008
Air quality in Europe may be deteriorating
Air quality in Europe has declined in recent years, according to a report from ..
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March 2008
Cleaner fuels could save tens of thousands of live
Using cleaner marine fuel could prevent 40,000 to 50,000 premature deaths ..
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December 2007
High concentrations despite emissions drop
Concentrations of ozone and particulate matter (PM) have not improved since 1997 ..
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December 2006
Air quality agreement
EU environment ministers have agreed on a common position regarding ...
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October 2006
Health protection under pressure
The European Parliament wants to allow member states to postpone ..
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October 2006
New PM standards upset health experts
On 21 September, the US government approved new federal air quality ..
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May 2006
New WHO air quality guidelines
The World Health Organization is strengthening its air quality guidelines ..
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February 2006
Significant health effects across Europe
Emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide from large point sources in ..
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