Air quality
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 nearly 400000 premature deaths within the 28EU countries in the year 2015. Another 16000 premature deaths was caused by ground-level ozone, and exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) caused around 76000 premature deaths.
Small particles were also responsible for several hundreds of thousand serious hospital admissions in the EU28, and a much larger number of less serious effects, for example more than onemillion cases of bronchitis and 400-500 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.
Related articles
The concentrations of air pollutants are generally falling in Europe. But paradoxically enough, the health effects of air pollution are a bigger issue today than they were 20-30 years ago.
This is largely due to the fact that more research, more sophisticated statistical methods and more powerful computers have made it possible to identify links between exposure to air pollutants and a variety of effects on human health even at levels that had previously been considered safe.
The European Union has now adopted the Ambient Air Quality Directive, which is a move closer to the WHO standards. Though some steps remain before it is fully aligned.
Ammonia contributes to 50% of fine particulate matter in Europe. But it also has independent health effects, such as an association with early-onset asthma in children under six.
The EU Commission has sent formal notice under Article 260 TFEU to Hungary for failing to comply with a 2021 judgement on PM10 exceedances ...
Taiwan is tightening its standards for PM2.5. The Ministry of Environment in Taiwan will adjust its PM2.5 target from 15 to 12 micrograms per cubic metre. The change is based on the findings of an eight-year study ...
The European Parliament approved a deal on the revised Euro 7 emissions rules for cars, trucks, and buses in March. However, the decision remains controversial, with stakeholders divided on whether it goes too far or not far enough in combating emissions.
A recent German study found that children who spent their time in the womb and their first year of life in low emission zones experienced a 13% reduction in asthma medication prescriptions by their fifth birthday.
In the recent Global Burden of Disease, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8% of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure and smoking.