Dirty air kills more than 200,000 people in Europe every year
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The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published an alarming report on the impact of air pollution on Europe's health and ecosystems. Despite progress in reducing pollution, air remains the main environmental threat to Europeans.
In 2022, 239,000 people died from the effects of inhalation of microparticles (PM2.5). 70,000 died from ozone (O3) poisoning and another 48,000 from nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These deaths could have been prevented if WHO recommendations set at 5 µg/m3 for PM2.5 were followed. However, it is worth noting that between 2005 and 2022, deaths from PM2.5 decreased by 45%. In Luxembourg, the figure is even higher, at 80%, which clearly puts the country among the examples for other states.
Air pollution is dangerous not only for humans, but for all ecosystems:
Eutrophication
Ozone pollution
Forest issues
Directive (EU) 2024/2881, which came into force on 10 December 2024, sets stricter air quality standards, bringing them closer to WHO recommendations. It introduces monitoring of additional pollutants, including ultrafine particles and black carbon.
