Did you know that air quality has been improving in Europe for years? Reports
Over the last twenty years, air pollution levels in Europe have improved. However, 98% of Europeans live in areas that exceed WHO recommended levels. Among these, also a part of Italians. The Guardian article
Over the last twenty years, air pollution levels have improved in Europe, according to research, writes the Guardian .
However, despite these improvements, the majority of Europe's population lives in areas that exceed the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Around 98% of Europeans live in areas that, according to the WHO, have unhealthy levels of small particles known as PM2.5, 80% for larger ones known as PM10 and 86% for nitrogen dioxide.
I STUDY
The study, conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), examined pollution levels in more than 1,400 regions across 35 European countries, representing 543 million people.
“Targeted efforts are needed to address PM2.5 and ozone levels and related days of compound pollution, especially in the context of rapidly increasing threats from climate change in Europe,” said Zhao-Yue Chen, researcher at ISGlobal and lead author of the study.
The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications , show that overall levels of suspended particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have fallen across most of Europe.
PM10 recorded an annual decline of 2.72%, PM2.5 of 2.45% and NO2 of 1.72%.
DEATHS (AVOIDABLE) DUE TO POLLUTION
The tiny particles called PM2.5 and PM10 are small enough to burrow deep into the lungs and have been linked to a wide range of health problems, including heart disease, cancer and premature births. They are estimated to be linked to the early deaths of more than 400,000 people in Europe every year.
According to experts, more than 200,000 of these could be avoided if the air in Europe respected WHO guidelines.
THE CAUSES
Particulate pollution arises from the combustion of solid and liquid fuels, especially through electricity production, home heating and automobile traffic. It can also form in the air due to chemical reactions between other pollutants.
“Our consistent estimate of population exposure to compound air pollution events provides a solid basis for future research and policy development to address air quality management and public health concerns across Europe,” said Carlos Pérez García-Pando, one of the authors of the study.
PART OF ITALY IS ALSO AMONG THE MOST POLLUTED AREAS
Many European cities have implemented low-emission zones for vehicles, reducing particulate pollution, and some countries, including Poland, have reduced their reliance on coal stoves. EU directives on industrial emissions have helped companies reduce pollution.
However, hot spots remain. During the study period, PM2.5 and PM10 levels were highest in northern Italy and eastern Europe. Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) have been recorded in northern Italy and some areas of western Europe, such as the south of the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands. High levels of nitrous oxide can contribute to the development of asthma and potentially increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.
(Excerpt from the foreign press review edited by eprcomunicazione )
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/lo-sapete-che-in-europa-la-qualita-dellaria-migliora-da-anni-report/ on Sat, 16 Mar 2024 06:54:03 +0000.