Articles by Annalisa Girardi
Air pollution is the main environmental health risk in Europe. The European Environment Agency recently reiterated this, noting that excessive exposure — above the limits set by the World Health Organization—to fine particles and excessively high levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide have caused tens of thousands of premature deaths in recent years. These pollutants are linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases, as well as heart disease and heart attacks.
It’s not just a health issue. Air pollution, the European Environment Agency also points out, can also have a serious economic impact, given the increased costs of healthcare and the consequences for the labor market.
The report published this year by the Agency highlights how things are improving in terms of air quality, with several monitoring stations recording levels in line with the parameters set by the European Union. Despite this, in the vast majority of Europe we are still far from meeting the targets, and although PM10 and PM2 levels have indeed decreased over the past ten years, air pollution continues to have a significant impact on our health.