It’s not just the Asian metropolises that continue to shock people with images of skylines disappearing in the smog. Even if Europe is known worldwide for its high standard of living, the air over the continent is increasingly polluted. A new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) shows this again. “Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in Europe. It causes cardiovascular and respiratory diseases that result in lost years of healthy life and, in the worst cases, preventable deaths. Particularly tragic: Breathing in the bad air causes the premature death of at least 1,200 children across Europe every year.
Air pollution varies from region to region and city to city. Central Eastern Europe and Italy reported the highest levels of particulate matter, according to the EEA, primarily due to the burning of solid fuels for domestic heating and their use in industry. Specifically, Poland and the Po Valley in Italy are particularly badly affected by air pollution. As measured values from all over Europe show and what you cannot see well on the map material: A total of 97% of the urban population are exposed to a fine dust concentration (PM2.5) that was above the WHO annual reference value for 2021 of 5 µg/m³. In general, the WHO says that in the case of particulate matter, long-term exposure to small particles (PM2,5) should be at most 5 µg/m³.
“Abandoning our children on air pollution”
“Despite ongoing general improvements in air quality, air pollution levels are measured above EU norms across Europe and air pollution remains a major health concern for Europeans,” the EEA said. 20 reporting countries, including 15 EU Member States, reported concentrations above the daily limit value, 4 reporting countries, including 2 EU Member States, measured concentrations above the annual limit value. The following shows that Siptzen values are repeatedly reached: 15 EU member states have reported concentrations above the EU daily limit value of 50 µg/m³. This is ten times the WHO annual guideline.
“You can’t see children as little adults when it comes to air pollution. They are more exposed to air pollution, and it starts in the womb and continues through kindergarten and beyond. We are failing our children when it comes to air pollution,” Gerardo Sanchez Martinez, EEA’s Environment and Health eExpert, told the UK Guardian. In order to protect children in particular from air pollution, one must
The consequences for children exposed to increased air pollution can be dire – such as impaired lung capacity, asthma, more respiratory and ear infections, and increased risk of allergies. That’s why, according to Martinez, you have to ensure that traffic is restricted and engines idling are forbidden, especially around kindergartens and schools. The intensified planting of trees and hedges could also help to reduce fine dust in the air.
