About 98% of Europeans breathe extremely harmful polluted air that causes 400,000 early deaths annually, The Guardian reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper, referring to information collected by satellites and monitoring stations, claims that 98% of Europeans live in areas where the content of extremely harmful microparticles in the air exceeds the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). At the same time, almost two-thirds of citizens live in areas where the limit set by the WHO is almost twice as high.
The worst situation is observed in North Macedonia, where almost two-thirds of the population live in areas where the content of harmful PM2.5 particles exceeds the WHO standard by more than four times. In some areas, including the capital city of Skopje, this standard is exceeded by up to six times.
In general, the situation in Eastern Europe is much worse than in its western parts. The exception is Italy, where the number of microparticles in the north of the country is also almost four times higher than the norm.
Experts say that air pollution causes about 400,000 early deaths in Europe every year. If air quality met WHO standards, more than 200,000 of these people could be saved.
PM2.5 particles are microparticles that are released into the air as a result of fossil fuel combustion. They can enter the bloodstream through the lungs and affect the functioning of almost every organ in the body. These particles can be linked to a wide range of diseases, including diabetes and cancer. According to current WHO recommendations, the average annual concentration of PM2.5 particles should not exceed 5 micrograms per 1 cubic meter.
