The figure is up compared to 2020, during which 238,000 people died prematurely from the same causes, according to a report from the European Environment Agency.
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Fine particle air pollution caused the deaths of 253,000 people in the European Union in 2021, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA) published on Friday November 24. A figure up compared to the year 2020, during which 238,000 people died prematurely from the same causes.
The increase observed between the two years is explained by increased exposure to pollutants and a slight increase in European mortality, mainly due to Covid-19, explains the EEA. The trend, however, remains largely positive over the longer term: between 2005 and 2021, the number of premature deaths due to fine particles decreased by 41%, underlines the study.
Despite the “great progress” carried out in recent years, “the impact of air pollution on our health remains too high”, notes the executive director of the AEE, Leena Ylä-Mononen, quoted in the press release. Air pollution remains the main environmental risk to the health of Europeans (followed by other factors such as exposure to noise, chemicals and the increasing health effects of climate-related heatwaves), causing chronic diseases and deaths, particularly in cities and urban areas.
