Air pollution still causes the premature death of at least 1,200 children and adolescents every year in Europe, according to a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) published on Monday 24 April, even if the trend is improving.
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As for adults, this pollution is the main environmental risk to the health of minors and reduces their life expectancy, according to this study covering some thirty countries on the continent, including the 27 EU Member States.
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“Air pollution causes more than 1,200 premature deaths per year among under-18s in Europe and significantly increases the risk of disease later in life”writes the EEA in its report.
“Despite progress over the past years, the level of several major air pollutants continues to remain above World Health Organization guidelines, particularly in central and eastern Europe. , as well as in Italy »underlines the organization dependent on the European Union.
238,000 premature deaths
The Po plain in Italy, the areas close to large coal-fired power plants as well as the large cities in the center and east of the continent are regularly singled out for their poor air quality.
Several European countries – including the UK or Ukraine – are not part of the study, suggesting that the continental record is actually grimmer.
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According to another report published by the EEA in November, at least 238,000 people – of all ages – died prematurely in 2020 in Europe due to air pollution in the member countries of the agency (European Union, Turkey, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein).
Even if the share of children and teenagers impacted by air pollution is “relatively weak” compared to the general population, dying so soon “represents a loss of potential future as well as a significant burden of chronic disease both in childhood and later in life”underlines the AEE.
The agency recommends focusing on air quality around schools and nurseries, as well as sports facilities and public transport.
Increased risk of asthma
Its effects begin before birth, maternal exposure to air pollution “being linked to low birth weights and premature births”recalls the environmental agency.
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After birth, ambient pollution increases the risk of several health problems, including asthma – which affects 9% of children and adolescents in Europe – or respiratory insufficiency and infections, the agency also points out.
These effects are aggravated by the fact that children are more physically active than adults and that their small size brings them closer to pollution, particularly car exhaust.
All ages combined, 97% of the urban population were exposed in 2021 to air that does not comply with WHO recommendations, according to the latest data released on Monday.
In its November report, however, the EEA noted that the European Union was on track to meet its target of reducing premature deaths by more than 50% by 2030 compared to 2005.
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At the beginning of the 1990s, fine particles caused almost a million premature deaths in the 27 countries of the EU. In 2005, 431,000 people still died from it, according to agency data.
However, the European situation remains generally better than elsewhere on the planet: according to the WHO, air pollution is the cause of seven million premature deaths per year in the world, a balance close to that caused by smoking or poor diet.
