Europe is currently grappling with a “severe public health crisis”, as nearly all of its residents inhabit regions with hazardous levels of air pollution, as per an investigation by The Guardian.

Utilizing cutting-edge methodologies, including detailed satellite imagery and data from over 1,400 ground monitoring stations, the analysis unveils a troubling scenario of polluted air. It discloses that a staggering 98% of the population resides in highly contaminated areas where the annual average levels of particulate matter surpass the recommended limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly two-thirds of Europeans live in regions where air quality exceeds WHO’s guidelines by more than double.

North Macedonia stands out as Europe’s most heavily polluted nation. Approximately two-thirds of its populace dwell in areas where PM2.5 levels are four times higher than WHO’s recommendations. In four specific zones, air pollution soars to six times the suggested levels, including the capital, Skopje.

Eastern Europe significantly lags behind Western Europe in air quality, with the exception of Italy. Italy’s Po Valley and northern surrounding areas witness over one-third of their inhabitants breathing air containing pollutants four times higher than WHO’s recommended levels.

The Guardian collaborated with pollution experts to craft an interactive map spotlighting the worst-affected areas across the continent. Measurements primarily pertain to PM2.5 – fine particulate matter largely generated through the combustion of fossil fuels, with some particles capable of entering the lungs and bloodstream, impacting nearly every organ in the body. Current WHO guidelines stipulate that annual average PM2.5 concentrations should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter. The fresh analysis discloses that merely 2% of Europe’s populace resides in areas adhering to this threshold. Experts assert that PM2.5 pollution is responsible for roughly 400,000 annual deaths across the continent.

Roel Vermeulen, a professor of environmental epidemiology at Utrecht University, who spearheaded the data compilation effort across Europe, declared, “This constitutes a grave public health crisis. What is abundantly clear is that almost every European is inhaling unhealthy air”.

The data also reveals that:

• Almost all residents in seven Eastern European countries, including Serbia, Romania, Albania, North Macedonia, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary, have pollution levels twice as high as the WHO limit.
• More than half of the populations in North Macedonia and Serbia live with four times the WHO allowed limit.
• In Germany, three-quarters of the population reside in areas with over double the WHO recommendations. In Spain, this figure is 49%, and in France, it’s 37%.
• In the United Kingdom, three-quarters of the population live in areas where exposure is between one and two times higher than the WHO guideline.
• Approximately 30 million Europeans live in areas where PM2.5 particle concentration is four times higher than the 5 micrograms per cubic meter limit recommended by the WHO.
• In Sweden, on the contrary, there is no area where PM2.5 exceeds double the WHO’s figures, and some areas in Northern Scotland are among the few in Europe where the figures fall below the defined limit.

Air pollution has emerged as a critical concern in Europe, compelling the EU to face mounting pressure in addressing the escalating public health crisis. In the previous week, the European Parliament voted in favor of adopting WHO guidelines for PM2.5 until 2035. The legislation, yet to be finalized through negotiations with the council, will establish a legally binding annual limit of 5 micrograms per cubic meter for PM2.5 concentrations, a significant reduction from the current 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

However, experts emphasize the need for immediate measures. They highlight an expanding body of evidence indicating that air pollution has adverse effects on nearly every organ in the body, and it is associated with a wide spectrum of health issues. These range from heart and lung diseases to cancer, diabetes, depression, mental illnesses, cognitive impairment, and reduced birth weights.