Worldwide, bad outdoor air caused an estimated 4.2 million premature deaths in 2016 according to the World Health Organization.

• Every year, more than 400 000 people in the EU die prematurely due to the consequences of air pollution
• Approximately 6.5 million people fall sick as air pollution causes diseases such as strokes, asthma and bronchitis.
• Late reports confirm that up to one-third of the EU urban population are exposed to air pollution which exceeds EU limit values.
• Air pollution also harms our natural environment, impacting both vegetation and wildlife: almost two-thirds of Europe’s ecosystems are threatened by the effects of air pollution.
• The past years demonstrate significant deterioration in the quality of the air we breathe, mainly as a result of burning of fossil fuels and road traffic.

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

Outdoor air pollution is produced both from natural but mostly anthropogenic sources.

Anthropogenic sources include:

• fuel combustion from motor vehicles
• heat and power generation
• industrial facilities
• municipal and agricultural waste sites and waste incineration/burning
• residential cooking, heating, and lighting with polluting fuels.

The pollutants with the most adverse health effects are:

• Particulate Matter (PM)
• Ozone (O₃)
• Nitrogen Dioxide (NO₂)
• Carbon Monoxide (CO)
• Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂)