Prolonged exposure to air pollution caused the premature death of 518.700 people in 41 countries in Europe in 2015, a slightly lower figure than the previous year (1.770 fewer deaths), according to the annual air quality report conducted by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Of these, 483.400 occurred in the 28 countries of the European Union (EU); in Italy they amount to 32.000. The biggest problem continues to focus on the suspended particles (PM of 10 and 2,5 micron), which caused 422.000 of these deaths, 81% of the total. The remainder is due to the high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), which caused 79.000 and 17.700, respectively, premature deaths. The report includes data from over 2.500 measurement stations. Although the changes from one year to the next are small, in Europe there has been an average decrease of 60% of premature deaths attributable to particles of 2,5 micrograms between the 1990 and the 2015, the smallest and, therefore, the most dangerous. Air pollution continues to overcome in many places the limits set by both the EU and the World Health Organization (WHO), which are more severe. The report warns against the "significant impacts" that health causes to be exposed at these levels of pollutants, "especially in urban areas". Road transport is one of the main sources of atmospheric pollution, which also contributes to emissions from agriculture, energy production, industry and households. About 74% of the EU urban population has been exposed to PM2,5 concentrations, which exceed the levels recommended by the WHO, according to the 2016 data, indicates the report. In addition, the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry has also published a new report in the journal Nature, in which estimates the mortality from air pollution could double within 2050 reaching 6,6 million people per year. The experts combined a global model of atmospheric chemistry with demographic data and health statistics to estimate the contribution of different pollutants, particularly in fine dust, to premature mortality. According to the data, emissions from residential energy, for example for heating and cooking, are prevalent in India and China and have the highest worldwide impact on premature deaths. In many areas of the USA, traffic and energy production are weighing, while in the eastern United States, Russia and East Asia, emissions from agriculture make the greatest contribution to fine particles. According to a related study, conducted by the English University of Leeds and published in Nature Geoscience, between 400 and 1700 premature deaths could have been avoided if the deforestation fires registered in the Brazilian Amazon in recent years had been significantly reduced. The experts combined satellite and ground measurements with a chemical transport model to show that, in the region, fine dust concentrations decreased by 30% during the dry season, precisely following the reduction of fires associated with deforestation. While idates extracted by experts in Europe say that over 90% of citizens are exposed to air pollution levels above the maximum limits suggested by the WHO. Outdoor pollution, causing cardiocirculatory diseases, lung cancers and other diseases, is responsible for about 482 thousand premature deaths a year, that of the internal environments of about 117.200. Premature deaths from air pollution cause damage to 1.400 billions of dollars and another 10% of costs, which brings the total to 1.600 billion, comes from diseases. Also in Europe, the country with the least damage from air pollution is Norway (0,3%), followed by Sweden (0,9%) and Finland with 0,7% (the summary of data by country and the complete report is attached below). In light of these data, observes Giovanni D'Agata, president of the "Rights Window"We must make the fight against air pollution a political priority.
