By: By Michele Berger
Published: October 30,2013
If you live in any one of a number of cities in Bulgaria or Poland,
you may be breathing in some of the worst air pollution in Europe,
according to new data from the European Environment Agency (EEA). But
it’s not just those two countries. People across the continent are
inhaling bad air.
“More than 90 percent of Europe’s urban citizens
are exposed to levels of air pollution that are well above the World
Health Organization’s advised guidelines,” Hans Bruyninckx, EEA’s
executive director said, explaining the data. “And this has serious
effects on citizens’ quality of life.”
The EEA looked at nearly
400 cities in the European Union and measured four different types of
pollution: sulfur dioxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and PM10, a harmful
type of particulate matter. Focusing on PM10 — the worst for humans of
the quartet — the slideshow above ranks the top 50, from best (or maybe
we should call it least bad) to worst.
Pernik, a town of about
80,000 people in west-central Bulgaria, fared the worst of any place.
The EEA report considered the average number of days in a year each city
exceeded a certain threshold. In the case of
PM10,
it’s 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air, and a city should only
exceed that 35 days per year, according to the European Commission’s Air
Quality Standards. Pernik had 180 days
beyond that target level.
Three
other Bulgarian towns and one village in Poland rounded out the top
five. Five additional Polish towns completed the top 10.
“Even at
concentrations below current air quality guidelines, particulate matter
poses a health risk,” states the EEA’s “Air Quality in Europe – 2013
Report.” Inhalation and penetration into the lungs and bloodstream can
lead to “respiratory, cardiovascular, immune, and neural systems”
problems. In addition, it can lead to lung cancer. “Mortality associated
with air pollution is about 15 to 20 percent higher in cities with high
levels of pollution compared to relatively cleaner cities,” according
to the report.
Many of the better-known European cities, while on
the list, were much lower. Paris, for example, averaged 14.5 days beyond
the target. Madrid saw 6.7 days, Glasgow saw 2 and Edinburgh saw none.
So
why the discrepancy, with the majority of pollution in just a few
countries? “The chemical composition of particulate matter is quite
different across Europe,” EEA’s Peder Gabrielsen told Weather.com. “In
terms of PM10, we generally see more PM10 limit value exceedances in
eastern Europe compared to western Europe.”
Though the numbers
are, believe it or not, better than in the past, there’s still work to
be done. Bruyninckx put the onus on EU countries and people. “Member
states should better implement the EU policies that already exist,” he
said. “But I would also say that lifestyle choices of individual
citizens and families are important. For example the transport and
mobility choices you make.”
Click through the slideshow above to
see how well many of Europe’s cities did. Below, a slideshow of the
pollution levels plaguing some of the better-known European cities.
Amsterdam, Netherlands, experienced high
levels of air pollution 20.8 days beyond the E.U.'s 35-day acceptable
limits. (Swimmerguy269/Wikimedia)
