Air pollution costs an average of €1,276 per year to a person living in Europe’s cities, with major health inequalities between and within European countries, according to the largest study of its kind released by theEuropean Public Health Alliance (EPHA) on 21 October.
The study looked at 432 cities across the EU, the UK, Norway and Switzerland. It quantifies the monetary value of premature deaths, medical treatment, lost work days and other health costs caused by particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2).
According to the study, the costs of this pollution to urban dwellers amount to €166 billion per year, which is €385 million per city on average.
Particulate matter accounts for 82.5% of the costs (various sources of pollution), followed by NO2 (15% - mainly traffic) and O3 (2.5% - from combustion).
Central and Eastern European countries have the highest rate of deaths due to air pollution, while Southern Europe has the highest rate of chronic diseases.
Residents of large cities tend to face the highest costs due to a higher population density, income and expenses.
But in Central and Eastern European countries, despite lower income levels, city dwellers are facing very high costs.
An average resident of Bucharest therefore faces the highest costs: €3,004, compared to only €382 for residents of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a city with little pollution.
To consult the figures by city: https://bit.ly/34hrGsH (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)