In Europe, one in five deaths linked to cardiovascular disease could be avoided if environmental risks such as air pollution, extreme temperatures and exposure to harmful chemicals were reduced, warned today. European Environment Agency.

“In the European Union, cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death: more than 1.7 million people died in 2022,” meaning that a third of deaths were due to these diseases, the EEA said.

At least 18% of these deaths are caused by environmental factors: around 130,000 people die each year from fine particulate matter pollution and 115,000 from extreme cold or heat.

Furthermore, at least 6 million new cases of cardiovascular disease are diagnosed every year, with a total cost to Europe of €282 billion.

For the EEA, these deaths are preventable, through “interventions and policies”. “It is critical to deal with them,” he added.

OR EU “It is already well on its way to achieving its goal of implementing the Zero Pollution Action Plan and by 2030 reducing premature deaths attributable to air pollution by 55% compared to 2005,” estimates the EEA, a Copenhagen-based agency. However, more needs to be done, raising public awareness of the cardiovascular risks associated with environmental factors, reducing transport noise pollution and strengthening regulations on the use of chemicals.