Particulate air pollution killed 239,000 people in the European Union in 2022, a figure that means down 5% over a yearaccording to the European Environment Agency (EEA) report published today.

“At least 239,000 deaths in the European Union in 2022 are due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution greater than the World Health Organization’s recommended concentration of 5 µg/m3,” the Copenhagen-based European body said in a statement.

The number of deaths due to microparticles is particularly high in Italythe Poland and her Germany.

At the European level, the number of deaths is reduced compared to 2021, when fine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs had killed 253,000 people.

This downward trend is also confirmed on a larger scale. Between 2005 and 2022, the number of deaths decreased by 45%according to the European organization, which leaves room for achieving the goal of reducing deaths by 55%, as defined in the “Zero Pollution” action plan of the European Union for 2030.

At the same time, 70,000 deaths are due to exposure to pollution with ozone (O3), originating mainly from road traffic and industrial activities.

As for the nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a gas originating mainly from vehicles and thermal power plants, 48,000 deaths are due to this, according to the report which points out that air pollution remains the most important environmental threat to the health of Europeans.