Nearly everyone in Europe is breathing polluted air – with deadly consequences | DW News

Virtually everyone in Europe lives in polluted towns and cities where annual average levels of fine particulate matter are higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended limit. In practical terms, this means that almost everyone on the continent is breathing bad air that has been shown to be fatal. Air pollution increases the risk of respiratory and heart disease and lowers life expectancy. “With the current levels of air pollution, many people [are getting] sick. We know that lowering air pollution levels reduces these numbers,“ said Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, director of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal). Subscribe: For more news go to: Follow DW on social media: ►Facebook: ►Twitter: ►Instagram: ►Twitch: Für Videos in deutscher Sprache besuchen Sie: #pollution #europe #climatechange