Europe’s Most Deadly Air Is in Madrid and Brescia

(Bloomberg) -- Spain’s capital Madrid has the most premature deaths linked to nitrogen-dioxide pollution in Europe, while the Italian city of Brescia ranks worst in fatalities related to fine particulate matter, according to a new study.

Some 84% of European citizens are exposed to pollution levels above World Health Organization guidelines according to the report, the first to assess premature mortality due to air pollution at city level in Europe. Compliance with WHO guidelines could prevent around 52,000 deaths every year, according to the study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.

So-called mortality burden due to nitrogen dioxide pollution, linked to traffic emissions, is most severe in highly populated cities in southern and western Europe, according to Sasha Khomenko and other researchers at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Nitrogen dioxide is linked mainly to traffic emissions, with older diesel models polluting more than gasoline.

Fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, originates from sources including traffic, domestic fuel burning and industrial activities.

The burning of biomass and fossil fuels to power industries, road, air and maritime transportation creates microscopic particles that end up in almost every organ of the body.

Numerous studies show that air pollution increases the risk of heart diseases, strokes, asthma, pneumonia and lung cancer. Researchers have also linked higher coronavirus death rates to exposure to fine particulate matter.

In a landmark report in December, a British coroner cited air pollution as a significant factor in the death of a 9-year-old girl in south London.

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