Air pollution in Europe has declined over the past two decades but remains one of the greatest environmental health threats. This is the message from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, celebrated on 7 September.
Fine particles: the European standard is five times higher than the WHO safe levels
Almost all European city-dwellers (96%) are exposed to concentrations of fine particles well above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. In 2021, this reference threshold was set at 5 µg/m³, a level deemed to pose no health risk.
Fine particles come from solid fuels used for domestic heating, industrial activities, and road transport. In 2022, only Iceland recorded a national average of fine particle concentrations below the WHO guide value, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
On the other hand, Croatia, Italy and Poland recorded concentrations above the current European Union (EU) limit of 25 µg/m³ in 2022—a standard five times higher than the WHO threshold.
Fine particles, one of the worst contributors to air pollution, caused the premature death of almost 4 million people in 2019, according to UNEP. East Asia and Central Europe are the hardest hit. The European Commission reports that this type of pollution causes 300,000 premature deaths annually in the EU.
Mixed results in Europe
UNEP’s “Air Pollution Note”, based on 2019 data, paints a mixed picture for the EU. In France and Belgium, the population is exposed to levels of fine particles 2.2 and 2.6 times higher than the WHO threshold (5µg/m3). In Italy, Hungary and Romania, the average level (16 µg/m3) is 3.2 times higher than the WHO guideline.
In Poland, fine particle pollution is twice as high as in Belgium (23 µg/m3, 4.6 times the WHO threshold). Peaks in concentration of fine suspended particles in Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Northern Macedonia, reached levels 5 to 6 times higher than the WHO threshold.
Legislation was adopted by the EU in 2016, via the new National Emission Ceilings Directive (“NEC” Directive). This legislation is in force in each of the 27 member states for five primary air pollutants: sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), ammonia (NH3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
However, by 2022, only 16 member states had met their national commitments for the period 2020-29, according to the EEA. For 11 other countries, the targets for at least one of the five primary pollutants have not been met.
The challenge remains for all EU countries, particularly in the case of ammonia. The agricultural sector is the main source of this air pollutant, and these emissions have fallen only slightly since 2005.
The “zero pollution” ambition of the European Green Deal
The Green Deal’s “zero pollution” action plan targets reducing premature deaths caused by fine particles by at least 55% by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. It also includes a long-term objective of no significant impact on health by 2050.
In March 2024, the European institutions reached a political agreement on ambient air quality to bring EU standards closer to the WHO reference thresholds. Thus, from 1 January 2030, the new European standard will be 10 µg/m³ for fine particles.