Europe's polluted air killing thousands

Children in Europe are still exposed to much higher levels of air pollution than World Health Organization, or WHO, recommendations, according to new research.

Nearly all children across the continent are exposed to air that falls below healthy standards, said a report from the European Environmental Agency, or EEA, released on Monday.

It said that, each year, across Europe more than 1,200 deaths in people under 18 are estimated to be caused by air pollution.

The EEA study, the agency's first to focus specifically on children, did not include major polluters like the United Kingdom and Russia, meaning the overall death tolls for the continent could be higher.

It noted that air pollution was particularly high in Central and Eastern Europe and Italy, after a study in more than 30 countries, including the 27 members of the European Union, reported the Agence France-Presse news service.

The EEA has estimated that 97 percent of urban populations among surveyed countries in 2021 were exposed to air that did not meet WHO recommendations.

"The level of key air pollutants in many European countries remain stubbornly above World Health Organization guidelines," said the EEA in a news release.

"Air pollution causes over 1,200 premature deaths per year in people under the age of 18 in Europe and significantly increases the risk of disease later in life.

"Although the number of premature deaths in this age group is low relative to the total for the European population estimated by EEA each year, deaths early in life represent a loss of future potential and come with a significant burden of chronic illness, both in childhood and later in life.

"Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable because their bodies, organs and immune systems are still developing," said the EEA.

Despite fewer emissions, air quality in Europe remains hazardous, the research indicated, noting that traffic, heating, and industry are the main contributors to air pollution.

The EEA said air pollution causes low birth weight, asthma, reduced lung function, respiratory infections, and allergies in children and adolescents.

The agency advised more must be done to safeguard the health of children and adolescents from the harms of air pollution by increasing green space.

It recommends that air quality policies should "protect the health of children and adolescents by explicitly taking into account differences in their biology and exposure pathways".

"Improving air quality in around schools and kindergartens, in other child-centric settings, and during activities like school commutes and sports, can help reduce exposure," the report said.

In the early 1990's, fine particulates in EU nations resulted in nearly 1 million premature deaths annually, noted AFP. However, this number had decreased to 431,000 by 2005.

The WHO blames air pollution for 7 million deaths annually, a number that is almost equivalent to that caused by smoking or poor nutrition.