Air quality and health effects

Air pollution affects us in many ways, perhaps more than we realize. Most important and obvious are the direct effects on human health. Recent research indicates that small particles (PM2.5) in the air caused about 350,000 premature deaths within the 25 EU countries in the year 2000. Another 20,000 premature deaths was caused by ground-level ozone.

In that same year, small particles were also responsible for around 100,000 serious hospital admissions in the EU25, and a much larger number of less serious effects, for example some 30 million respiratory medication use days and several hundred million restricted activity days.

But there are also other air pollutants and important indirect effects. This section (see menu in the left hand column) describes both the direct effects of different pollutants on health and vegetation, and some indirect effects, such as toxic groundwater and corrosion of materials, due to acidification.

You can also find out what to do at a personal level to help reduce emissions.

Last modified: 14 June 2007.