Bucharest is the European city with the highest social costs per capita associated with air pollution, according to the report "Health costs of air pollution in European cities and the linkage with transport," carried out by the Dutch environmental consulting company CE Delft in October 2020 and quoted by Ziarul Financiar. 

Thus, in 2018, these expenses, including health costs related to medical leaves, medication, and hospitalisations, were EUR 3,004 per capita in Bucharest.

In the top ten cities by this category of costs, there are several cities from Italy, but also others from Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Germany.

At the level of a whole year, Bucharest had total costs from this cause of over EUR 6 billion, being surpassed only by London with EUR 11 billion.

"Approximately 29,000 Romanians die prematurely every year from causes associated with pollution, but we do not have exact data regarding the ailments - which are the most serious or which affect the most citizens. It would be very important data," Oana Neneciu, executive director of the Ecopolis association, told Ziarul Financiar.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)