There were over 27,000 premature deaths because of air pollution in Romania in 2015, a report of the European Environment Agency (EEA) found.

The 2018 Air Quality in Europe report of the EEA found that, despite slow improvements, air pollution continues to exceed European Union and World Health Organization limits and guidelines.

Road transport is one of Europe’s main sources of air pollution, especially of pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, according to the report. Emissions from agriculture, energy production, industry and households also contribute to air pollution.

Particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ground level ozone (O3) cause the biggest harm to human health.

In the case of Romania, there were 25,400 premature deaths attributable to particulate matter in 2015, 1,300 deaths attributable to NO2, and 580 deaths to O3.

The report shows that, overall, the concentrations of PM2.5 were responsible for about 422,000 premature deaths in 41 European countries in 2015. Of these, around 391,000 were in the 28 EU member states.

“Air pollution is an invisible killer and we need to step up our efforts to address the causes. In terms of air pollution, road transport emissions are often more harmful than those from other sources, as these happen at ground level and tend to occur in cities, close to people. That is why it is so important that Europe redoubles its efforts to reduce emissions caused by transport, energy and agriculture and invest in making them cleaner and more sustainable”’ EEA Executive Director Hans Bruyninckx said.

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editor@romania-insider.com