According to the agency, children are more at risk than adults because their organs are still developing and have weaker immune systems. Also speaking against them in this regard is the fact that they are closer to the ground and therefore to the pollution that comes down. Children are also generally more physically active and spend more time outside. The immediate result is more frequent asthma and allergies and difficulty breathing. Therefore, the EEA recommends focusing preventive measures around educational facilities, where children move most frequently.

Other health problems arise even before birth – if mothers are exposed to pollution during pregnancy, they tend to experience developmental delays and become smaller and weaker after birth. Some studies have even shown an increased risk of miscarriage.

His condition is improving, but slowly

“Despite improvements in recent years, levels of various pollutants remain above the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in many countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe and Italy,” the AFP news agency quoted.

The hardest hit were residents of Italy’s Po Valley, an area close to coal-fired power plants and many major cities. In addition, the report does not include the situation in the UK and Ukraine, so the overall situation in Europe may be worse, AFP noted. Ukraine, according to older reports, was one of the most polluted areas of the old continent because of its industrial obsolescence and war situation.

According to the Environment Agency, apart from the amount of dust particles, the amount of ozone and nitrogen dioxide is still too high, wrote the DPA agency. While pollution is reducing for the most part, the exception is ground-level ozone – mainly due to higher temperatures. Ground-level ozone can cause breathing problems, diseases of the circulatory system, or asthma. It also causes damage to plants and, as an oxidizing agent, destroys artificial materials, building surfaces and art objects.

The report collates data from 27 EU member states and Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Turkey.