Air pollution is the largest environmental cause of death. The Barcelona Institute for Global Health has now estimated which sources contribute most to mortality.
The research centre analysed two of the main pollutants in the atmosphere, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particle matter (PM2.5). Emissions from vehicles lead to 50% of all NO2-related deaths, followed by industrial pollution and fumes generated by the energy sector.
Domestic activities such as the use of coal and gas-related heating systems, followed by agriculture, are the main contributors to PM2.5-related deaths.
Domestic activities accounted for more than 22% of all air pollution-related deaths in 857 cities included in the report.
“If we look at NO2 and PM2.5 combined, traffic remains the largest contributor to both poor air quality and associated mortality,” said Sasha Khomenko, ISGlobal researcher and the first author of the study.
However, the results varied from city to city, for example, in Lisbon, where air pollutants generated from agriculture are not a major issue, maritime pollution is of greater concern.
Emissions from cruise and cargo ships are a big source of maritime traffic pollution which contributed to 10,116 air pollution-related deaths across Europe in 2022.
