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You tell yourself that a little trip to Europe will do you a lot of good, but you are very sensitive to pollution. Not all destinations are for you, or, for some of them, you will have to choose the time of your visit very wisely. Some European cities have been experiencing pollution peaks in recent years that are very harmful to the health of their inhabitants, as well as the lungs of their visitors. This has been confirmed by a recent study in the leading scientific journal, The Lancet. Before choosing your next trip, here is a list of the most polluted cities in Europe.
First, a chilling figure: according to a study by the British journal, 52,000 premature deaths are linked to pollution each year in major European cities. Compared to the total population of the continent, this means 8% of deaths can be attributed to these conditions.
Brescia and Madrid, the most polluted cities in Europe
The report distinguishes between premature deaths due to fine particles (PM 2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). This leads to two distinct rankings of the most polluted cities, according to these two pollutants. To establish these rankings, the researchers from Barcelona took into account the number of years of life lost and, of course, the mortality rate.
With regards to NO2, the gas mainly linked to car traffic, the first five cities are, in order, Madrid, Antwerp, Turin, Paris and Milan. In the French capital, for example, nearly 2,500 of its inhabitants die prematurely from pollution.
As far as fine particles are concerned, the Po Valley of Italy and southern Poland are particularly affected. The cities most affected are, in order, Brescia, Bergamo, Karvina (Czech Republic), Vicenza (Italy) and Silesia (Poland).
Which cities in Europe are the least polluted?
Unsurprisingly, the air in cities in Northern Europe is the healthiest. However, it is important to note that even the slightest pollution can have an impact on your health. In this article, we are specifically talking about high levels of pollution that can eventually lead to death.
As far as fine particles are concerned, the cities in Europe that are the least dangerous for your health are Reykjavik (Iceland), Tromso (Norway) and Umea (Sweden). For fine particles, or NO2, it is also Tromso and Umea, and Oulu (Finland). If you want to see the simplified rankings, go to this site.
