출처 : http : / / www . bbc . com / news / world - europe - 38078488 Air pollution ' causes 467 , 000 premature deaths a year in Europe ' ( 조기 사망 : premature deaths ) 23 November 2016 From the sectionEuropeImage copyrightEPAImage captionAnti - pollution masks are becoming a more common sight in Europe ' s polluted citiesAir pollution is causing around 467 , 000 premature deaths in Europe every year , the European Environment Agency ( EEA ) has warned . People in urban areas are especially at risk , with around 85 % exposed to fine particulate matter ( PM 2 . 5 ) at levels deemed harmful by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) . ( 미세 입자 물질 : fine particulate ) These particles are too small to see or smell , but have a devastating impact . ( 입자 : particles ) PM 2 . 5 can cause or aggravate heart disease , asthma and lung cancer . How big is the problem ? It ' s pretty bad . Within the European Union ( EU ) , more than 430 , 000 people died prematurely due to PM 2 . 5 in 2013 , the most recent year with figures available . According to the EEA ' s Air quality in Europe - 2016 report , the toxic gas nitrogen dioxide ( NO 2 ) - released by vehicles and central heating boilers - has an impact equivalent to 71 , 000 premature deaths a year . Ground - level ozone ( O 3 ) is also killing people - an estimated 17 , 000 annually in the EU . Unlike the protective ozone layer in the stratosphere , ground - level ozone is harmful , formed when emissions like NO 2 react with other pollutants and " cook " in heat or sunlight . Image copyrightREUTERSImage captionIn cities like London , air pollution is causing lung damage even in otherwise healthy peopleThe European countries with the worst levels of PM 2 . 5 are Bulgaria , Poland and the Czech Republic . Nations like Poland where coal is a major source of electricity production tend to rank at the bottom of air quality measures , according to the EEA . In 2013 , Bulgaria provided four of the five worst European cities for high particulate matter . Costs to ill - health from coal power plants in the country are estimated to be up to € 4 . 6 bn ( $ 4 . 8 bn ; £ 3 . 9 bn ) per year . In the UK , air pollution overall costs the economy more than £ 20 bn per year - just under 16 % of the NHS ' s annual £ 116 bn budget . Technically , European air quality actually improved between 2000 and 2014 . Levels of PM 10 - another tiny pollutant particle - fell in 75 % of the EEA ' s monitored locations . PM 2 . 5 concentrations also dropped on average between 2006 and 2014 . But EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx says " unacceptable damage to human health and the environment " is still rife . Outdoor air pollution contributes to about 40 , 000 early deaths a year in the UK , according to the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health . Statues dressed with gas masks for pollution protestCity trees ' can boost air quality ' Pollution particles ' get into brain ' What are PM 2 . 5 particles ? Particulate matter , or PM 2 . 5 , is a type of pollution involving fine particles less than 2 . 5 microns ( 0 . 0025 mm ) in diameterA second type , PM 10 , is of coarser particles with a diameter of up to 10 micronsSome occur naturally - eg from dust storms and forest fires , others from human industrial processesThey often consist of fragments that are small enough to reach the lungs or , in the smallest cases , to cross into the bloodstream as wellA build - up of PM 2 . 5 in the lungs has been associated with causing respiratory illnesses and lung damageWhat ' s the damage ? PM particles may contain smoke , dust , soot , metals , nitrates , sulphates , water and rubber from tyres . Media captionDavid Shukman reports on new research which suggest pollution could be contributing to brain damageThey can get deep into your lungs , causing irritation and inflammation , and some may make it into your bloodstream . Heart disease and lung conditions are most commonly linked to inhaling air pollution , but your liver , spleen , central nervous system , brain , and even reproductive system can also be damaged . PM 2 . 5 and PM 10 can increase susceptibility to viral and bacterial pathogens , triggering pneumonia in vulnerable people . Children are most susceptible to illness from air pollution . A major study conducted over six years found that children living in highly polluted parts of cities have up to 10 % less lung capacity than normal , and the damage can be permanent . Image copyrightEEAIs Europe worse than elsewhere ? Probably not . According to WHO data released two months ago , nine out of 10 people on the planet now breathe polluted air . Europe is less affected by indoor air pollution , which the WHO cites as a major killer in large parts of Africa and south Asia . Around three billion people still cook and heat their homes using solid fuels like wood or animal dung on open fires , and 4 . 3 million a year die prematurely from illness attributable to the resulting " household air pollution " - mostly from strokes , heart disease or lung deficiencies . Country - by - country data showed that Turkmenistan has the highest death rate connected to outdoor air pollution . Tajikistan , Uzbekistan , Afghanistan and Egypt rounded out the top five . Media captionProfessor Stephen Holgate says we should not be living in tightly sealed homesImage copyrightWORLD HEALTH ORGANISATIONImage captionA map of global concentrations of air pollutants , which the WHO says is the most detailed study it has ever released " Rich countries are getting much better in improving the quality of the air , " Dr Carlos Dora from the WHO told the Associated Press . " Poorer countries are getting worse . That is the overall trend . " Europe is lagging behind North America , however , mostly because it depends more on diesel fuel and farming practices that create ammonia and methane . China , the country with the sixth - highest death rate linked to air pollution , is relatively wealthy , but is plagued by smog in its cities and polluted air from industrial sources . India has generated the most troubling smog headlines in recent months . Smoke from fireworks set off during Diwali , the Hindu Festival of Lights , sent Delhi ' s PM 2 . 5 levels soaring to more than 90 times the level considered safe by the WHO . Toxic air is a leading cause of premature death in India , where 620 , 000 people perish every year from pollution - related diseases . Image copyrightEPAImage captionDelhi has dangerously high levels of air pollution , according to WHO safety standards