Estimating the morbidity related environmental burden of disease due to exposure to PM2.5, NO2 and O3 in outdoor ambient air. ETC HE Report 2022/11.

This report provides an assessment of the impact of the ambient air pollutants PM2.5, NO2 and O3 on population health in Europe. It contains estimates of the morbidity related environmental burden of disease for ten risk-outcome pairs for Europe in 2019. Scientific studies have increasingly shown that ambient air pollution is not only associated with mortality but also with the occurrence of a number of long and short-term health effects. This report provides an assessment of the impact of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) on population health. It contains estimates of the morbidity related environmental burden of disease for ten risk-outcome pairs for Europe in 2019. Ten risk-outcome pairs were considered with different population age groups affected. For long-term PM2.5 exposure, the highest number of years lived with disability (YLDs) was calculated in relation to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (175 731 YLDs) for people ≥25 years, and for NO2 in relation to diabetes mellitus (175 095 YLDs) for people ≥35 years. Short-term O3 exposure was estimated to result in 12 251 hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases in people ≥65 years. The estimates are the first of its kind that are carried out for a wide range of morbidity health outcomes associated with different outdoor air pollutants in Europe, using a consistent methodology and data from European health databases.OCP/EEA/CAS/21/005-ETC/HE Work programme 202