Europe breathes toxic air: 400,000 deaths a year!

Europe's air pollution problem poses a serious public health threat. Almost all Europeans live in areas exposed to extremely harmful air pollution, which is linked to around 400,000 deaths a year, according to research by the Guardian.

An investigation by the Guardian has found that Europe is facing a "serious public health crisis" and that almost everyone on the continent lives in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution.

The data collected was analyzed using the latest methodology, including detailed satellite imagery and measurements from more than 1,400 ground monitoring stations.

98% of people live in areas with extremely harmful fine particle pollution that exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO).

Almost two-thirds live in areas where air quality is more than twice the WHO guidelines. In Europe, the country most affected by the crisis was North Macedonia. Almost two-thirds of people across the country live in areas with more than four times the WHO guidelines for PM2.5, while four regions, including the capital Skopje, were found to have air pollution almost six times that figure.

Current WHO guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter. The new analysis found that only 2 percent of Europe's population lives in areas within this limit. Experts say PM2.5 pollution causes around 400,000 deaths a year across the continent.