According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 300,000 people die each year from respiratory illness caused by poor air quality, with millions more falling ill. Now, European citizens might be able to claim compensation for health problems caused by failure to comply with pollution limits.
In Spain alone, more than 21,000 people were said to have died from similar causes last year (with “suspended particles” being called out as the specific culprit).
In an effort to trim those heavy losses, new legislation has been put into effect that sets new, more stringent emission limits. Those being: from 25 micrograms per cubic metre per year (µg/m3) to 10 µg/m3 for PM 2.5 particulate matter, and from 40 µg/m3 to 20 µg/m3 for nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ). The limit for sulphur dioxide (SO2) is set at 20 µg/m3. Both PM 2.5 and NO2 are two of the substances identified as being most harmful to health when it comes to city air.
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