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 PM_2.5, 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 (PM_2.5), 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 PM_2.5 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.