Copenhagen: According to the EU environmental agency, air pollution still contributes to more than 1,200 under-18 premature deaths across Europe each year and raises the risk of developing chronic diseases later in life.

According to the EEA, a study in over 30 countries, including the 27 members of the European Union, found that despite recent improvements, "the level of key air pollutants in many European countries remain stubbornly above World Health Organisation" (WHO) guidelines, particularly in central-eastern Europe and Italy.

The major industrialised nations of Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom were not included in the report, raising the possibility that the continent's overall death toll could be higher.

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In 2020, the EEA reported that 238,000 people in the EU, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey, would have died prematurely due to air pollution.

"Air pollution causes over 1,200 premature deaths per year in people under the age of 18 in Europe and significantly increases the risk of disease later in life," the agency claimed.

The study was the organization's first to concentrate solely on kids. "Early mortality represents a loss of future potential and is associated with a significant burden of chronic illness, both in childhood and later in life, even though the number of premature deaths in this age group is low compared to the total for the European population estimated by EEA each year.

It urged authorities to concentrate on enhancing the air quality near schools, nurseries, sports venues, and mass transit hubs.

The report stated that "after birth, ambient air pollution increases the risk of numerous health issues, including asthma, decreased lung function, respiratory infections, and allergies."

Additionally, poor air quality can "increase the risk of some chronic diseases later in life" as well as "aggravate chronic conditions like asthma, which affects 9% of children and adolescents in Europe."

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According to data released on Monday, 97% of urban residents were exposed to air in 2021 that did not meet WHO standards.The EEA had emphasised last year that the EU was on track to reach its goal of reducing premature deaths by 50% from 2005 to 2030.

Around a million people per year in the 27 EU countries died prematurely in the early 1990s as a result of fine particulates. The 2005 figure was 431,000.

According to the WHO, the situation in Europe appears to be better than it is for a large portion of the planet. The WHO estimates that air pollution causes seven million deaths worldwide each year, nearly as many as cigarette smoking or poor diets.

A few hundred thousand of the fatalities involve minors under the age of 15. To agree to tighten the limits set for major pollutants back in 2005, it took until September 2021.

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Health officials reported last week that 2.4 million people have sought hospital treatment in Thailand alone for medical issues related to air pollution since the year's beginning, where toxic smog chokes parts of the nation.

The worst air pollution is thought to be fine particulate matter, which is mainly produced by vehicles and can enter the lungs deeply. Ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and then particulate matter are the next worst pollutants.