Around 90 % of city dwellers in the European Union (EU) are exposed to one of the most damaging air pollutants at levels deemed harmful to health by the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to the latest assessment of air quality in Europe published by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
'Air quality in Europe – 2013 report', identifies vehicles, industry, agriculture and homes as contributors to air pollution in the region. Despite falling emission levels and reductions of some air pollutant concentrations in recent decades, two specific pollutants: particulate matter and ground-level ozone, continue to be a source breathing problems, cardiovascular disease and shortened lives.