EU countries could save 238,000 lives a year by meeting WHO air pollution guidelines

Pollution builds during rush hour at Kaiserdamm Street in Berlin. Academics argue that adherence to WHO guidelines on air pollution from traffic and home heating could save 238,000 lives annually. Photograph: Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images

Approximately 238,000 air pollution deaths could be avoided each year if the EU27 countries actually met World Health Organization guidelines for air pollution, according to figures from the European Environment Agency. And more than 400,000 deaths could be avoided if particle air pollution could be avoided completely.

On 20 February the EU Council agreed new legislation for clean air for 2030 and beyond. As EU countries work towards these new legal limits, a new study has estimated the benefits that could quickly arise with reductions in air pollution from traffic and home heating.