Tackling pollution and energy poverty key to reducing chronic respiratory disease in Europe

The EEA report ’Beating chronic respiratory disease: the role of Europe’s environment’ summarises latest evidence on environmental determinants of chronic respiratory disease in Europe, pointing to policy responses that can significantly reduce the burden of disease.

Environmental risk factors are estimated to cause almost 80,000 early chronic respiratory disease-related deaths in Europe each year.

Key environmental risk factors include air pollution (14% of chronic respiratory disease-related deaths), cold and heat (11%), occupational exposure, such as exposure to extreme temperatures, dust or chemicals (8%), and second-hand smoke (3%).

Beating chronic respiratory disease: the role of Europe’s environment

The EEA report notes that these environmental factors are generally inherently preventable but it is difficult for individuals to fully protect themselves. This highlights the importance of ensuring robust policies, their full implementation and effective financing across European, national and regional scales.

Key interventions to reduce the burden of chronic respiratory disease in Europe include improving air quality, addressing energy poverty, and adapting to climate change, the EEA report states. Combined with fully enforcing tobacco regulations and reducing occupational exposures, these interventions could largely prevent a major share of premature deaths from chronic respiratory disease arising from environmental factors in Europe.

The new EEA report is the third in a series of assessments about links between environmental risk factors and serious diseases. The two previous reports analysed the impact of environmental factors on cardiovascular disease and cancers.