Spatial and sector-specific contributions of emissions to ambient air pollution and mortality in European cities: a health impact assessment

Ambient air pollution is a major risk to health and wellbeing in European cities. We aimed to estimate spatial and sector-specific contributions of emissions to ambient air pollution and evaluate the effects of source-specific reductions in pollutants on mortality in European cities to support targeted source-specific actions to address air pollution and promote population health. We conducted a health impact assessment of data from 2015 for 857 European cities to estimate source contributions to annual PM2·5 and NO2 concentrations using the Screening for High Emission Reduction Potentials for Air quality tool. We evaluated contributions from transport, industry, energy, residential, agriculture, shipping, and aviation, other, natural, and external sources. For each city and sector, three spatial levels were considered: contributions from the same city, the rest of the country, and transboundary. Mortality effects were estimated for adult populations (ie, ≥20 years) following standard comparative risk assessment methods to calculate the annual mortality preventable on spatial and sector-specific reductions in PM2·5 and NO2. We estimated source-specific air pollution health effects at the city level. Our results show strong variability, emphasising the need for local policies and coordinated actions that consider city-level specificities in source contributions.

KHOMENKO Sasha;  PISONI Enrico;  THUNIS Philippe;  BESSAGNET Bertrand;  CIRACH Marta;  IUNGMAN Tamara;  BARBOZA Evelise Pereira;  KHREIS Haneen;  MUELLER Natalie;  TONNE Cathryn;  DE HOOGH Kees;  HOEK Gerard;  CHOWDHURY Sourangsu;  LELIEVELD Jos;  NIEUWENHUIJSEN Mark; 

2023-07-14

ELSEVIER SCI LTD

JRC131744

2468-2667 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468266723001068,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC131744,   

10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00106-8 (online),