The European Environment Agency confirmed on Monday that one in five deaths from cardiovascular diseases in Europe could be prevented by reducing environmental risks, such as air pollution, extreme temperatures and exposure to harmful chemicals.
The agency reported that “cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the European Union, with more than 1.7 million people dying from them in 2022,” representing a third of all deaths.
At least 18% of these deaths are attributed to environmental factors, as 130,000 people die annually as a result of fine particle pollution, and 115,000 deaths are recorded due to extreme cold or heat.
Also, at least 6 million new cases of cardiovascular disease are diagnosed annually, costing Europe about 282 billion euros.
These death rates are “modifiable through interventions and policies,” according to the European Environment Agency, which stresses “the critical importance of responding to this situation.”
The Copenhagen-based agency noted that the European Union “is moving steadily towards achieving the goal of the Pollution Elimination Plan, which is to reduce premature deaths resulting from air pollution by more than 55% by 2030 compared to 2005.”
However, there is still a long way to go to achieve this goal, as it requires increasing public awareness of cardiovascular disease risks associated with environmental stressors, reducing transportation noise, and strengthening chemical regulations.