According to the European Union Commission, the annual marginal value of particulate matter will be more than halved by 2030. Today, the European Union Commission announced that pollution from fine dust with a particle size of up to 2.5 micrometers will be reduced from 25 to 10 micrograms per cubic meter. With the proposals, the requirements at the EU level come close to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), but do not fully implement them.
Since last year, the World Health Organization has recommended just five micrograms, one-fifth of the value currently allowed. Every year hundreds of thousands of Europeans die prematurely, and many more suffer from heart and lung disease or pollution-related cancers. “The longer we wait to reduce this pollution, the higher the cost to society,” said European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.
The authority’s proposal does not contain any specific measures, but sets out air quality standards that must be implemented in each location. How to arrive at the boundary values is a matter for the EU countries. The proposal still needs to be approved by the EU Parliament and Council.
Groundwater and waste water should also be better protected. The European Union Commission wants to add 24 substances to the list of water pollutants, including some antibiotics and pesticides such as glyphosate.
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