Finnish and Icelandic people breathe healthy air 

Air pollutants cause between 1,600 and 2,000 premature deaths in Finland every year, according to the Finnish Ministry of Environment. Photo: Unsplash/Hendrik Morkel

Every year, exposure to air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million premature deaths and result in the loss of millions more healthy years of life. In children, this could include reduced lung growth and function, respiratory infections and aggravated asthma. In adults, ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the most common causes of premature death attributable to outdoor air pollution, and evidence is also emerging of other effects such as diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions. This puts the burden of disease attributable to air pollution on a par with other major global health risks such as unhealthy diet and tobacco smoking.

Clean air has a significant positive impact on several Sustainable development goals, directly contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG target 11.6.2, which aims to reduce the environmental impact of cities by improving air quality.

Source link : https://unric.org/en/finnish-and-icelandic-people-breathe-healthy-air/

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Publish date : 2024-03-19 07:00:00

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