Madrid Has Europe's Highest Level of Pollution Deaths

OUT OF 1000 cities surveyed, Spain’s Madrid has Europe’s highest level of deaths from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – caused by traffic pollution.

According to research carried out by ISGlobal Barcelona, the Spanish capital ranks first for deaths that could be avoided with reduced air pollution. The study, published by the Lancet Planetary website, concludes that Madrid could avoid around 200 deaths a year if their NO2 levels were reduced to that of the least polluted cities.
Madrid was followed on the list by Belgium’s Antwerp and the northern Italian city of Turin for pollution-related fatalities, which are caused by fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen oxide (N02). Spain’s second city, Barcelona, was ranked in 6th place on the list with roughly 82 deaths a year connected to pollution levels.
“We have observed a great variability of results between the different cities analysed. The worst data on mortality associated with NO2, a toxic gas associated mainly with road traffic, can be found in large cities in countries such as Spain, Belgium, Italy, and France,” said Sasha Khomenko, researcher at ISGlobal and the author of the study.
Many Spanish cities, including Seville and Valencia, have undergone ambitious plans to reduce pollution levels by improving cycling infrastructure, public transport, and more green areas. Madrid also has plans to improve its air pollution and quality of life in 2021.

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