The EEA report 'Air quality in Europe — 2015 report' examines the European population’s exposure to air pollutants and shows that most city dwellers continue to be exposed to air pollutants at levels deemed unsafe by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The most problematic pollutants affecting human health are particulate matter (PM), ground-level ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), with the latter – which is largely created by diesel vehicles – having an estimated impact of around 75,000 premature deaths respectively in 2012. Italy (21,600), the UK (14,100) Germany (10,400), France (7,700) and Spain (5,900) suffered the most premature deaths from nitrogen dioxide.

“Despite continuous improvements in recent decades, air pollution is still affecting the general health of Europeans, reducing their quality of life and life expectancy,” said EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx. “It also has considerable economic impacts, increasing medical costs and reducing productivity through working days lost across the economy.”

In response campaign group Transport & Environment said the figures show “how deplorable EU governments’ watering-down of diesel car NOx emissions limits is”.

It added that last month saw governments agree to new NOx limits from diesel cars that are double the ‘Euro 6’ levels agreed back in 2007. They also delayed the implementation of new limits for all new cars until 2019.

Greg Archer, clean vehicles manager at T&E, said: “75,000 deaths from nitrogen dioxide in Europe, mainly from diesel vehicles, is a deplorable death-toll. Yet EU governments are unnecessarily weakening air pollution limits for diesel cars simply to suit carmakers. Environment ministers must think again at their forthcoming Council meeting.”

Environment ministers will meet on 16 December to consider the latest decision on NOx limits for diesel cars. It will come before MEPs in the Environment Committee on 14 December.