A new report shows that five Italian cities rank among the top ten in the EU in terms of air pollution costs. They are: Milan, Padua, Venice, Brescia and Turin.
The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) report quantifies the monetary value of premature deaths caused by the three most dangerous air pollutants: fine particles, ozone and nitrogen dioxide, medical care, loss of working time and other health costs.
The NGO’s research emphasized that air pollution costs Italians an average of 1,535 euros a year, while the average pollution cost of the 432 EU cities surveyed in 2018 was 1,095 euros.
The Milanese are second only to the residents of Bucharest in Europe. In Milan, the effects of smog cause more than 2,800 euros a year. Paduans ranked third with 2,500 euros, followed by the Venetian (sixth), Brescia (seventh) and Turinese (ninth, about 2,100 euros). With the exception of Italians, the highest cost of air pollution in Europe is in the capitals of Eastern European countries. Starting from Bucharest, the per capita annual income is 3,000 Euros. It is followed by Warsaw (2,433 euros), Bratislava (2,168) and Sofia (2,084). Munich ranked 10th with 1,984 euros.
Other cities in Italy ranked second with an average price of around 1,800 euros, namely: Parma, Verona, Bergamo, Cremona and Pavia.
