The short-term effects of air pollution are linked to 146,500 premature deaths per year in Europe

The article by Chen et al. on mortality from short-term exposure to particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and ozone stands out not only for the spatial scope of the analysis—which covers all of Europe—but also for the vast amount of data analyzed, as the study period spanned from 2003 to 2019. Therefore, its findings can be considered a snapshot of this issue based on current information and knowledge. Some of these results are as expected, such as the contrasts between rural and urban areas, high and low latitudes, and eastern and western Europe. Beyond these, the article analyzes the impact of a specific increase—10 μg m^-3—in concentrations on population mortality, which may be useful to air quality regulatory agencies. Additionally, the study examines the results by sex and age, where the presented percentages indicate differences generally less than 1%. In particular, the contrast between women and men under 65 years of age regarding NO₂ and the impact of coarse particulate matter in rural areas are highlighted. One element to consider is the development of the website https://forecaster.health/, which provides monitoring and forecasting data.

The authors note some limitations of the study, such as nonlinear interactions between pollutants. Furthermore, the study period was considered as a whole, without accounting for temporal changes such as demographic shifts or economic developments. Another point to keep in mind is that the density of measurement points is not uniform across the entire analyzed territory. Furthermore, the results are presented by administrative units, which have a strong visual impact but can be misleading when large areas have sparse populations. Finally, readers could gain a more accurate understanding of the article’s actual scope if the text highlighted the contrast between certain predicted results and those observed.

Overall, this study is quite comprehensive and can serve as a solid starting point for further improvements not only in predicting short-term mortality but also for implementing measures aimed at reducing it.”