Met dank overgenomen van Europese Commissie (EC), gepubliceerd op woensdag 12 mei 2021. Why do we need to act more on pollution? Despite significant progress in the EU over the last decades, pollution still heavily impacts our health and the environment. In the EU, one in eight deaths is linked to environmental pollution, with 90% of these deaths due to chronic diseases, out of which cancers score as the most frequent ones. It is estimated that air pollution alone causes up to 400.000 premature deaths each year. Pollution's most harmful impacts on human health are typically borne by the most vulnerable groups, notably children, people with medical conditions, older persons, persons with disabilities and those living in poorer socio-economic conditions, creating thus further inequalities.