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05 October 2015
Europe
Asthma , COPD
- Air Quality

In September, the German car manufacturer Volkswagen was forced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recall almost 500,000 vehicles, after discovering that the company was using in-car illegal software to overcome emissions tests. This meant that the cars were actually dirtier than they “pretended” to be during the tests.

With 1 in 4 cars made by the Volkswagen Group the company is the largest provider of personal cars in Europe.  European politicians are calling for an EU-wide probe to investigate the European situation.

 

Pledging to clean up vehicle and machinery exhaust

Air pollution coming from vehicles is a problem in every European city, and EU legislation sets mandatory emission reduction targets for new cars.

“Do not breathe here!” – warns a report just published by Transport and Environment (T&E). According to the NGO urban air in Europe is not fit to breathe, and vehicles, especially diesel cars, are the principal cause. 

The European Commission has already acted against 18 EU member states for breaching pollution levels but it is expected that EU limits for air pollution will be breached for at least another 15 years.  This is happening because new diesel cars are failing to meet EU air pollution limits. Although all new diesel cars should have met the Euro 6 auto emissions standards from 1 September, only 1 in 10 tested complied with the legal limit.

On average new EU diesel cars produce emissions about five times higher than the allowed limit, and in the worst example emitted 22 times the allowed EU limit. According to T&E, due to loopholes and an ineffective testing system manufacturers are able to use cheaper and less effective exhaust treatment systems in cars sold in Europe. In contrast, diesel cars sold by the same manufacturers in the US, where limits are tighter and tests are more rigorous, have better exhaust treatment systems and produce lower emissions.

High levels of pollution create a harmful cocktail that is inhaled by almost every urban European citizen. How much does it cost?
- Half a million premature deaths each year
- A quarter million hospital admissions
- 100 million lost working days
- and significant worsening of symptoms for people living with respiratory diseases.
 
Read the full study here: http://bit.ly/1iLkDh2