EU Commisioner: Poor air kills 44,000 Poles a year

The Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella told the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that 440,000 Europeans die each year due to low quality air, including 44,000 Poles. The commissioner also commented on the European Commission's decision to refer Poland to the Court of Justice of the EU over persistently high levels of dust particles that pose a major risk to public health. "We want to discuss all these issues in a positive and supportive way with the member states, we want to identify the reasons why these problems arise. If necessary, we want to be part of the solution, not the problem," Vella said. In Poland, the daily limit values for the airborne particles (PM10) have been persistently exceeded in 35 out of 46 air quality zones for at least for the last five years, including 2014.