Heerlen is the Dutch city with the cleanest air, while Eindhoven has the poorest, according to new data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA). No one of the Dutch cities surveyed belongs to the category of European cities with good air quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EEA recently ranked European cities\u2019 air quality<\/a> based on the average levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5<\/sub>) in 2022 and 2023. PM2.5 <\/sub>stands for particulate matter particles 2.5 micrometers and smaller in diameter. Given their size, they can easily be inhaled and cause health problems. PM2.5 <\/sub>comes from sources like vehicle emissions, industrial processes, and fuel burning. Bad air quality is behind 300,000 deaths yearly in the EU. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The report shows that only 13 European cities complied with the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline<\/a> of 5 micrograms per cubic meter (\u03bcg\/m3<\/sup>) of air. Among them are four Nordic capitals: Helsinki, Reykjavik, Tallinn, and Stockholm. Overall, the Swedish city of Uppsala has the best air quality, with an average of 3.5 \u03bcg\/m3<\/sup>. In Sweden, for instance, the amount of fine particles has decreased by over half<\/a> since 2000 as emissions coming from traffic, wood combustion, and industry have diminished. <\/p>\n\n\n\n