Although air quality in Estonia has improved significantly over the past decade and its impact on health has decreased, pollution from fine dust particles and nitrogen dioxide in the air caused more than a thousand premature deaths in 2020, according to data from a study commissioned by the Estonian Ministry of the Environment, which concluded that the greatest pollution in Estonia is caused by land vehicles and heating.
The study calculated that in 2020 air pollution caused the premature deaths of 1,179 people, the population lost 14,179 years of life and life expectancy decreased by less than ten months.
It is also estimated that due to the impact of air pollution on the environment, Estonia loses €666 million annually.
The authors of the study analyzed various sources of air pollution and concluded that air quality in Estonia is most negatively affected by land transport and warming.
Road transport has the greatest impact on air quality in Tallinn, especially in the city centre, where car exhaust and traffic dust reduce life expectancy by more than a year. In urban environments, much of the inhalable pollution is caused by studded car tires that eat away at the road surface and decompose.
At the same time, the study concluded that air quality in Estonia has significantly improved over the past decade, reducing the impact on health by less than 30%.
The number of cars in Estonia is increasing, but their exhaust emissions are decreasing. Electric cars don’t produce exhaust fumes, but they still produce traffic dust.
The use of dry firewood, better heating systems and wider use of central heating connections in densely populated areas help to reduce heating pollution.
The study was conducted by the University of Tartu in collaboration with the Center for Environmental Research.
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