The ranking – by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health in collaboration with researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and Utrecht University – is based on a study published in the journal The Lancet Planetary Health.
Two types of pollutants were analysed: fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). While NO2 is a toxic gas linked mainly to vehicle emissions, PM2.5 is also released by other sources of combustion, including industry, household heating, and the burning of coal and wood.
External Content
By the measure of fine particulate matter the Swiss cities with the highest mortality risk are Basel (rank 468), Winterthur (481), Geneva (rank 490) and Biel (497). The country fared worse when it came to NO2 pollution, with two cities in the top 100: Basel (rank 91) and Zurich (rank 94).
External Content
Across Europe, large cities in Spain, Belgium, Italy and France have the highest burden of deaths associated with NO2, while the highest mortality attributable to fine particulate matter is found in Italy, Poland and the Czech Republic. The safest cities are in northern European countries like Iceland, Sweden, Finland and Norway.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that the threshold for fine particulate matter should be 10 micrograms/m3 as an annual average. For nitrogen dioxide the limit should be 40 micrograms/m3 as an annual average. Respecting these WHO recommendations would potentially help avoid 52,000 premature deaths per year in Europe, according to the researchers.
On average, 84% of the population in European cities is exposed to levels higher than those recommended by the WHO for PM2.5, and 9% for NO2.
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
How retiring baby boomers could crash Swiss property market
Swiss bank customers praise security but criticise interest rates
This content was published on
The Swiss are very satisfied with the security and online banking services offered by their banks, but they criticise the low interest rates and high fees.
Swiss authorities expect tense weeks for Val de Bagnes
This content was published on
The situation in the upper Val de Bagnes in Valais, southwestern Switzerland, is likely to remain tense for the next two weeks.
Lake Geneva shipping company needs over CHF500 million
This content was published on
The Lake Geneva shipping company CGN needs CHF500 million ($608 million) to CHF600 million to modernise its fleet and expand its services.
This content was published on
A pro-Palestine demonstration in western Switzerland on Monday was still causing restrictions on rail services on Tuesday morning.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss increasingly concerned about quality of the environment
This content was published on
Dirt, noise, radiation, climate, loss of species: the Swiss population believes that environmental pollution has increased and continues to increase.
This content was published on
Less smog over China, clearer canals in Venice, better air quality in parts of Switzerland – how much is due to coronavirus measures?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.