If you want to know more about how pollution can affect your health, feel free to check out our article where we explain how multiple types of pollution can spread disease.

According to Clean Tehnica, HEI's Air Quality and Health in Cities report offers a detailed insight of air pollution and its health impact for over 7.000 cities worldwide.

The study focuses on two major pollutants, fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and according to the report, in 2019, 1.7 million deaths were related to PM 2.5 matter in 7.239 cities.

Among the regions most affected by pollution with these materials are Asia, Eastern and Central Europe.

Also, in 2019, 86% of the cities included in the report exceeded WHO's limit with regards to NO2 exposure of 10 micrograms/m3, which affected some 2.6 billion people.

According to researchers, PM 2.5 exposure is higher in cities that are low-middle-income, whereas NO2 pollution is present pretty much in all cities, low-middle and high-income.

In Romania, for example, Craiova was the most affected city with regards to exposure to PM 2.5 particles, as it registered an average of 21.25 micrograms/m3, while the cleanest area was the one around Constanța, which saw 11 micrograms/m3.

Bucharest fares the worst when it comes to NO2 levels of pollution, as the city registered 26.922 micrograms/m3 of air, with the cleanest city in the country being Piatra Neamț, with 11.994 micrograms/m3 of air, according to the study.

As far as the number of deaths goes, these two pollutants claimed 1740 lives in the capital city of Bucharest, which saw the highest death rate in Romania, followed by Călărași, which registered 1590 deaths, according to researchers.

Tulcea is the city included in the report from Romania that has the lowest death rate for 2019 caused by fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide, as 30 people lost their lives as a result of being exposed to these substances.

When it comes to the death rate, Bucharest isn't the top city anymore, as a little over 90 people per 100.000 citizens' deaths were related to exposure to the two pollutants.

Instead, Craiova is the city with the highest death rate, at 104.65 deaths per 100.000 people.

Constanța had the lowest death rate, at 44.41 claimed lives per 100.000 dwellers, followed by Tulcea, with 63.27 deaths per 100.000 people.