Longitudinal Trends of the Annual Exposure to PM2.5 Particles in European Countries

Abstract

Background. PM2.5 emission is known as a major challenge to environmental health and is the cause of approximately 7 million deaths annually. This study aimed at investigating the main patterns of PM2.5 trend changes among European countries. Methods. The annual exposure to PM2.5 pollutants was retrieved from the World Bank for 41 countries during 2010 to 2017, and a latent growth model was applied to identify the main patterns using Mplus 7.4 software. Results. Monitoring the overall mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in the Europe showed a downward pattern with an annual decrease of 2.48% during the study period. Turkey had the highest PM2.5 exposure with 43.82 μg/m3 in 2010, reaching 44.31 μg/m3 in 2017. Likewise, with 7.19 μg/m3 in 2010, Finland had the lowest exposure level which decreased to 5.86 μg/m3 in 2017. Two main patterns for the mean annual PM2.5 exposure were identified via the latent growth model. Countries in the first pattern, including Turkey and Ukraine, had experienced a slow annual increase in the mean exposure of PM2.5 pollutant. Likewise, the other 39 countries belonged to the second pattern with a moderate falling trend in the mean exposure to PM2.5. Conclusion. Although the trend changes of mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in Europe were falling, Turkey and Ukraine had experienced a slow annual increase. It is advisable to take appropriate measures to curb the current raising exposure to PM2.5 in Turkey and Ukraine.