Air pollution and premature deaths: A panel analysis of PM2.5 effects in Europe

This research investigates air pollution's health and economic implications, focusing on the effect of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on premature death in the European Union (EU)-27 countries from 2007 to 2019. It employs a robust fixed-effect (FE) panel regression to analyze the data. The study considers various economic and demographic factors, including healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP, income distribution, healthy life expectancy at age 65, fertility rates, and total deaths. The analysis reveals that a 1% increase in PM2.5 causes a significant 1.9% rise in premature deaths. These findings urge policymakers to limit air pollution and its destructive impact on public health. The results highlight the need to integrate environmental health interventions into economic policies to protect and improve population well-being. It also adds to the existing economic literature on environmental degradation and its impact on health.