The European Environment Agency (EEA) recently released its "Costs of air pollution from European industrial facilities – an updated assessment" report, which evaluates a number of harmful impacts caused by air pollution on the health of the European population. This report follows the one published in 2011 and analyses the emissions coming from industrial facilities included in the

European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR) in the period between 2008 and 2012.
To evaluate the damages (which include including premature death, hospital costs, lost work days, health problems, damage to buildings and reduced agricultural yields), the EEA used a range of cost estimates, as there are several existing methods currently used by policy-makers to calculate associated damage costs. The results show that air pollution and greenhouse gases from industry costed Europe between €59 and €189 billion in 2012. Over the period 2008 - 2012 the estimated cost was at least €329 billion and possibly up to €1,053 billion.

The report also lists the 30 most pollution facilities, mainly coal fired power plants located in Germany and Eastern Europe and highlights that 50% of the total damage cost occurs as a result of emissions from just 1 % of the 14,325 facilities assessed in the study.

The aim of the report is not to provide a comprehensive view on air pollution in Europe, and it recognizes that other sectors, primarily transport and agriculture, also contribute to poor air quality. However it is important to raise awareness about the hidden costs on our health and the environment coming from industry and power generation, even if significant economic and social benefits (such as products, employment and tax revenues) are generated from these sectors.

The report is available for download on the EEA website