Air pollution

AFP - Urban air pollution, mostly from vehicles, is associated with an increased risk of dementia, according to research published Wednesday.

The link remained even after heavy drinking, smoking and other well established risk factors for dementia were ruled out, the researchers reported in medical journal BMJ Open.

Most EU countries fail to meet the bloc's air quality standards and more than 1,000 Europeans die prematurely each day, ten times more than in road accidents, a watchdog said Tuesday.

Exposure to air pollution may impede cognitive ability as people become older, with less-educated men the worst affected, a new study has found.

"Most existing research on air pollution focuses on its health effects," study author Xiaobo Zhang told Euronews. "Our study shows a persistent negative effect on cognitive health, which not been widely discussed."

German authorities are giving automaker Daimler until mid-June to submit a plan for how it will fix diesel-powered vans that don't meet emissions requirements.

With BGN 111 million will be funded the residents of 21 cities in Bulgaria so that they can replace their stoves and heaters on solid fuel with one that is more ecological - air conditioners, gas, pellets, photovoltaics, etc., reports Mediapool. 

Despite the widely-declared "fight" of the government with the dirty air, it appears that Bulgaria can not absorb almost any European funds aimed at improving the environment. The Sega newspaper reported that our country has absorbed exactly 0.82% of the money earmarked for tackling the dirty air problem under the Environment program.

7 million people die each year from exposure to polluted air, Darik Radio reports, citing DPA and TASS. According to a World Health Organization  report, external air pollution is responsible for 4.2 million deaths annually, and household pollution is responsible for 3.8 million cases.

(CNN) - More than 95% of the world's population is breathing unhealthy air and the poorest nations are the hardest hit, a new report has found.

Environmentalists gathered in protest at the National Palace of Culture before the start of the meeting of EU environmental ministers.

Their demands are to protect seas from pollution and overfishing.

The meeting of Ecology ministers in Sofia is informal and will take place today and tomorrow.

The informal meeting of EU Environment Ministers will be held in Sofia on 10 and 11 April 2018 at the National Palace of Culture.

The informal meeting will focus on three important issues: