NEW: Ultrafine particles (UFPs) from planes are putting 52 mn Europeans at risk of serious health concerns.
The WHO has been warning about the negative impact of aviation on human health for more than 15 years, but policymakers continue to ignore the problem.
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More than 10% of Europeans live within 20km of the 32 busiest airports, with risk increasing the closer you are.
In many cities, communities living near airports tend to be lower-income, showing once again that the most vulnerable in society are most affected by air pollution.
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A new T&E study shows that thousands of cases of high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia across Europe could be linked to the tiny particles emitted by planes.
UFPs are nearly 1,000x smaller than a human hair and have been found in the blood, brain and even placenta.
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There are solutions, but the time to act is now.
Hydrotreating jet fuel to improve the quality can reduce UFPs by up to 70%.
This process is already being done to remove sulphur from fuels for cars and ships, but the aviation industry is lagging behind.
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However, we mustn't simply rely on hydrotreating to fully fix the problem.
Reducing air traffic and aviation's exponential growth, in addition to using cleaner technologies like sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) and zero-emission aircraft, will also be crucial for reducing UFPs.
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