Air pollution claimed around 62,000 lives in Türkiye last year, according to a new report by the Right to Clean Air Platform, which found that no province in the country meets the World Health Organization’s (WHO) clean air standards.
Dubbed the “Black Report,” the report highlights that Türkiye’s annual economic loss from air pollution reaches $138 billion, driven by emissions from traffic, heating fuels and stagnant air conditions.
The study identified eastern provinces of Iğdır and Erzincan, along with the western city of Kütahya, as the provinces with the highest pollution levels, while air quality in Istanbul and the capital Ankara remains at a “sensitive” level.
Experts warn that Türkiye still lacks a legal limit for Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), tiny airborne particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Professor Dr. Çiğdem Çağlayan, a public health expert representing the Association of Physicians for the Environment at the platform, said PM2.5 is linked to serious diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, lung cancer and dementia.
“PM2.5 particles can travel to the furthest points of the lungs and even enter the circulatory system,” she said. “Globally, air pollution causes about 7.8 million deaths every year.”
Associate Professor Melike Yavuz, another member of the platform and a public health specialist, explained that traffic, industry and fossil fuels also produce ozone, which enters the bloodstream through the lungs, damaging tissues and triggering inflammation.
“The effects of air pollution in terms of PM 2.5, which we call particulate matter 2.5, are very serious. Its short-term effects include loss of lung function, higher infection risk and asthma attacks, while severe exposure can be fatal,” she added.
The report estimates that if air pollution levels were reduced to WHO standards, at least 60,000 deaths could be prevented in Türkiye each year.
It also attributes 41 percent of COPD deaths to air pollution, 28 percent of heart disease deaths, 27 percent of stroke-related deaths and 19 percent of lung cancer deaths.
Air pollution also increases the risk of dementia by around 8 percent, the report found.
According to the platform, one person in Türkiye dies every eight to nine minutes due to polluted air.
Deniz Gümüşel, the platform’s coordinator, said that if urban development is properly planned, pollution levels could quickly be reduced to WHO-recommended values — saving both lives and economic costs.
