Thousands of people die prematurely each year in Germany from the harmful effects of nitrogen dioxide, a gas that's produced by diesel engines, according to a government-sponsored report published Thursday. The study commissioned by the Federal Office for the Environment concluded that almost 6,000 people died prematurely in 2014 from illnesses that are known to be caused or aggravated by nitrogen dioxide, or NO2. It compared deaths from diabetes, asthma and other diseases with emissions records in cities and the countryside. "This study shows how much nitrogen dioxide harms health in Germany," the head of the Federal Office for the Environment, Maria Krautzberger, said. The report found that the number of deaths fell from a peak of 8,157 in 2008, in line with a gradual decline in NO2 emissions in Germany.

Source: ABC News March 08, 2018 09:45 UTC