An Intercriteria Approach to Assessing the Impact of Air Pollutants on Premature Deaths in the European Union

Abstract Air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in Europe, with heart disease and stroke being the most common causes of premature death due to air pollution. This study estimates the health effects of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ) in terms of years of life lost (YLL) and premature mortality within the European Union over a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. The InterCriteria Approach (ICrA) is employed, utilizing data provided by the European Environment Agency. ICrA, which is based on the theories of intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IFSs) and index matrices (IMs), offers a modern interpretation of classical correlation analysis under parameter uncertainty. ICrA refrains from using the term “correlation” between criteria and instead employs the terms “positive consonance”, “negative consonance”, and “dissonance”. IFS theory, an extension of Zadeh’s fuzzy sets, handles uncertain data, while IMs digitize intuitionistic fuzzy information for ICrA application. The results highlight the primary air pollutants that significantly influence years of life lost and premature mortality, providing valuable insights for public health policies in the European Union.