More than 30% of asthma in children is due to PM2.5 air pollution, according to a recent study. It included more than 63,000 children from 18 European countries. Slovenia is among the more polluted countries due to particulate matter.
According to Marina Praprotnik of the Pediatrics clinic in Ljubljana, ‘’next to asthma, long-term effects include cardiovascular disease, brain strokes and heart attacks, as well as, lung cancer. There are also links to various neuro-degenerative diseases, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.’’
Particularly in winter months, the levels of these particles in the air continue to increase, both due to traffic and from discharges from combustion plants.