This European Environment Agency (EEA) report assesses the damage costs to health and the environment resulting from pollutants emitted from industrial facilities. It is based on the latest information publicly available through the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR, 2011) in line with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Aarhus Convention regarding access to environmental information.

The main findings from the report are the following:

• The cost in 2009 of damage caused by emissions from E-PRTR industrial facilities is estimated as being at least EUR 102–169 billion.
• A small number of individual facilities cause the majority of damage costs
• Emissions from power generation contribute the largest share of the total damage costs

The report provides a list of the most polluting individual facilities. Not surprisingly, the facilities whose emissions impose the highest damage costs are generally among the largest facilities in Europe, releasing the greatest amount of pollutants.