The European Commission on Wednesday proposed stricter rules for limiting pollutants in ambient air, surface and ground water and the treatment of urban waste water. “An unhealthy environment has direct and costly consequences for ourhealth,” said European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans in a statement. “Each year, hundreds of thousands Europeans die prematurely and many more suffer from heart- and lung diseases or pollution-induced cancers,” he said. The commission wants to bring its current limits closer to recommendations by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Currently 25 micro…