Exposure to poor quality air can already be considered one of the most serious threats to public health on the planet, and is that, according to the WHO, air pollution would cause about 3 million deaths annually.
More and more works provide evidence on the consequences of breathing impure air: among the latter, an article published in the journal Environment International revealed that children and adolescents exposed to high levels of pollution have a higher risk of developing asthma. Furthermore, the prevalence of this disease has increased significantly since the 1950s.
If we go to our country, one of the most complete analyzes has been carried out by a team of researchers from the Barcelona Institute of Global Health, who analyzed data corresponding to mortality, pollution levels and green areas throughout the territory. The results, recently published in Environment International , indicated that exposure to particulate matter can lead to reductions of up to one year in our life expectancy . Specifically, an increase of 5 μg / m3 in the concentration of PM10 particles resulted in a loss of almost one year of life. In turn, an increase of 2 μg / m3 in the concentration of PM2.5 particles was related to a reduction of 7 months of life.
While the relationship between air pollution and mortality was very clear, the results regarding the role of green areas were contradictory, since it was found that their presence in areas of low socioeconomic status increased life expectancy, while in neighborhoods of upper class were associated with a reduction in it, so it will be necessary to continue researching in this regard.
This type of work that tries to understand the relationships between polluting particles , their distribution and variation in space and time, health effects , and possible mitigating mechanisms of their impact, are essential to develop effective measures to curb the problem.
In Spain, the TECNAIRE program (Innovative techniques for the evaluation and improvement of urban air quality), to which teams from various universities and research centers belong, is working on new techniques capable of diagnosing air quality problems in an integral way in urban environments, as to evaluate strategies for its resolution. The latest data obtained were published in September 2016 in the journal Atmospheric Environment , and show how different pollutants vary at the micro-scale level in the city of Madrid . The results reveal that their spatial distribution is very heterogeneous, and that pedestrians are more exposed at bus stops and zebra crossings.
Legal obligation to take measures against pollution
Scientists’ recommendations should not remain a mere paper, and serve to establish action protocols to protect citizens – especially the most vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents – from respiratory problems associated with exposure to poor quality air. .
In addition, the member countries of the European Union have a legal obligation to put them into practice: Directive 2008/50 / EC establishes air quality objectives, setting thresholds and limit values for the following pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, particles , lead, benzene and carbon monoxide . In addition, it specifies the way to evaluate them and to adopt corrective measures in case of breach of the rules.
The regulations also indicate that “in case of risk of contamination levels exceeding the thresholds, short-term action plans must be applied to reduce road traffic , construction works or certain industrial activities, in order to eliminate the danger”.
The city of Madrid is one of the most affected in our country by pollution from road traffic , responsible for 60-70% of nitrogen dioxide emissions in the great city. Madrid has activated for the first time the protocol that reduces circulation in its central almond, a measure that is pioneering in our country, but which has been implemented for some time in European cities such as Rome or Paris , which activated the restrictions of circulation on alternate days at the beginning of December due to a high pollution alert episode.
In fact, many large capitals have already standardized their protocols for a long time: for example, in London rates are established to circulate on weekdays, with discounts for hybrid or electric cars, and Berlin has a system of plates that identify the most important vehicles. pollutants and limit their circulation through the city center.
Sources: SINC Agency, WHO, European Union, TECNAIRE
