Study confirms lower air pollution levels boost health and financial benefits
If we cut levels of air pollution in cities across Europe, we could boost our health and financial benefits, new research shows. The findings of the APHEKOM ('Improving knowledge and communication for decision making on air pollution and health in Europe') project confirm that making our air cleaner will in turn have a huge impact on our well-being. APHEKOM has received EUR 800,000 under the European Commission's programme on Community action in the field of public health. Do you live close to high-traffic roads? It may be time to consider moving. The APHEKOM study shows that residing near congested roads has a considerable effect on the burden of disease attributable to air pollution. The findings also highlight the benefits from regulating pollution near high-traffic roads beyond what current EU legislation has achieved. APHEKOM pooled the expertise of 60 scientists in 12 European countries over a period of 3 years. The information obtained by the partners will shed particular light on the current situation in Europe; a number of Member States have exceeded mandated limit values on particles in the last six years. The results will also be used as a reference point, as EU and national agendas are being drafted for implementing existing regulations on air pollution and for amending current EU legislation in 2013. Decision-makers will use the new data, along with the advanced tools developed by APHEKOM, to establish more effective European, national and local policies. Also benefiting from this study will be health professionals who advise vulnerable individuals. The general public could also better inform themselves about the risks, thus helping to keep their health in check. Using Health Impact Assessment (HIA) methods, the APHEKOM partners found that the effects of EU legislation to cut the sulphur content of fuels showed both a clear and sustained drop in ambient sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels in 20 cities, as well as the resulting prevention of around 2,200 premature deaths valued at EUR 192 million. Surveying 10 European cities, the study suggests that living near busy roads could be responsible for 15% of asthma in children. It could also be triggering common chronic diseases like coronary health disease in adults aged 65 and over. The annual economic burden for children and the elderly in these cities is around EUR 300 million. 'Our project shows that compliance with WHO's [World Health Organization's] annual air-quality guideline on PM2.5 fine particles (10 micrograms/cubic metre) in 25 large European cities could add up to 22 months of life expectancy for persons 30 years of age and older, and produce EUR 31.5 billion in monetary health benefits every year,' comments project leader Dr Sylvia Medina of the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS) following the recent release of the APHEKOM results in Paris, France. Commenting on the results of the APHEKOM project, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) Policy Director Anne Stauffer says: 'The results of the APHEKOM project show that action for cleaner air pays off in health benefits. The findings come at an important time. The European Commission is currently preparing for a review of EU air quality policy.' HEAL believes using this latest information, as well as data from other EU-funding projects, will help get ambitious legislative proposals off the ground. In a related development, a study carried out by the European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change (ETC/ACC), on behalf o the European Environment Agency (EEA), shows that air pollution of fine particles is linked to over 455,000 premature deaths each year in all 27 EU Member States.For more information, please visit: APHEKOM:http://www.aphekom.org/web/aphekom.org/homeFrench Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS):http://www.invs.sante.fr/presentations/edito_en_.htmHealth and Environment Alliance (HEAL):http://www.env-health.org
Countries
France