Air Pollution

CONTEXT

Air pollution is one of the greatest risks to public health according to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study and it is estimated that 7.5% of deaths worldwide in 2016 can be attributed to high levels of air pollution (GBD Study, 2017).
19% of the urban population of the European Union (EU) was exposed, in 2016, to PM10 levels that were in excess of the threshold established by the EU, whereas this percentage would be equivalent to 53% in accordance with the recommendations issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015. With regard to PM2.5 concentrations, 7% of the urban population of the EU was exposed to a level in excess of the threshold established by the EU and 82% according to the WHO's 2015 recommendations. Moreover, 9% of the urban population of the EU live in areas with concentrations of NO2 that exceed the annual limits set by the EU and the WHO (EEA, 2017).

Traffic’s contribution to urban concentrations of suspended particulate matter (PM) in Europe is between 9 and 53% for PM10, and between 9 and 66% for PM2.5, with an average of 39% and 43%, respectively, on very busy roads. With regard to NO2, traffic’s contribution is even higher, reaching levels in excess of 80% (Sundvor et al., 2012), making road traffic the main source of air pollution in European cities. Other sources of air pollutants are power stations, factories, construction work, central heating and nature.

Increases in greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change, and various meteorological effects, such as periods of drought and heat waves, will contribute to the poor quality of air, especially in major cities and industrial areas.

Air pollution is associated with a high number of health problems, including premature birth, low birth weight, asthma in children, premature death, cardiovascular diseases, strokes, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and type 2 diabetes. It also contributes to poorer work and economic performance (Cesaroni et al. 2014, Eze et al. 2015, Hamra et al. 2015, Héroux et al. 2015, Khreis et al. 2017, Nafstad et al. 2003, WHO 2014, Pedersen et al. 2013, Stafoggia et al. 2014).

OBJECTIVE

Reduce air pollution and its health effects.
Comply with the annual guideline values established by the WHO: 10 µg/m3 for PM2.5, 20 µg/m3 for PM10 and 40 µg/m3 for NO2
Comply with the WHO’s recommendations: 10 μg/m3 (PM2.5), 20 μg/m3 (PM10) and 40 μg/m3 (NO2).

PROPOSALS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Discourage motorised transport in cities (e.g. reduction of lanes and parking spaces, introduction of a congestion charge) and promote active transport and public transport, making it more efficient and better quality (e.g. with the necessary infrastructure, high frequency, good connectivity and affordable for every citizen in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region).
Increase the urban green space. Replace vehicle spaces with parks, gardens and trees (replacement effect), given that plant life has properties that absorb contamination.
Restrict traffic on days with high air pollution. • Foster the use of electric and hybrid public vehicles (buses, trams).
Strengthen measures designed to make industry reduce the emission of contaminating substances into the air.
Improve energy efficiency in homes, companies and facilities in order to reduce contamination caused by heating.
In the case of municipalities with port installations, air quality should be improved by adopting greener energy alternatives for moored vessels.

REFERENCE EXPERIENCES

Information only available in Catalan

Ajuntament de Barcelona. Zones de Baixes Emissions (ZBE) per restringir el trànsit en els dies de contaminació alta.
Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2015. Pla de millora de la qualitat de l’aire de Barcelona 2015-2018.
Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2016. Programa de mesures contra la Contaminació de l’Aire 2017-2010.
Diputació de Barcelona. Qualitat de l’aire exterior.
Generalitat de Catalunya. Departament de Territori i Sostenibilitat. Distintiu ambiental de la DGT.
Gobierno de España. Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, 2017. Plan Nacional de Calidad del AIRE 2017-2019.

LEGISLATION

OMS, 2005. Directrius de la qualitat de l’aire de la OMS. Actualització global 2005. Matèria particulada, ozó, diòxid de nitrogen i diòxid de sofre.
Directiva de la Comissió Europea 2008/50/CE del Parlament Europeu i del Consell, de 21 de maig de 2008, relativa a la qualitat ambiental de l’aire i a una atmosfera més neta per Europa.
Real Decreto 102/2011, de 28 de enero, relativo a la mejora de la calidad del aire.

STUDIES AND TECHNICAL DOCUMENTATION

Agència Europea de Medi Ambient (EEA), 2020. Air quality in Europe — 2020 report 09/2020
Global Burden of Disease Study Collaborators, 2017. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 84 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. The Lancet, 390.

Scientific papers:

Cesaroni, G., et al., 2014. Long term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of acute coronary events: prospective cohort study and meta-analysis in 11 European cohorts from the ESCAPE Project. The BMJ, 348(f412).
Eze, I.C., et al., 2015. Association between ambient air pollution and diabetes mellitus in Europe and North America: systematic review and meta-analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives, 123(5).
Hamra, G., et al., 2015. Lung Cancer and Exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide and Traffic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(9).
Héroux, M., et al., 2015. Quantifying the health impacts of ambient air pollutants: recommendations of a WHO/Europe project. International Journal of Public Health, 60(5).
Khreis, H.,et al., 2017. Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and risk of development of childhood asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Environment International,100.
Nafstad, P., et al., 2003. Lung cancer and air pollution: a 27 year follow up of 16209 Norwegian men. Thorax, 58.
OMS, 2014. WHO Expert Meeting: Methods and tools for assessing the health risks of air pollution at local, national and international level, Copenhagen.
Pedersen, M., et al., 2013. Ambient air pollution and low birthweight : a European cohort study (ESCAPE). The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 1(13).
Sapkota, A., et al., 2010. Exposure to particulate matter and adverse birth outcomes: a comprehensive review and meta-analysis. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 5(4).
Stafoggia, M., et al., 2014. Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Incidence of Cerebrovascular Events : Results from 11 European Cohorts within the ESCAPE Project. Environmental Health Perspectives, 122(9).
Sundvor, I., et al., 2012. Road traffic contribution to air quality in European cities. ETC/ ACM technical paper 2012/14 November 2012. The European Topic Centre on Air Pollution and Climate Change Mitigation (ETC/ACM).

More information about addressing the Public Health Service: entornurbasalut@diba.cat

Date of last update:
dg., 09 de maig 2021 16:54:24 +0000

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