Smog alert, the first bans on polluting cars in Lombardy.Sala's letter to the Region contesting the data

The mayor of Milan disputes the findings of the Swiss company IQ Air:«Are we the third most polluted city in the world?They are not serious"

The Po Valley has reached «the peak of one pollution crisis» with smog levels that have not been reached since 2017.This is what Barbara Meggetto, president of Legambiente Lombardia, said, precisely in the days in which thealert on poor air quality.Since mid-February, Arpa control units have been recording values ​​of PM 2.5 and PM 10 - the so-called "fine particles" - well beyond the limits permitted by Italian law and more than quadruple those considered "safe" by the World Health Organization.From today, Tuesday 20 February, temporary first level anti-pollution measures have been implemented in nine Lombardy provinces - including Milan.The Lombardy Region protocol provides, among other things, the ban on the circulation of all Euro 0 and Euro 1 vehicles with any fuel and of Euro 2, 3 and 4 diesel vehicles.These bans will apply to all days of the week, including weekends, but apply only in municipalities with more than 30 thousand inhabitants.

The controversy over IQ Air data

In the meantime, the smog alert of recent days has also triggered a small political case, which has sent the mayor of Milan into a rage Giuseppe Sala.The controversy is sparked by a ranking on air quality drawn up by IQ Air, a private Swiss company that produces purifiers.According to data collected on Sunday 18 February at 5pm, Milan was the third city with the highest level of air pollution in the world, behind only Lahore (Pakistan) and Dakka (Bangladesh).In reality, there are good reasons to doubt the reliability of the measurement.First of all, IQ Air's ranking only takes into account a few large cities.Secondly, it only considers PM 2.5, which represents only one indicator of air pollution.«These are the usual impromptu analyses, managed by a private body.I'm also surprised at you, you can't report news read on social media", Sala vented, scolding the journalists.

Sala's letter to the Lombardy Region

In short, IQ Air data must be taken with a pinch of salt.But it is enough to look at one of the latest bulletins from Arpa, the regional agency that monitors air quality, to realize that the smog alert is anything but unfounded.And it is precisely to address this situation that the mayor of Milan sent a letter to the governor Attilio Fontana to ask to open a technical working table as soon as possible.There are three main requests:stop the burning of biomass in urban centres, cancellation of the "Move-In" (the exemption to the stop for the most polluting vehicles) and interruption of incentives for the purchase of petrol and diesel cars.The Lombardy Region, however, does not agree with these measures and claims the 30 million allocated this year in the budget for the renewal of cars and building heating systems.

Pasini:«Reduce emissions»

To reduce air pollution levels in the Po Valley there is only one solution:reduce emissions.To date, building heating systems occupy first place in the list of sources of polluting substances, followed by intensive farming and industry.The lack of rain and wind contributes to making things worse, but also the increase in temperatures caused by global warming.«Compared to periods of the past, for example the 70s and 80s, air quality has generally improved», explains physicist and climatologist Antonello Pasini in an interview with Republic.Yet, there are two new factors to take into consideration:«One is climate change, which leads to an increase in temperatures.The second is the reduction of particular types of pollution, such as that linked to coal heating that once existed."

Cover photo:Copernicus Sentinel | PM10 air pollution in the Po Valley (18 February 2024)