Air pollution, in Europe "is a public health crisis".And in Italy even worse – The Guardian investigation

Every year, 400,000 premature deaths are recorded on the continent due to particulate matter released into the atmosphere

98% of the European population breathes toxic air.The Guardian's picture following an investigation into air quality on the continent is merciless.Which due to air pollution is in the midst of a "serious public health crisis".Analysis of data collected using cutting-edge methodology – including detailed satellite images and measurements from more than 1,400 ground monitoring stations – reveals a critical situation.98% of people live in areas with highly harmful fine particulate pollution that exceeds WHO guidelines.Furthermore, almost two-thirds of Europeans live in areas where air quality is more than double WHO guidelines.North Macedonia has the worst quality on the continent, in a context in which Eastern Europe does much worse than Western Europe.Except, specify the Guardian, for Italy.

The causes and consequences of particulate matter

Traffic, industry, domestic heating and agriculture are the main sources of PM2.5.The impact is often felt disproportionately by poorer communities.According to the WHO, the concentration of these particles, mainly produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter.But only 2% of the population lives in areas that meet these standards.The result?400 thousand premature deaths every year, as well as millions of cases of non-fatal diseases.A challenge for the EU, where Parliament voted last week to align with the WHO guidelines by 2035.Particulate matter, thanks to its very small size, passes from the lungs to the blood and from there into almost every organ of our body.Where it can generate tumors, cancer, diabetes, depression and cognitive diseases.

The toxic air of the Po Valley

In much of the Po Valley, the situation is very serious, with average particulate levels remaining around four times the maximum allowed by the WHO.It is not only the industrial centers of Turin and Milan that suffer the worst, but also the rural areas where fine particles accumulate even if they are produced in other cities.In particular in Lombardy, the air quality is made terrible by intensive pig and poultry farming.In Italy, in 2020, there were over 50 thousand deaths from air pollution, with the highest concentration in Cremona, where between 150 and 200 deaths were recorded per 100 thousand inhabitants.The geographical conformation of the Po Valley, closed on three sides by mountain chains and exposed to the currents on the short Adriatic coast, makes the problem more difficult to solve.«Although it has been known for some time, however, the aspect of mortality tends to be hidden under the carpet», commented Giovanni Pirotta, of Legambiente Cremona.

Slow improvements

«Although local initiatives such as cycle paths and restrictions on pollution-emitting vehicles have gone some way to combating smog in the Po Valley, authorities are hesitant to take stronger action as this would come at an economic cost.If we know that the main source of pollutants are cars, then why aren't we taking strong action on sustainable mobility?", declares Michele Arisi, of the General States of Climate, Environment and Health, an environmentalist association from Cremona.And he adds:«Even if you see a lot of bicycles in Cremona, it is also the city with one of the highest ratios of cars per citizen».

A public health crisis

This is a serious public health crisis, Roel Vermeulen, professor of environmental epidemiology at Utrecht University, explained to the British newspaper.A particularly felt problem for the poorest and most disadvantaged social groups.Who statistically tend to live in areas where the concentration of particulate matter is higher, highlighted Barbara Hoffmann, professor of environmental epidemiology at the University of Düsseldorf.The data was compiled by academics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute as part of the EU-funded Expanse project.They used a combination of sources.From high-resolution satellite data to pollution monitoring stations and land use information.To model annual average PM2.5 levels across Europe in 2019.The results obtained are among the most precise ever obtained for Europe.