Milan, the map of air quality in the city:«Nitrogen dioxide levels still outlawed»

The results of the campaign promoted by Cittadini per l'aria:"The measures taken so far to limit traffic are insufficient."But the Lombardy Region promises battle on the revision of the EU Directive

The situation has been known for some time:the air of the Po Valley is one of the most polluted in all of Europe.In 2020 alone, the European Environment Agency estimated 330 thousand premature deaths linked to pollution in the 27 EU countries:of these, more than one in five concerns our country.To turn the spotlight on the topic, in recent months the Cittadini per l'aria association launched a participatory science campaign in Milan - renamed No2, no thanks – to measure the levels of nitrogen dioxide present in the air.The almost 1000 citizens who requested it received a sampler to install for a month at home, at school or at work.The results of the experiment, analyzed thanks to the help of some researchers from the University of Milan, did nothing but confirm the gravity of the situation:the air you breathe in the Lombardy capital is outlawed.The data emerging from the research shows a monthly average of NO2 equal to 44.8 μg/m³.A value that exceeds the annual average allowed by the European Union (40 μg/m³) and almost four times higher than the threshold of 10 μg/m³ indicated by the WHO to protect the health of the population.

The map of air quality in Milan

Together with PM10 (particulate matter) and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), nitrogen dioxide is one of the main sources of pollution and comes largely from the transport sector.The map developed by Citizens for the air, and presented today for the first time, shows that it is the shopping streets that record some of the highest NO2 values.In Corso Buenos Aires and Corso XXII Marzo, for example, the concentration of nitrogen dioxide stands at 61.3 µg/m³, in Corso Vercelli 58.1 µg/m³, in Corso Magenta 52.7 µg/m³, while in Via Senato – near the quadrilateral of fashion – 62.4 µg/m³.Things are no better in the more peripheral areas, with Viale Tibaldi and Viale Marche - both along the external ring road - recording 71 µg/m³ and 74.2 µg/m³ respectively.In short, values ​​above the permitted limits both in the streets of the center and on the outskirts, despite the measures adopted in recent years to limit traffic, such as Area B and Area C.

According to Anna Gerometta, president of Cittadini per l'aria, the responsibilities for the situation just described are distributed between the Lombardy Region, the government and the municipality of Milan.«The region has enormous responsibilities dating back to even harmful planning in terms of air quality which, not surprisingly, has shown a substantial stalemate in pollutant concentrations at a regional level for several years now», comments Gerometta.As regards the government, the president of the association asks the executive to Giorgia Meloni to increase the funds allocated to public transport and mobility.Finally, a message also for the mayor of the Lombardy capital Giuseppe Sala.«Even within the Municipality of Milan, policies have been in trouble for some time, if not stopped since the outbreak of the pandemic.The data indicates that it is no longer time for small steps", adds Gerometta.

Lombardy's battle against the new EU Directive

Recently the topic has become topical again even among the political benches.In October last year, the European Commission developed a proposed revision of the 2008 Air Quality Directive to update the targets upwards and achieve the "zero pollution" objective by 2050.The text will be voted on by the European Chamber in these days, but it is creating quite a few concerns in Lombardy, where it is already difficult to respect the current limits despite the slow but constant improvement of the data over the last decade.In May last year, the EU Court of Justice convicted our country for systematically exceeding nitrogen dioxide limits in eight urban agglomerations:Turin, Milan, Bergamo, Brescia, Florence, Rome, Genoa and Catania.Those who oppose the revision of the EU Directive are above all the governors of Northern Italy, with Lombardy Attilio Fontana to lead the way.For the Lombard governor, the new rules on which Brussels is working establish unattainable and "absolutely irrational" targets, which would lead to "the closure of the Po Valley".

To counter the new Directive and ask for more flexibility, Fontana called together a vast network of public entities (Anci Lombardia, Union of Lombardy Provinces), trade unions (Cisl, Uil and Ugl) and trade associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio, Coldiretti and many other).The requests are clear:take into account the «peculiarity of the Lombardy territory» and adopt «adequate and realistic timescales».Otherwise, warns the Lombardy Region in a manifest, to comply with the limits imposed by the new Directive, draconian measures would have to be taken.Any examples?«The elimination of 75% of vehicles, the elimination of 75% of methane home heating systems and 100% of biomass home heating systems, the elimination of 60% of livestock (cattle and pigs) and 75% of industrial activities."

A small coalition of medical and environmental associations responded to Fontana's letter, including Citizens for Air, Clean Cities, the European Environmental Bureau and the Pediatric Cultural Association.«With this manifesto the Lombardy Region is paving the way to doing nothing for the next twenty years», he reports to Open Anna Gerometta, president of Citizens for Air.«The impact of pollution in Italy – he adds – is the highest in Europe not only due to the orographic conditions of the Po Valley, but because people choose on a daily basis to invest in actions that generate pollution rather than in actions that reduce it».

Photo credits:ANSA/Mourad Balti Touati