The charge air pollution by nearly 50 000 deaths per year in France – L’Express

Each year, 48 000 people die in France because of the air pollution. And more particularly because of the fine particles. This pollution, -Transportation related to human activities, industry, heating with fossil fuels such as oil, agriculture-, causing 9% of deaths in mainland France, according to the impact of Public Health study published Tuesday France.

So “the burden of air pollution is ranked third, behind that of the 78,000 tobacco and alcohol morts- 49,000 morts-” said Professor François Bourdillon , general manager of the public body.

34,000 preventable deaths each year

This pollution is “a life expectancy of loss exceeding two years for a person 30 years” according to the study. The loss of life expectancy is, on average, higher in large cities (15 months and more), but it does not save the rural areas (9 months). Geographically, pollution levels vary. Map of fine particle concentrations for example shows that they are higher in large urban areas: Paris region, northeastern France and the Lyon-Marseille.

Improving air quality permit significant profits, according to the scenarios considered in this work. More than 34 000 deaths could be prevented each year if all municipalities of mainland France managed to achieve the fine particle levels of 5% equivalent of the least polluted cities, according to one of these scenarios.

9 months of life expectancy in less

“People 30 years earn an average of 9 months of life expectancy,” says Mathilde Pascal epidemiologist Public Health France. This gain would exceed one year in the most polluted areas (19.6 million people). Pollution is a “kind of invisible mortality,” says Professor Bourdillon.

This new study mortality figures are the “same order and confirm” the previous results, no one can speak of increase, says Sylvia Medina, coordinator of the Air Health Program. The French study confirms the European study including Cafe -Clean air for Europe- 2000 which estimated that more than 40,000 deaths related to pollution in France.

Exposure to air pollution, including fine particles, contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (heart …), respiratory or neurological, and cancer. It also promotes the “reproductive disorders and child development” says Ms. Medina.

The deadliest usual exhibition that peaks

The levels of pollution (PM 2.5) were estimated in 36,219 communes, bringing together 61 6 million, for the years 2007-2008, excluding Corsica and overseas territories. Moreover, pollution peaks weigh less on health than chronic.

The impact on health results in the long term, especially exposure to daily pollution levels below the alert thresholds triggered from a concentration of 80 micrograms PM10 (particle diameter less than 10 microns) per cubic meter of air.

In 17 cities of the monitoring program “Air and Health”, from 2007 to 2010, between 85% (Nancy) and 100% (Montpellier and Nice) of death from any cause (not accidental) and hospitalization for cardiac causes attributable to short-term effects of PM10 are associated with daily levels of these particles below this warning regulatory threshold defining pollution peaks.