Concentration of air pollution in major European cities

Air-particle concentrations have been recorded in 26 cities in 12 European countries by APHEIS, a project that is funded partially by the European Union.

Nineteen of the cities have used PM₁₀ as the standard measure, and concentrations vary anywhere from 14 µg/m₃ as a yearly average in the cleanest cities (Stockholm and Gothenburg) to 74 µg/m₃ in the dirtiest (Bucharest).

In a number of cities (i.e. Cracow, Rome and Seville), concentrations of PM₁₀ exceeded the EU yearly average limit of 40 µg/m₃ that will come into effect in 2005. With the exception of Stockholm, Gothenburg, Lille, and Toulouse, every city exceeded the stricter preliminary limit of 20 µg/m₃, which will be established as a target level in 2010. Many cities will also have difficulty in meeting the future EU standard for a 24-hour average value of PM₁₀.

Among cities that used black smoke as a measuring unit instead of PM₁₀, the worst, by far, was Athens.

By using known connections between particle concentrations and effects on health, APHEIS researchers were able to quantify yearly deaths in the cities in question. With regard to the 19 cities using PM₁₀ as the measure (with a total population of 32 million) the following was learned:

• If the yearly average value were to drop to 40 µg/m₃ (EU standard for 2005) in all cities, 2,653 premature deaths could be prevented per year — or 9 per 100,000 inhabitants.

• If the stricter limit of 20 µg/m₃ (proposed EU standard for 2010) were met in the same cities, 11,855 premature deaths could be prevented per year — or 43 per 100,000 inhabitants.

• Reducing the levels by just 5 µg/m₃ would prevent 5,547 premature deaths annually (19 per 100,000 inhabitants) in all cities — even those with the lowest pollution levels.

Two startling conclusions are:

• Even a small and achievable reduction in air-pollution levels (such as 5 µg/m₃) would have a beneficial effect on health, which justifies taking preventive action in all cities, regardless of the level of pollution.

• Although the general risk of death from air pollution is less than that from smoking, it is nevertheless real and worth taking steps against, especially as exposure is involuntary and affects the whole population.

More cities will be involved in the future, and improved methods of calculation and research will offer a wider scope. It is intended, for instance, to calculate the years of life lost, or reductions in life expectancy, in order to estimate the health risks from long-term exposure to air pollution, and to collaborate with economists in calculating the costs to society in the cities participating in the programme.

Per Elvingson
Swedish NGO Secretariat on Acid Rain
<www.acidrain.org>

For more information: <www.apheis.net>