In France, three out of four children breathe polluted air, which is of great concern to parents.
- 7 out of 10 parents surveyed say they are concerned about air pollution around their child(ren)’s school.
- Each year, air pollution is the cause of 8.8 million premature deaths on the planet, and 67,000 deaths in France.
On the occasion of World Air Quality Day, a survey ofHarris Interactive reveals that this is a major concern of parents for their children, particularly with regard to the surroundings of schools.
7 out of 10 parents surveyed say they are concerned about air pollution around their child(ren)’s school, but also during the journey between home and these educational structures. The level of concern is even higher among parents of young children, who go to nursery or kindergarten.
In favor of the principle of a school street
87% of parents (regardless of the age or level of schooling of their children) indicate that they are in favor of the principle of a school street around the nursery or school of their child(ren), and 47% of respondents say they are very favorable. As a school street allows the reduction of car traffic around the school on a temporary basis (closing of the streets around the school or the crèche at the times of entry and exit of the children), one of the major arguments of parents who are in favor of it is a reduction in air pollution.
“A pandemic of air pollution”
In France, three out of four children breathe polluted air, according to Unicef. According to a recent study, air pollution shortens life expectancy by an average of 3 years worldwide. Each year, it is the cause of 8.8 million premature deaths on the planet, and 67,000 deaths in France.
“Given that the impact of air pollution on public health as a whole is far greater than expected and is a global phenomenon, we believe our results show that an air pollution pandemic exists. air”, said Thomas Münzel, lead researcher, in a statement from the European Cardiovascular Association.
The effects of air pollution on health
The effects of air pollution* on health are observed following:
– exposure from a few hours to a few days (acute, so-called short-term exposure) to this pollution: irritation of the eyes or the respiratory tract, asthma attacks, exacerbation of cardiovascular and respiratory disorders that may lead to hospitalization, and in the most serious cases to death.
– Exposure over several years (chronic, so-called long-term exposure) to air pollution. The health effects can in this case be defined as the contribution of this exposure to the development or aggravation of chronic diseases such as: cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory pathologies (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure) , neurological disorders, etc.
*Source: Ministry of Health.
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