In Paris and its suburbs, air pollution kills 2,575 people a year

It is not in Paris that you will be able to breathe pure air. The French capital is considered the fourth city in Europe most affected by automobile pollution. This lackluster track record is illustrated by the number of premature victims caused by pollution. The results of this research project, led by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (Spain), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and the University of Utrecht (Netherlands) have been published in The Lancet Planetary Health on January 20, 2021.

Nearly 125,000 preventable pollution deaths in Europe

For this study, the researchers assessed air pollution in more than a thousand cities in Europe. Among the particles they analyzed are fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM_2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), two air pollutants that are highly harmful to human health. According to the results, by respecting the recommendations set by the World Health Organization (WHO), 51,213 deaths could be avoided in Europe by protecting against fine PM particles._2.5 and 900 premature deaths on the Old Continent are attributable to NO₂. Similarly, if every city reached the air quality level of Reykjavík (Iceland), the least polluted city in Europe, it would be possible to save 125,000 lives from fine PM particles._2.5 and 79,000 people from nitrogen dioxide pollution.

Regarding fine particle pollution, Paris and its region reached fourth place in the ranking with 2,575 NO-related deaths.₂. It is overtaken by Turin (Italy), Antwerp (Belgium) and Madrid (Spain). “Highest mortality rates attributable to NO₂a toxic gas associated mainly with car traffic, have been reported in major cities in countries such as Spain, Belgium, Italy and France”, says Sasha Khomenko, researcher at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and lead author of the study. Note however that Paris is not the only French city in the ranking since the cities of Argenteuil and Bezons share tenth place.

Concentrations to be reduced to get into the nails of the WHO

For the fight against fine particles, socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo’s hobbyhorse, Paris and its agglomeration are doing better since they are not part of the top ten cities. “For PMs_2.5, the cities with the highest death rates were in Italy’s Po Valley, southern Poland and eastern Czech Republic. Indeed, particulates are emitted not only from motor vehicles but also from other combustion sources, including industry, domestic heating, and the burning of coal and wood.”, emphasizes Sasha Khomenko.

Nevertheless, the levels of fine particles and nitrogen dioxide remain a concern in Ile de France. According to Airparif figures for 2019, around 500,000 Ile-de-France residents are exposed to levels of NO₂ higher than the WHO recommendations, which are 40 micrograms per cubic meter on average. Residents close to motorways and the ring road are exposed to rates twice as high.