Air pollution: government brings together elected officials from the most polluted cities to find solutions

The Ministry of Ecological Transition is hosting the "Air Quality Roquelaure" on Monday to discuss the impact of air pollution on health, which is responsible for 40,000 deaths per year.

The "Roquelaure for Air Quality" begins Monday, May 12. These "Roquelaure" meetings, named after the private mansion that houses the Ministry of Ecological Transition, aim to bring together elected officials from the most polluted cities to discuss the impact of air quality on health and find solutions. The finest polluting particles, by penetrating deep into the lungs or bloodstream, can cause asthma, respiratory illnesses, or increase the risk of stroke.

According to Public Health France , chronic exposure to fine particles and air pollution is responsible for 40,000 premature deaths each year in France, and 12 to 20% of new cases of respiratory illnesses in children. Furthermore, air pollution, by creating inflammation, can also reduce cognitive abilities and the ability to concentrate in particular.

The three main air pollutants that pose a problem are fine particles, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. These pollutants come primarily from road traffic, but also from industry and wood-burning heating. In addition to direct emissions, ozone pollution is sometimes added, which results from the degradation of these polluting compounds resulting from human activities under the effect of solar radiation.

The situation has improved considerably over the past ten years, but today France is one of six countries that still remains above the European thresholds recommended for health, for these three pollutants. According to Augustin Colette , a researcher at the National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (INERIS), only 3% of the population in France lives in an area where the air is considered completely healthy.

So, how do we improve air quality? Some measures have already borne fruit, such as addressing emissions from wood-burning heating and industrial emissions, for example, or limiting automobile pollution in cities by expanding public transport, cycle paths, or the use of less polluting vehicles. In this context, the government wishes to reiterate the importance of low-emission zones (LEZs). In terms of public health, they are indeed one tool among others.

The future of these ZFEs was recently called into question in the National Assembly. Last March, a National Assembly committee approved their abolition against the government's advice. The government is now considering mandatory restriction of these zones to the Paris and Lyon metropolitan areas, as these two cities consistently exceed regulatory pollution thresholds. It also leaves the 40 other metropolitan areas previously affected by the establishment of a ZFE with the option of introducing restrictions on a voluntary basis.