Lung cancer, asthma or infarction … long -term exposure to air pollution leads to a “considerable burden”, sanitary and economic, of several tens of thousands of new cases of respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases each year in France , concludes a study Published this Wednesday, January 29, by Public Health France. For the first time, the agency assessed, over the period 2016-2019, the quantitative impact of ambient air pollution on the occurrence of eight diseases – whether at the respiratory, cardiovascular or metabolitical level – Proven with exposure to fine particles and nitrogen dioxide, the two most studied air pollutants.
And the conclusions of the study are clear: long -term exposure to ambient air pollution has a “substantial impact” on the appearance of new cases. From one disease and a pollutant to another, “between 12 and 20 % of new cases of respiratory diseases in children (between 7,000 and almost 40,000 cases), and between 7 and 13 % of new Case of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular or metabolic in adults (between 4,000 and almost 78,000 cases) “are attributable each year to this pollution, sums up Public Health France.
For the cardiovascular accident (stroke) in the 35 years and over, the total weight of fine particles (PM2.5) represents more than 10,000 new cases (10 %), and for acute myocardial infarction (IAM) Among the 30th and over, PM2.5 represent more than 8,100 new cases (8.5 %). Finally, exposure to fine particles represents almost 7 % of all new cases of type 2 diabetes in 45 year olds and over, a given year, which corresponds to more than 14,400 cases.
“Tens of thousands of cases of preventable disease”
In total, there would be “several tens of thousands of cases of avoidable diseases by reducing the levels of fine particles and nitrogen dioxide in the ambient air”, insists the health agency, which worked with several partners (Ineris , ORS Île-de-France, Creai-Ors Occitanie, Citepa, an Inserm/CHU Investigation Center in Bordeaux).
Concretely, reducing concentrations at the levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) would avoid 75 % of cases of diseases related to exposure to fine particles (PM2.5) and almost 50 % for those linked With nitrogen dioxide (No2), advances the study. Thus, nearly 30,000 new cases of asthma in children aged 0 to 17 could thus be avoided with respect for the threshold of fine particles defined by the WHO. In addition, the study suggests that the benefits expected for health would be generally more important in “more disadvantaged and urbanized areas”.
40,000 deaths attributable to fine particles
In addition, the “major economic weight” in the hexagon of the impact of air pollution on the eight diseases was also evaluated, in partnership with Aix-Marseille School of Economics. If the average levels of PM2.5 were reduced “to the anthropogenic threshold of 3 µg/m3” in France, the annual profits in terms of health and well-being for the diseases studied would amount to 12.9 billion euros (including 4.3 billion for asthma in children), almost 200 euros per year and per inhabitant, and 3.8 billion euros for NO2, or 123 euros per year and per capita “. Four years ago, Public Health France had estimated, in a Reference studythat 40,000 deaths were attributable each year to fine particles in mainland France.
In the wake of the recent adoption of the new European directive concerning ambient air quality and program “A pure air for Europe” – which will set EU standards in terms of air quality for 2030 more aligned with those of WHO -” These new data reaffirm the public health issue around air pollution, and encourage to sustainably pursue the efforts to reduce pollution on all its sources and throughout the territory, “adds Public Health France. Objective: Better live and longer.