Air pollution in France kills 48,000 people each year
Air pollution in France kills 48,000 people each year
Air pollution is behind the deaths of 48,000 people in France each year, and most of these deaths are preventable, a new study has found.
It’s no secret that pollution is a huge problem in the major cities in France, but it appears the problem runs a lot deeper, according to a new study by France’s national health agency.
Indeed, air pollution kills 48,000 people each year – or 9 percent of the total number of people who die each year.
The study focused on “PM2.5 particles”, which are particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometres or less, and which are known to produce respiratory and cardiovascular illness. These particles are small enough to invade even the smallest airways of the human body.
Over 47 million French people are exposed to a level of these particles that is considered to be unsafe by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Tuesday’s study found that people aged 30 living in cities with over 100,000 residents can expect a reduction of 15 months to their life expectancy.
Source: http://www.thelocal.fr/20160621/pollution-in-france-kills-48000-people-each-year
