International experts debate air pollution and how to improve air quality

14/07/2013

Air is essential to life but, even so, 80% of Europeans live with air pollution levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. In addition to oxygen, we also breathe in other gasses and particles that can affect our health, whether due to short-term or ongoing exposure. According to data from the WHO, reducing the volume of particulates would cut air-pollution related deaths by up to 15% in Europe, where each year some 430,000 are reported. To debate emissions and their concentration in cities, effects on health and applicable measures, B·Debate —an initiative of Biocat and the "la Caixa" Foundation— and the Institute of Environmental Science and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) are holding a scientific debate entitled Urban Air Quality: The challenge of non-exhaust road transport on 11 and 12 July 2013 in Barcelona.

Technology has been developed in recent years to mitigate emissions from combustion engines, but there are other sources of pollution that haven’t received the same attention despite the fact that they contribute equally to the deterioration of air quality: wear of brakes, tires and asphalt, and the re-suspensionof dust particulates are just some examples. Until recently, measures to prevent these contaminants were non-existent. However the European Commission has now launched environmental initiatives to estimate their effects and seek out strategies to reduce their social and economic impact. Under this framework, 2013 has been declared the Year of Air and the aim is to improve air quality.

Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Fluvio Amato, researcher at theInstitute of Environmental Sciences and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), and Dr. Xavier Querol, research professor in the Geosciences Department of the same institution, the debates will bring together experts from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria and Spain to speak about how to improve air quality in Europe and discuss which initiatives can establish prevention guidelines for the future.

Noteworthy speakers include Roy Harrison, Flemming Cassee, Jordi Sunyer and Xavier Guinart. Dr. Harrison is an expert in atmospheric chemistry at the University of Birmingham and has worked to develop preventative policies. In his conference at B·Debate, Dr. Harrison will explain how to differentiate and quantify particles from brake, tire and asphalt wear compared to those from exhaust. Dr. Cassee, a researcher at theNational Institute for Public Health and the Environment inUtrecht, in the Netherlands, is an experton the effects of atmospheric particles and gasses on health. His conference will focus on wear particles and compare their toxicity with components from other sources of pollution. Co-director of the Center for Researchin Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Dr. Sunyer, studies the relationship between pollution and cardiorespiratory problems and neurobehavioral development in children. In his presentation he will discuss the impact of pollution on children and adults and the health benefits of preventative policies. Finally, head of Government of Catalonia Ministry of the Environment’s Air-Quality Monitoring and Control Unit, Xavier Guinart, will speak about the improvements being applied to the 2006 Air-Quality Plan for the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona to meet safety levels for 2015.

Follow the debate on Twitter @BDebate with the hashtag #BDebate

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