Particulate Matters - September 2023 | Almost everyone in Europe is breathing toxic air ??
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Welcome back to Particulate Matters.
In this edition, we’re covering:?
Noteworthy news ??
Earlier this month, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of a revised law to improve air quality in the EU in order to achieve a clean and healthy environment for its citizens.
363 MEPs voted in favour, 226 against and 46 abstained on the vote, which sets a stricter 2035 limit and target values for several pollutants including particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), SO2 (sulphur dioxide) and O3 (ozone).
Currently, 98% of people within Europe are exposed to levels of PM2.5 over the current WHO limit, and the 2035 deadline has been criticised in some parts, with it going against the Environment Committee’s recommendation of 2030.
A recent study carried out by Mutualités Libres has compared health insurance claims from 1.2 million people in Belgium with particle pollution in their neighbourhoods.After removing the social and economic factors that affect people’s health, the study found associations between GP and hospital emergency visits and particle pollution (PM2.5).
Researchers estimated that reducing air pollution to match the least polluted 25% of places in Belgium would have saved €43m (￡37m) in GP and emergency hospital visits in 2019.
The study also found that more tree and grass cover in a neighbourhood was associated with less demand for GP and hospital visits. This was especially true of cities with wider evidence of green space in urban areas.
A new research project by Imperial College London will see air quality monitors placed in over 100 homes across West London to assess changes in air quality, both inside and outside the home.
The WellHome study has been developed with, and for, community groups in the White City district – an area where more than 50% of the population are from communities of colour, or are from low socio-economic backgrounds. Air quality will be monitored in two, four-week periods: one during warm weather, one when it is cold. This will help the researchers understand how changing seasons affects our indoor air.
The researchers will also use passive samplers to capture chemicals, biological particles like pollen and mould, and microplastics as they slowly settle out of the air. The researchers will be paying particular attention to the presence of ?NO2, PMs, VOCs, CO2, CO, microplastics, and bioaerosols such as pollen and mould. A key area to study will be the connection between indoor air quality and conditions outside, as early data suggests that trends in outdoor air quality can affect air quality indoors.
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AirRated News
We've been announced as a finalist in the H&V News Awards 2023 for the "Chris Biebly Award for Safety, Health or Wellbeing Initiative of the Year".
This is for our work in partnership with Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), creating workplaces that better support the health and productivity of their occupiers through improved indoor air quality.?
1.25 million sq. ft of LGIM portfolio is AirScore certified and undertaking Monthly AirScore analysis, with One Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester now the UK’s highest scoring AirScore building.
Thanks to H&V News and the 2023 judging panel for selecting us as a finalist and congratulations to all the other finalists.
Our Air in Review: The workplace edition ??
Last month, we announced the publication of our latest annual report, Our Air in Review: The workplace edition.
It features our most comprehensive workplace air quality survey ever, with relevant trends throughout the UK and US from the past three years.
Our annual air quality report aligns with our mission to empower humanity with the knowledge of the air they are breathing and the power to change it, with featuring insights from over 1,400 office workers.
Read the report now and join the waitlist for a physical copy here.
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We hope you've enjoyed this month’s edition of Particulate Matters.
If you want to get involved in future air quality content, get in touch with the team at [email protected] – we'd love to hear from you.
Thanks,
The AirRated team
Serial entrepreneur & angel investor in the following markets: IoT, consumer electronics, semiconductors, crypto and blockchain.
1 年Thanks for sharing, very insightful. There’s more to bad air than PM2.5. Sub-micron particulates get deeper into the lungs and blood and have a serious impact on health. To see this impact the focus should be on particle count not mass.
This month's newsletter was a very interesting read. I can't wait to see the results of the WellHome project. The results from the Belgian insurance company are very interesting too, I found the scientific paper in case anyone wants to read it: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935123015177?via%3Dihub