Nearly 100,000 people die prematurely each year in France due to air pollution. In Île-de-France, this type of pollution kills almost as much as smoking and four times more than alcohol. However, this pollution could be largely limited thanks to consistent public policies and an adaptation of our individual behavior.
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Studies are linked, and the number of pathologies linked to air pollution is growing. The Xenair study, conducted by the Léon-Bérard Center (CLB) and the Lyon and Rhône-Alpes Cancer Center has just confirmed a statistically significant association between exposure to atmospheric pollutants and breast cancer. Another study published in September 2022 shows for the first time how fine particle air pollution triggers lung cancer in non-smokers, through a gene mutation.
Despite this damning finding, air pollution in France and around the world is still too high. However, this situation is not inevitable. Structural public policies could significantly modify the level of pollution, particularly at the agricultural and industrial level, while individual initiatives can contribute to the overall reduction of pollution: favoring bicycles or public transport over private cars, for example.
In this new episode ofA degree of consciousnessEmma Haziza and Salomé Saqué take stock of the causes, consequences and solutions to air pollution.
Sources used in this episode:
To know the air quality in your city
The quoted breast cancer study
The Public Health France study on the drop in pollution-related mortality during the first confinement
The study on the link with lung cancer
The ranking of the most polluting cities