Quick facts Particles, health, productivity... KEY MESSAGES on health effects of air pollution REFERENCES: (1) European Union – ECA report n°23 Ventilation, Good Indoor Air Quality and Rational Use of Energy
(2) European Union -CAFE Project data: download http://ec.europa.eu/ environment/air/ index_en.htm
The way we live increases our exposure to air pollution: • We spend close to 90% of our lives indoors.
(1)
• Indoor air can be up to 50 times more polluted than outdoor.
(1)
Outdoor air pollution infiltrates into buildings. Without appropriate ventilation, it accumulates and can even react with other indoor air pollutants. Indoor air pollution is made of outdoor air pollutants, including heating and traffic particles and gases that infiltrate into our buildings as well as chemicals emissions from building materials, DIY products, cleaning products, air fresheners, combustion particles from heating, cooking and candles, pets allergens, electronics and appliances offgasing…
What is our daily air environment? (3) www.aphekom.org and www.who.org
• A big part of the population lives and works in areas where the rates of particles exceed WHO guidelines regarding PM2,5 (10µg/m3/year) (3)
(4)
• Barcelona (27µg/m 3/year), Vienna (21,6), Brussels (19), Paris (16,4), London (13,1), Stockholm (9,4)
European Union Envie Report: download http:// www.envie-iaq.eu/
• We eat 1kg of food per day • We drink 2 litres per day
(5)
• We breathe 25kg of air per day!
Eurostat: labour Force survey 2009 data
The cost of air pollution (6) PWC report European Human Capital effectiveness , 2007
According to CAFE (Clean Air For Europe) data (2): • every year more than 310 000 Europeans die prematurely due to the effects of air pollution, • the average life expectancy of Europeans is reduced by almost 9 months, • the impact of air pollution on health care costs is 80 billion euro.
(7) Wargocki, Improving Indoor air Quality improves the performance of office work and schoolwork, INIVE International Network for Information on Ventilation and Energy Performance www.inive.org
(8) Donald K. Milton, P. Mark Glencross, And Michael D. Walters Risk of Sick Leave Associated with Outdoor Air Supply Rate, Humidification, and Occupant Complaints – Indoor Air 2000 10: 212-22
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution causes 2 million premature deaths every year worldwide. (3) According to the EnVIE report
(4)
, in Europe, every year, air pollution is responsible of:
• 3 to 8% of asthma • 20% of lung cancers • 4 to 10% of COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) According to the EnVIE report Combustion particles cause nearly half of poor indoor air quality releated diseases in the European Union.
Consequences on the productivity and the absenteeism Every year the European Union loses 2 193 000 years equivalent of healthy living (DALY disability adjusted life year - mortality and disability). It represents 0,9% of the active population in Europe (estimated in 2006 to be 239 292 000 people (5)). Overall absenteeism in Europe is evaluated at 4%.(6) • School children performance tests can be improved by 13% and productivity in office buildings by 10% (7) • Improved ventilation systems can save $400 per year per employee and improve by 30% sick leave rate. (8)
ww w. c amf ilfar r.com CA M F I L FA RR | PA RT I CL E S, H E A LT H , PRODU C TI V I TY... / 1