"Air pollution endangers thousands of children in Marseille!" Says Greenpeace NGO on Thursday as it unveils a report showing that 25% of the facilities with young children in the city are located nearby of a polluted area.
Thousands of young Marseillais whose schools or nurseries are located in areas heavily polluted with nitrogen dioxide are "in danger", denounces Greenpeace in a report released Thursday.
"In order to assess children's chronic exposure to outdoor air pollution, Greenpeace wanted to highlight the annual levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution found in the immediate environment of schools and nurseries," he said. explained Greenpeace in a statement.
"Air pollution endangers thousands of children in Marseille!" Says the NGO. "In order for them to breathe safely, all road traffic must be reduced." The environmental NGO assures that 25% of schools and nurseries in Marseille are located in highly polluted areas, where the outside air contains concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) at levels higher than those set by European directives.
A map of AtmoSud superimposed on that of institutions with young children
To produce an interactive map of the Marseille establishments, the environmental NGO has superimposed a data card of the AtmoSud air monitoring organization in 2017 and a map of institutions welcoming young children (kindergartens and elementary schools, crèches and rest stops). -garderies). This interactive map is available here.
It established that 187 establishments (25%) of the Phocaean city were located in the immediate vicinity (less than 50 meters) of an extremely polluted zone, with an average annual level higher than 40 micrograms per m3 (μg / m3), the European norm.
In addition to these schools, 260 schools and kindergartens are affected by annual pollution levels between 30 and 40 μg / m3, which represents "a poor air quality" according to Greenpeace, which recalls that Switzerland has set 30 μg / m3 limit value not to be exceeded.
A first study on the consequences of pollution on children
A study conducted in 17 schools in Marseille in 2016 showed an increase in asthma among 1,200 children surveyed (12.8% of children against 10% in 1999), eczema (25% against 23% in 1999), but especially allergic rhinitis (23% against 13% in 1999). This study, however, pointed out that these health problems could be due to the unhealthy housing of children.
Following this 2016 study, AtmoSud also pointed to an excessively high degree of containment in 80% of schools in Marseille, most of which are not equipped with mechanical ventilation. The city of Marseille has developed a teacher awareness program and offers voluntary schools to install sensors to know when to ventilate classes.