This is perhaps one of the rare positive effects of the coronavirus pandemic that France is currently going through: containment measures have made it possible to significantly improve air quality in the Paris conurbation, according to an initial assessment Airparif published Wednesday. Over the week of March 16 to 20, compared to other months in March, Airparif noted "an improvement in air quality of the order of 20 to 30% in the Paris metropolitan area, following a drop emissions of more than 60% for nitrogen oxides ”, according to a press release.
"Despite an increase in residential heating, this drop is largely linked to the sharp decrease in road and air traffic", with the implementation of containment since Tuesday noon. "Along the traffic axes, this impact can be even greater," notes the association for monitoring air quality in Ile-de-France. The measurement levels are close to those usually recorded in the parks. "In 40 years of Airparif measurement, this situation has never happened so significantly and on so many stations."
Less visible improvement for fine particles
Concerning fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5), the improvement was not as visible as they "come from more sources". "The decrease in traffic did not compensate for the increase linked to residential heating and the maintenance of agricultural activities, combined with a spring weather favorable to the formation of particles observed in several neighboring regions", details Airparif. NO2 can cause significant inflammation of the respiratory tract, while fine particle pollution can lead to chronic, respiratory or cardiovascular disease or lung cancer in the long term.
"Other good news, this drop in air pollutants is accompanied by a drop in carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas" responsible for global warming, specifies Airparif.
Paris
Coronavirus in Paris: The feeling of breathing cleaner air from your window is very real
Society
Coronavirus LIVE: The government unveils a new version of the exit certificate…
- Covid 19
- Containment
- Pollution
- Coronavirus
- Society
- Paris