WHAT THE AIR IS
â € ‹â €‹ â € ‹â €‹ â € ‹â €‹ â € ‹Air Quality in Milan
The air quality in the city is the result of the interaction of heterogeneous factors. Various elements, such as the geographical context and weather-climatic conditions, affect the evolution of the concentration of emissions. A further factor element is the source from which the emissions originate.
THE AIR OF MILAN
The particular geographical and meteorological conditions of Milan are a pressure factor for air quality which adds to the role of local emissions.
The presence of the mountain chains that close the Po Valley on three sides affects general circulation, blocks disturbances and winds coming from the North Atlantic and hinders the mixing of air masses.
Le extremely favorable conditions for the accumulation of pollutants, recorded throughout the Po Valley, are not comparable to any other geographical and climatic context in Europe. They mean that the comparison between the air quality in Milan and in other large European cities is generally unfavorable for the Lombard capital, with high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2,5), NO2 and O3 often comparable or higher, also to the values recorded in cities where emissions are higher (Vautard et al., 2007; Cuvelier et al., 2007; EEA, 2007).
THEair pollution it is the first environmental risk factor for the health of the Milanese. In Milan, as in the rest of the Po Valley, it is estimated that each inhabitant loses between 2 and 3 years of life due to exposure to concentrations of air pollutants exceeding the WHO limit values.
Added to the problems linked to exposure to widespread pollutants are: socio-health and economic damage relating to exposure to "proximity traffic", i.e. residence or permanence in areas with high vehicular traffic, characterized by the presence in the atmosphere of "primary" pollutants of considerable toxicity.
They associate themselves with this exhibition health effects acute and chronic, with important socioeconomic costs due to increased mortality and frequency of cardiovascular, pulmonary and respiratory problems, but also for hospital admissions, chronic bronchitis, asthma and use of bronchodilators in children, days of reduced activity and days of work lost.
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MILAN DATA
An analysis of the main pollutants shows that the critical ones for Milan are PM10, PM2,5, NO2 and O3.
The air quality in Milan, although it is very improved in recent years, does not comply with the limit values established by EU and national regulations and by the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines.
Due infringement procedures of the European Commission, which also involve the territory of the Municipality of Milan, have been initiated against Italy for particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). These procedures require the activation of all measures useful for returning to the limit values in the shortest possible time.
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Furthermore, the voluntary subscription by the Mayor of Milan Beppe Sala of the C40 Clean Air Cities Declaration (October 2019) confirms the need to respect those values and those indicated by the World Health Organization Guidelines for the concentrations of PM10, PM2,5, NO2 and ozone.
The Declaration commits the city to identify by 2021 the measures necessary not only to satisfy as soon as possible the limits set by national and European legislation, but also to approach the much more demanding ones set out in the WHO Guidelines. According to the Declaration, the actions necessary to improve air quality must be integrated with the fight against climate change.
The operational response of the Municipality of Milan to the Declaration consists in the implementation of the AIR AND CLIMATE PLAN and specifically in actions dedicated to improving air quality.
Source: AIR AND CLIMATE PLAN
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