Know Your Air For Health - EU Air Pollution Forecasting

World COPD Day this year provides the occasion for the launch of a website for European citizens to check national and local air quality and to learn the steps they can take to minimise any adverse effects.

Launched jointly by European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) and Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), the website “Know Your Air for Health” (www.knowyourairforhealth.eu) is especially tailored to the needs of people suffering from conditions that affect their ability to breathe comfortably during periods of high air pollution. The website also provides information about the current action of the European Union to improve air quality.

“People with respiratory diseases such as asthma, allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suffer much more than others on days when pollution is high,” says Susanna Palkonen of EFA. “We hope this website will help them avoid some of their suffering by helping them to plan their activities to minimise exposure to air pollution.”

Up to one in 10 European adults suffers from COPD and many fear leaving their homes on a day of high pollution. COPD is a major cause of death and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one person dies of asthma every hour in Western Europe.

“Air quality within the European Union is still not good enough to protect health,” says Christian Farrar-Hockley, Senior Policy Advisor at HEAL. “The WHO estimates that the average person within the EU is losing one year of life as a result of poor air quality. The website helps explain the different policies and provides individuals with the opportunity to become involved in the debate. “

Although the European Union has a “Thematic Strategy on Air Quality”, the new ambient air quality directive needs to be effectively implemented if it is to bring significant benefits to people with respiratory diseases.

EFA and its national members, who are partnering in the website project, are writing to health and environment ministers in all EU countries about the entry into force of the new ambient air quality directive (2008/50/EC), highlighting how patients’ groups could significantly contribute to the implementation of this regulation.

By providing susceptible individuals with air pollution forecasts, EFA and HEAL hope to reduce unnecessary suffering, illness, exacerbations of respiratory diseases and hospital admissions due to air pollution.

“It is unacceptable that the most susceptible people cannot be guaranteed clean air at all times - but at least now they can plan their activities and even avoid going out in periods when air pollution is particularly high,” EFA says.

Press Release Supplied By Health4Media.com

 

Page created: 21 November 2008