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Air pollution is skyrocketing across Britain, France and Southern Europe amid record temperatures and scorching wildfires.
Scientists at the EU Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) warned on Tuesday of unhealthy levels of ozone pollution throughout Southern and Western Europe that could soon affect the northwest.
The World Health Organization has set a surface level ozone exposure limit of 100 micrograms per cubic meter for 8 hours. Southeast England, northern France, and the Benelux region are all currently seeing daily concentrations in excess of 120 micrograms.
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“The impact of this heat wave on air quality is not negligible,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at CAMS.
Ozone pollution occurs when heat and sunlight interact with greenhouse gases such as nitrogen peroxide, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds released during the combustion of fossil fuels.
Ozone production accelerates during heat waves as these chemistries occur faster, Parrington said.
Scientists say ozone pollution increases under climate change. Today, global temperatures are about 1.2 ° C above pre-industrial levels, and heat waves are becoming more frequent and severe.
Surface-level ozone is known to exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular disease and is associated with increased mortality.
Long-term exposure to ozone pollution causes 55,000 premature deaths each year in Europe, according to a 2019 study by the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The study found that climate change could increase mortality rates associated with ozone pollution by 11% in some Central and Southern European countries by 2050. However, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is projected to reduce ozone-related deaths.
Danger of wildfire
Ozone pollution is not the only issue with air quality. Recently, wildfires in Portugal, Spain and France have released suffocating smoke containing fine, inhalable particulate matter known as PM2.5.
“Smoke particles are one of the most toxic forms of particles we can produce,” said Athanasios Nenes, an atmospheric chemist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. “When you breathe them, they increase your chances of getting cancer of all kinds.”
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People who are already suffering from cardiovascular or respiratory illness are also at increased risk of relapse.
In a June 2022 study, researchers at the University of Southern California found that days with extreme heat or extreme particulate air pollution resulted in a 5% to 6% increase in mortality risk, but at the same time extremes. We found a 21% chance of death on the day of the outbreak. With wildfire.
“We need to consider combining public health alerts on air pollution and heat,” said Erica Garcia, co-author of USC public health scientist. “A day of extreme exposure is far more harmful than a day of just one,” she said.