Increasing the presence of plants capable of absorbing at least part of the pollutants is one of the least difficult interventions to stem, at least in part, the threats that climate change is bringing (and will bring more and more) to our health
One number, above all, gives a good idea: the World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that starting from 2030 every year 250 thousand people in the world will die from diseases triggered by the consequences of the destruction of our meteorological system. Heat waves, fires, desertification, storms, hurricanes, floods are the best known and most evident outcome of the transformations, together with the atmospheric pollution which, according to the WHO, is due to 7 million premature deaths every year. The catastrophic situation, in the most developed countries and in the poorest ones, as emerges from the reports presented in recent days during the RespiraMi conference, which brought together some of the leading international experts in Milan, organized by the IRCCS Ca ‘Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico and by the Menarini International Foundation.
Breathable air even in summer
The poor quality of the air we breathe responsible for asthma attacks, respiratory failure, bronchitis and pneumonia, increased cases of bronchiolitis in children and the chances of getting pulmonary fibrosis and cancerto the lungs and beyond (it is estimated that 5 out of 100 cancers are due to the environment in which we live, or about 15 thousand new diagnoses every year in Italy) explains Sergio Harari, Head of Internal Medicine and Pneumology at the San Giuseppe Multimedica Hospital in Milan and professor of Internal Medicine at the State University, among the organizers of the conference. But the list of direct and indirect damage to health linked to climate change is very long and includes, for example, a series of infectious diseases that originate from insects (such as Zika o Chikungunya), landed very far from their areas of origin, or thermal stress, which claims many victims especially in cities, among the elderly and among those already suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular or chronic kidney diseases. Even in summer – continues Harari -: with the heat, the concentrations of ozone, associated with other pollutants, make the city air almost as unbreathable in summer as in winter. The fine dust facilitates the remote transport and the penetration of pollen into the airways. Thus with the summer the number of hospital admissions for chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks and respiratory allergies rises, especially in the most at risk groups: children, the elderly and the chronically ill.
Not just lung damage
These are for the more known damages of pollution, to which must be added those involving other organs, starting from heart and vessels. Several studies have now shown how smog affects health by increasing heart attacks, myocardial ischemias, cardiac arrhythmias, venous and arterial thrombosis, diabetes. Less known, but equally alarming, are the data coming from a growing number of researches concerning the most vulnerable people – underlines Francesco Forastiere, of the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London, among the leaders of the Milanese conference -: infants, pregnant women, elderly people. Air pollution has a major impact on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, dementia and Alzheimer’s. The evidence collected is increasingly consistent: fine particles increase the chances of getting sick (and worsen) mental disorders and prolonged exposure to high levels of ozone, carbon monoxide and fine particles PM2.5 in gestation is associated with a reduced birth weight of the newborn. Another little known aspect, but which worries experts a lot, is the impact of fine particles on cognitive development of childrenin addition to the growing body of evidence showing a relationship between pollution and autism. Certainly the European Union is reviewing the legislation on air quality and soon we will have to deal with much more restrictive laws, as indicated by the new WHO guidelines, adds Forastiere.
Public and domestic green
Other possible solutions? Public green spaces and ornamental plants, especially in the most polluted urban areas, can help reduce indoor and outdoor pollution. Among the many benefits of green on health (less anxiety, more physical activity, lower blood pressure) there is also that of not only absorb greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane), but also fine dust and nitrogen dioxide – he clarifies Weather in Pier Mannuccio, researcher at the Policlinico di Milano, also one of the coordinators of RespiraMI -. They realized the benefits not only for its long tradition Japan (forest bathing), but also the two most polluted countries in the world: in fact, both India and China are facing this gigantic problem of theirs also through a plan to increase the surfaces of their territories occupied by woods and forests by a third. Another solid beneficial aspect of greenery is the healthy lifespan. In this regard, a study conducted in Boston on a large number of women has shown that the life expectancy of those who live in areas rich in plants far greater than that of those who live in places with few trees. And then there is the European Green Deal (the European Green Pact), approved in 2019 by the European Commission and financed with 100 billion euros per year, which aims to avoid emissions of all greenhouse gases by 2050. One of the strategies for this purpose and for the recovery of biodiversity is to increase their absorption through the maintenance and enhancement of the European heritage of woods and forests, concludes Mannucci.
July 8, 2022 (change July 8, 2022 | 14:15)
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