AIR POLLUTION ALERT IN SCHOOLS, ASSOCIATIONS MOBILIZE

Children whose lungs are growing are particularly sensitive to fine particles and therefore strongly affected when their schools are located in polluted urban environments! GREENPEACE and several associations are mobilizing to alert parents. WAIR obviously joins this initiative.

The local GREENPEACE FRANCE group in Lyon is mobilizing with several other associations including ALTERNATIBA, the RESEAU ACTION CLIMAT, etc. to make parents aware of the threat to their children of breathing stale air when they are at school. A punch action was carried out this morning around the Michel Servet school. A human chain was formed and anti-pollution masks were distributed to the children.  Note from WAIR: These masks called "surgeon" or "anti-bacterial" are unfortunately absolutely ineffective against urban pollution but useful for the symbolic. They are intended to protect patients from the postilions of their practitioners, not to filter fine particles, pollens or odors! See our article on the difference between anti-pollution mask and anti-bacterial mask here Located at the entrance to the Croix-Rousse tunnel, this school is particularly in the target when it comes to air quality! PM and NOx levels hit record highs, putting the health of children and staff at risk.

France is a poor student in terms of compliance with the standards imposed by the European Union concerning pollutants. Lyon is one of the worst students in its class, as ALTERNATIBA rightly points out:

"Air pollution is responsible for 48,000 premature deaths per year in France. For the Métropole of Lyon the human and financial cost amounts to 536 deaths per year and 1,200€ per inhabitant. 93% of the Métropole is exposed to annual concentrations that exceed the World Health Organization’s standards for fine particulate matter. The thresholds for other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone are also not met. This is illegal, as European justice recalled on October 24, 2019 by condemning France for non-compliance with European air quality standards, and this since 2010 in a systematic and repeated manner in several targeted cities, including Lyon. "

To visualize the extent of the problem GREENPEACE even established a map of the exposure of all the schools of the Lyon metropolis available here.

Do you feel concerned? You want to know more ? To act ? See you this Tuesday, January 21 at the GREENPEACE conference - PARENTS ACT AGAINST AIR POLLUTION:

https://www.facebook.com/events/605289286971369/611517466348551/?notif_t=admin_plan_mall_activity¬if_id=1579617782949712

More informations about air pollution in schools- Sources :

https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2020/01/21/pollution-la-pietonnisation-des-abords-des-ecoles-fait-son-chemin-dans-la-campagne-des-municipales_6026645_3244.html?fbclid=IwAR1WdQrALumUHTCa5f2fPyPX0VdwavykFutVTKsorwwTceNLTOLXqXveIxk

https://alternatiba.eu/rhone/2020/01/21/alerte-pollution-de-lair-cordon-sanitaire-autour-de-lecole-michel-servet/?fbclid=IwAR1hY4euSsCyOwBdaGgqUqvgVeFP6tWQIGlOsa7WFEGZXcDYL-_-gRZDgc8