The present air quality in our region is association with a reduction in life expectancy of more than 13 months on average. In children a reduction in lung function has been diagnosed up to 1.5 km away from a motorway. A study in California among newly-born infants born after 40 weeks of pregnancy demonstrated that mothers who had been exposed to relatively high PM2,5 concentrations, (> 18.4 µg/m³) during pregnancy on the basis of where they were living had a 26% greater risk of giving birth to a child that was too small in relation to the term of pregnancy compared with mothers exposed to concentrations of less than 11,9 µg/m3.4 A large-scale study of 5.000 people indicated a higher risk of hardening of the coronary arteries among persons living close (less than 200 m) to a busy traffic route in comparison with those living further (more than 200 m) away from it. 5 The fact that air pollution is not only bad for our lungs, but also leads to heart and vascular diseases, was also clearly demonstrated in experimental or toxicological research where mice were exposed to realistic amounts of particulate matter for an extended period of time.6

 

We get ill not only from higher than average values but also from peak levels of particulate matter. We can identify particulate matter peaks from the smog alarm, but excessively high particulate matter concentrations also occur when there is no smog alarm. During windless periods all locally-produced pollution remains hanging in the lower parts of the atmosphere which results in us living and breathing in a large cloud of dust. Weather-related peaks of air pollution by particulate matter are associated with a limited yet statistically significant excess mortality, especially in summer. Thus we have calculated that in Flanders 630 persons die annually as a result of particulate matter concentrations above 20 µg/m³. Twenty µg/m³ was once the aim of the European particulate matter policy, but this objective has been jettisoned. European regulation, which currently uses standards that are considerably higher than those of the World Health Organisation, stipulates that we may have a maximum of 35 overruns of 50 µg/m³ per year. We do not meet this standard at present and no improvement is expected in the coming decade. This is, of course, not surprising when we see how the mantra of ‘Developing Flanders into a logistics centre’ prevails. Take, for example, the Deurganckdok, where the full capacity cannot (yet) be used because the roads to and from the harbour are congested and therefore this project means that new roads have to be built. The controversial Oosterweel connection must allow the additional thousands of containers to be transported into the European interior. This has not been well received by some, not only because of the traffic-related exposure in and above the Antwerp inner city. Of course there is more to it, including sound effects which are often not discussed, and what about the shade which such an infrastructure will cause in a city district?

 

Obviously the air quality issue is a much broader issue than the Oosterweel discussion. Although government supports research into the effects of particulate matter on health, public authorities lack the drive to take on responsibilities in respect of environmental policy and, as licensing authority, to take health as starting point. From a health perspective it is actually very strange that diesel is cheaper than petrol and that an LPG driver has to pay an annual LPG levy. Local authorities are often very slack when dealing with outdoor burning of rubbish, which is undoubtedly an important source of particulate matter. The converse of course is that we all have to accept our responsibility, in addition to the need for additional technologies that must lead to clean incineration.