40,000 Premature Deaths Annually in France, due to Outdoor Air Pollution

An ambitious project to fight air pollution in France. In 2011, Paris and five other French cities will ban old diesel cars, 4X4s and trucks. On paper these cities will be called Zapa, that is, Priority Zones for Action against Air Pollution.

But in reality, the new plans will be much more complicated than just giving new names. While 4X4 owners can afford to buy other cars, those owning old vehicles may feel penalized. These are the areas where the economically lower classes of the French society live. Most of them belong to the immigrant communities from French colonies in Africa and the Maghreb. Summer and winter, they breathe polluted air. Which law makers say, leads to another dilemma. According to official figures: 40000 people die each year in France due to health problems caused by pollution.

Autoroute A1 - Saint-denis, Paris AQI: Autoroute A1 - Saint-denis, Paris Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI).

51	Moderate Updated on Friday 15:00 temperature: 21°C

current		past 2 days	min	max
PM2.5 AQI	51		51	93
PM10 AQI	40		29	56
NO2 AQI	24		8	33
Weather Information
Temp.	21		5	21
Pressure	1018		1018	1030
Humidity	30		30	97
Wind	3		1	6

Read the full article here.

Also see

• Green roofs in Paris
• Balloons to indicate pollution levels in Paris
• Air quality in Paris