Air Quality News reports, “Air pollution responsible for half of childhood asthma cases in Barcelona”
Air pollution is responsible for nearly half of all childhood asthma cases in Barcelona, according to research published by the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal).
Asthma is the most common chronic childhood disease, and although it is known to be linked to air pollution, this is the first study to assess the link between asthma and the three pollutants: nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC).
‘Barcelona urgently needs interventions to reduce the amount of motor-vehicle traffic, which has a negative impact on the health of the city’s children.
‘Reducing traffic does not only reduce air pollution but also reduce noise and heat island effects and increases physical activity which is all beneficial to health.’