MED-PARTICLES, on the last Public Service Review

One-page dissemination paper about MED-PARTICLES is just been published on Public Service Review, Issue 25 at page 358.

European air quality standards are under revision, and a new directive will be delivered by the European Union (EU) in the next few years. As part of this, the EU has indicated several specific issues of concern: the extent of health effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) concentrations in Europe, the geographical distribution and related health effects of Saharan dust episodes and forest wildfires, the relative toxicity of different PM components and sources, and their distribution across the Mediterranean area. These issues are especially relevant in Southern Europe, an area characterised by specific peculiarities, such as highly urbanised areas with intense traffic congestion, and elevated sea traffic enhanced formation of secondary pollutants owing to intense solar radiation, high frequency of wildfires and Saharan dust advection episodes.

The project MED-PARTICLES: ‘Particles size and composition in Mediterranean countries: geographical variability and short-term health effects’ aims at addressing all these aspects, demonstrating the feasibility of an integrated health assessment. Experienced epidemiological institutions in Italy, Spain, Greece and France are partners of the project, together with experts in atmospheric chemistry, measurements and modelling.