The air pollution in Brabant gets worse and the lifespan of people in Brabant is shortened by an average of one year. Three Brabant GGD departments conclude based on their research. The GGD calls for more measures by the province and municipalities.
Shorter life span by a year
The research into the air quality of the Brabant GGD is based on data from 2019. The GGD calculated on the basis of this data that people from Brabant live an average of 358 days shorter due to air pollution in the province. For example, for one in five children, air pollution is the cause of their asthma. More than one in five adults over the age of forty has cardiovascular disease due to air pollution.
Causes and measures
Although, road traffic is the biggest polluter everywhere in the province. The cause of air pollution varies throughout Brabant. In West Brabant, the industry is also a major source of pollution. In East Brabant, this applies to agriculture. There, the air quality in the province is also the worst.
At the end of last year, many parties also stood up for improving air quality. The Brabant Environmental Federation wrote to the province of Brabant with the request to pay more attention to clean air. The letter was also signed by the ANWB, the Lung Fund, Natuurmonumenten, Brabants Landschap and a number of other organizations.
Clean Air Agreement
According to the GGD, municipalities can achieve this by participating in the Clean Air Agreement. In the Clean Air Agreement, the government, provinces and municipalities work together to improve air quality. Eindhoven participates in this agreement however not all other municipalities in Brabant are currently part of the agreement.
Source :Omroep Brabant
Translated by :Shanthi Ramani
