EuroparlTV investigates the damage caused by fine particles in Paris, where air pollution is to blame for cutting life expectancy by six months.

Reporter: Air pollution in Europe

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16157484/m003-0229-en.srt

At a time when the spotlight  is on greenhouse gases

EuroparlTV investigates another problem  which is just as damaging, air pollution.

In Paris, it's to blame for a reduction  in life expectancy of over six months.

You have to climb up high  to notice the phenomenon

and to observe the layer of air pollution  floating over the city of Paris.

Made up of many chemical elements  scarcely known to us mere mortals,

like nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide,  PM10 or PM2.5 particles,

the pollution present in the air  is poisoning those who breathe it.

In Paris, over 70 monitoring stations  like this are spread all across the city.

They measure the pollution present  in the air.

We can see here the level of, for  example, nitrogen dioxide in this station.

It fluctuates a lot over time  according to the traffic passing by.

which is 104 micrograms per cubic  metre. These are real-time readings.

The idea is to compare them  to annual maximum levels,

the annual average is about  70 micrograms per cubic metre

for nitrogen dioxide,  whereas legislation only allows 40.

The fine particles  emitted by diesel engines

This is what it looks like  after a day spent close to motor traffic.

It's totally black. France is being  taken to the European Court of Justice

for excessive concentrations  of fine particles in the air

It's a real health time bomb,  as confirmed to us by this doctor

involved in the fight  against respiratory illnesses.

We know that these are factors  in the increase

such as chronic obstructive  pulmonary disease, asthma illnesses,

and, for particles, probably lung cancer.

Road traffic is responsible for a lot of it.

It's the top source of pollution  in Ile-de-France,

with over half of nitrogen oxide emissions

and also about a third of direct emissions  of particles linked to road traffic.

By 2013 the European Commission  should set out new standards

with the aim of improving air quality  in the Union.

For this MEP, a former  environment minister in France,

Diesel is the source  of all our problems with fine particles.

It's the reason why we don't meet  EU legislation.

But it also means traffic restrictions.  I think we have to go that way.

The Mayor of Paris  wanted to take the initiative.

He unveiled his plan  to improve air quality in Ile-de-France.

Among the proposed measures  was a ban on old vehicles

and a reduction of 10km/h in the maximum  speed limit on the Paris ring road.

Our investigation led us to a representative  of a motoring organisation.

There's a measure that says  that driving in Paris should be banned

The percentage of vehicles  over 17 years old in France is only 3%.

belong to people of modest means  who can't afford to change their car.

It's an antisocial measure  with little effect on pollution.

Back to our monitoring station  in the heart of Paris

to understand better  that the problem of air pollution

must also be considered  at European level.

The reason is simple.  Pollution doesn't stop at national borders.

On a day-to-day basis we can see  particle levels that vary a lot

because of already-polluted air masses  coming from the north or east of Europe.

In a station like this one  that's close to road traffic,

we could have  up to 40% of particles measured

which came from imports from  other regions or even other countries.

The latest studies show  that air pollution in Paris

is reducing the life expectancy  of residents by over six months

and generates healthcare costs  of several million euros per year.