Each year in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, nearly 4,300 deaths are estimated to be attributable to public exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 2,000 deaths to exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO₂: a marker pollutant for traffic-related pollution). The results, broken down across several subregional scales, underscore the importance of continuing efforts to reduce air pollution by addressing all sources of pollution. They help raise public awareness and support local stakeholders in implementing public policies aimed at improving air quality.

Air pollution has proven health effects

Santé publique France has reassessed the burden of air pollution on annual mortality in metropolitan France for the period 2016–2019. Each year, nearly 40,000 deaths are estimated to be attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) among people aged 30 and older. Air pollution has proven health effects and remains the leading environmental risk factor in France and worldwide.

Air pollution can have short-term health effects (irritation symptoms, coughing, eye irritation, etc.) or even worsen the symptoms of a pre-existing condition, but daily exposure to air pollution over several years—and particularly to fine particulate matter—promotes the development of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and neurological diseases, as well as cancers. These effects have major repercussions on people’s quality of life.

A preliminary quantitative assessment of the health impacts of air pollution in the region

Quantitative health impact assessment (EQIS) makes it possible to account for the consequences of air pollution by calculating the “burden” that air pollution places on various health outcomes (mortality, hospital admissions for respiratory or cardiovascular causes). This assessment thus makes it possible to quantify the expected health benefits of improved air quality. This is a major issue in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, France’s second-most populous region,¹ where regulatory limits are exceeded in several areas and where the majority of the regional population remains exposed to air pollution levels higher than those recommended by the WHO.

In September 2021, the World Health Organization published new guidelines for ambient air quality with guideline values significantly lower than those in effect (published in 2005) at the time this study was conducted. This assessment reports on the old reference values while also mentioning the new ones.

What are the health consequences of air pollution for the region’s residents?

Each year in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, nearly 4,300 deaths are estimated to be attributable to population exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and 2,000 deaths to exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2: a tracer pollutant for traffic-related pollution), representing 7% and 3% of total annual mortality, respectively. However, these two figures cannot be added together because some of the deaths may be attributed to combined exposure to both pollutants.

This study also estimates that nearly 200 lung cancers, 780 strokes, and 550 emergency room visits for asthma in children are attributable to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5). For people aged 65 and older, 900 hospitalizations for cardiovascular causes and 240 hospitalizations for respiratory causes are estimated to be attributable to ozone.

Reducing air pollution: a major public health challenge

Although pollution levels (with the exception of ozone) have decreased significantly in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the results of this study show that ambient air pollution remains a major health concern for the region’s population. Certain areas remain more affected: major urban areas, the Rhône and Saône valleys, the Alpine valleys, and, for ozone exposure, the southern part of the region. However, any reduction in pollution, regardless of the area—urban, suburban, or rural—will yield health benefits for the population. Thus, efforts to reduce ambient air pollution must be sustained over the long term across all sources of pollution, with progress that is appropriate yet ambitious.

Making these results available at various levels of action (region, departments, priority zones, EPCIs, and municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants) aims to inform territorial assessments and provide local stakeholders with the necessary tools to implement public policies for improving air quality.

Beyond the health benefits associated with reduced exposure to pollutants, actions carried out within a health-promoting urban planning context can yield significant co-benefits regarding other health determinants (noise, heat islands, social cohesion, physical activity, etc.).