Despite criticism, areas with low emissions (ZFE) are of essential importance as effective instruments for public health. Due to the significant reduction in air pollution levels in urban centers, you contribute to reducing the breathing and cardiovascular diseases associated with pollution, which still cause 40,000 early deaths per year in France.
If areas with low emissions (ZFE), whose National Assembly voted for the abolition on Wednesday, May 28th, are likely to create “social bombs”, according to scientists, they are still effective in improving air and public health.
The implementation of ZFE leads to a significant decline in atmospheric pollutant concentrations, including nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particles (PM10 and PM2.5), in the affected cities. In London, for example, the NOX concentration in the ZFE fell by more than 20 %, and the emissions of the fine particles decreased by about 20 %. In Madrid, the particle concentration in the affected area dropped from 23 to 34 %.
“Since 2017 there has been a decline in nitrogen oxide emissions by 42 %, one of the main pollution in connection with road traffic, and of these 42 %, six points are due to the implementation of the ZFE.”
40,000 early deaths in France per year
The deaths from pollution are also one of the reasons that led to the creation of ZFEs. In France, environmental pollution with fine particles (pm2.5) leads around 40,000 premature deaths every year.
And this exhibition also leads to an average loss of life expectancy of almost 8 months in people aged 30 and over. In children, pollution is responsible for 7,000 to 40,000 cases of respiratory diseases per year. In adults from 4,000 to 78,000 cases of respiratory diseases cardiovascular or metabolic (such as diabetes) …