They cannot leave the house because of the stinking and unbreathable air. Even when they are stuck in their homes, they risk getting sick, because the walls themselves are saturated, to the point that… An “unbearable and potentially harmful” stench from nearby pig farms Poultry enters through the nostrils, attaches itself to us, and never leaves. Nearly two weeks ago residents crota dada, A town with a population of 600 in the Cremona region, they live in a kind of voluntary isolation because from the vast area of agricultural land adjacent to their homes comes a stench that would have caused many people Vomiting, difficulty breathing, dizziness, swollen eyes and headache.
The Po Valley is among the most polluted areas in Europe
For those who live there, coexistence within the limits of livability is not even new according to the classification published this year by the European Environment Agency (EEA). This puts Cremona – world-famous for its violins and Stradivarius – in first place Fourth to last place in Europe in terms of air quality. While in the last report Bad air in Legambiente The city of violin is not far from Milan. A bolt of blue for those living in other latitudes. To the extent that The guard reports Headline: “It’s impossible to live like this: Italy’s Po Valley hits hard.” Air pollution among the worst in Europe. He cites the case of Crota Dada, caught between pollution from industry and cars and waste from farm animals. Cristiano Magnani told the British newspaper: “It is impossible to live like this. You cannot go out, and you cannot do anything.” Even your home is no longer safe because the smell permeates everywhere It lasts for weeks. The icing on the cake is that we live in an area surrounded by all the things that cause pollution. Around Crota Dada there are many pig and poultry farms, hence the pig and poultry farms The feces turn into fertilizer Before covering it with a thick layer of agricultural land in what is called the “sludge spreading” process.
Premature deaths due to pollution, the highest in Cremona
But Crota d’Adda is just the tip of the iceberg of the environmental situation in the Po Valley, “far from the coast, with little wind, and naturally exposed to pollution”, making it one of the worst areas in Europe. According to the European Environment Agency, poor air quality in 2020 will be linked to… 50,303 premature deaths in Italy. While most of it happened in Milan, Cremona was the Italian province with the highest death toll – Between 150 and 200 per 100,000 inhabitants – due to fine particulate matter, PM2.5. “No organ in the body is immune to PM2.5, so we deal with all types of cancer, respiratory diseases, fertility problems and even cardiovascular diseases,” ISDE representative Maria Grazia Petronio told The Guardian. Physicians for the Environment.
98% of Europeans breathe toxic air
but this is not all. The British newspaper makes matters worse by emphasizing how to do this “98% of the ancient continent’s population breathes toxic air.” He described the situation as: “A serious public health crisis.” The analysis, based on data collected using sophisticated methodology (detailed satellite images and measurements from more than 1,400 ground monitoring stations), reveals a harsh picture: 98% of people live in areas with extremely harmful fine particulate matter. Pollution exceeds WHO guidelines. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds of Europeans live in areas where air quality is more than twice the WHO guidelines.
Causes of Pollution
Traffic, industry, home heating and agriculture They are the main sources of PM2.5. Poor communities often feel the impact disproportionately. According to thefrom, The concentration of these particles, which mainly result from the combustion of fossil fuels, must not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter. But only 2% of the population lives in areas that meet these criteria. In most parts of the Po Valley, the situation is extremely dangerous, with average particulate matter levels remaining around four times the maximum allowed by the World Health Organization. It is not only the industrial centers of Turin and Milan that suffer the worst, but also rural areas where fine particles accumulate even if they are produced in other cities.
Maione: “Lombardy invested 19 billion”
Faced with a disturbing picture to say the least, LEnvironmental Advisor for the Lombardy Region, Giorgio Maioni Repeat i “Good progress in recent years In an attempt to reduce pollution,” he stressed, stressing that the region is making a “huge effort” but that it is impossible to achieve the EU’s 2030 air quality targets due to its unfavorable geographical location. “We are not against the targets, we are demanding a different approach, e.g. Extension of time. Even the European Union says the goal is technologically unachievable today, even with the best existing technologies, without stopping the use of all cars, closing companies and all our production activities and eliminating livestock. Over the past decade, the PM10 level in Lombardy, a region with a population of more than 10 million, has gradually decreased, and the number of days on which the 50 mg/m3 limit has been exceeded has decreased thanks to measures such as traffic restrictions, More environmentally friendly heating systemsThat is, financial incentives to encourage people to improve home insulation, as well as those targeting the agricultural sector. Mayone finally confirmed this Lombardy invested 19 billion euros in these measures between 2018 and 2022mostly to improve mobility-related infrastructure.
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