Portal de Lorca
www.portaldelorca.com
Ecologists in Action has reported to the Lorca City Council and the Directorate General of Environment and Mar Menor the serious episode of tropospheric ozone pollution in Lorca, chaining three consecutive days of exceedances of the octohorary target value for the protection of human health (120 micrograms of ozone per cubic meter of air (μg / m3)), on July 10, 11 and 12:
July 10 133 μg / m3
July 11 173 μg / m3
July 12 170 μg / m3
In addition, for the first time since several years in Lorca, the same day 11 has exceeded the threshold of information whose hourly limit value is 180 micrograms per cubic meter.
Ecologists in critical Action that, despite these days chaining surpasses the objective value of health protection and the Threshold of Information, the General Directorate of Environment and Mar Menor has been limited to reflecting it on its website of air quality, and the City of Lorca has not activated the anti-pollution framework protocol in the municipality.
Therefore, the environmental organization denounces the lack of concern and diligence of the local and regional administration when dealing with this significant problem of air quality deterioration.
The regulation on ozone Royal Decree 102/2001, establishes information thresholds of 180 micrograms per cubic meter, a warning threshold of 240 μg / m3 and an objective value for the protection of human health of 120 micrograms per cubic meter for the maximum of the octohorary means [1] of the day, which should not be exceeded more than 25 days per calendar year.
This legal limit has become obsolete, since the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2005, has lowered the target value of protection of human health from 120 to 100 micrograms per cubic meter based on the weight of new scientific evidence available on the incidence of this pollutant on health.
The effect of tropospheric ozone
Tropospheric ozone, also known as "bad" ozone as opposed to ozone at high levels in the atmosphere (stratosphere), is a secondary pollutant produced by the reaction between sunlight and nitrogen dioxide and hydrocarbons emitted by automobiles. and some industries.
The WHO estimates 1,800 premature deaths per year in Spain as a result of exposure to high levels of ozone.
It causes an increase in the risk of acute respiratory diseases and reduction of lung function, as well as the worsening of cardiovascular pathologies.
Certain groups of people are especially sensitive to ozone when doing outdoor activities: children, adults doing intense physical exercises, people with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and older people.
Ozone pollution also affects vegetation and crops, damages forests and urban parks and reduces crop productivity
A change of direction of the regional and local administration is necessary for the application of effective measures that provide a solution to this serious environmental and public health problem.
We need to increase the number of fixed stations of air quality measurements for a better diagnosis of the regional dynamics of ozone behavior, greater control of industrial and traffic emissions, and above all urgent measures to reduce emissions of air pollutants. ozone precursors produced by industrial activities and road traffic.
In addition Ecologists in Action claims that in the New Strategies of Air Quality, which has been raised by the Directorate General of Environment and Mar Menor for the coming years, develop a Specific Plan for Control and minimization of tropospheric Ozone emissions .
Source: Ecologistas en Acción
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