Air Quality: Nitrogen dioxide presents a serious health threat
Diesel cars are a significant source of nitrogen dioxide.
Source: Kara / Fotolia.com |
In many towns and cities in Germany, concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in ambient air are excessively high. This topic has gained considerable attention following the ruling of the German Federal Administrative Court in February 2018, which permits city councils and municipalities to impose bans on diesel powered personal vehicles in order to comply with the EU air quality limit values. A recent study commissioned by the UBA confirms that the current nitrogen dioxide concentrations are associated with adverse health effects: in this respect, according to the statistical assessment for the year 2014, about 6,000 premature deaths, or expressed otherwise, about 50,000 years of life are lost due to premature mortality caused by cardiovascular diseases which are attributable to nitrogen dioxide exposure. In addition to this, an association with diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma was identified in a systematic literature search. In 2014, approximately 14 percent of all asthma cases could be attributed to nitrogen dioxide.
The results of the study were questioned by the media, particularly in the context of the debate about diesel driving bans. Despite the critiques and the well-known and transparently presented limitations of the study, we can still confirm that the results are scientifically plausible. The applied method for calculating the burden of disease attributable to environmental factors was developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is used by several scientific institutions. The underlying epidemiological studies take into account so-called confounders, such as smoking and obesity, in the mathematical models, which can, of course, also contribute to the development of diseases or premature deaths. These risks may cause a greater burden to health than nitrogen dioxide in ambient air, although they are in the responsibility of each individual. The task of environmental policy is to protect the population against the health risks posed by air pollution – after all, everyone breathes air and our air should be healthy and clean for everyone, from the baby to the asthmatic patient who already suffers from respiratory problems. Therefore, the goal must be to finally achieve compliance with the EU air quality limit values for nitrogen dioxide – which have been in force for eight years – in every town and city in Germany.
