More than three quarters of the population of the central Île-de-France region are "highly" exposed to both noise pollution and atmospheric pollution, according to new maps carried out by two observatories.
Nearly ten million Île-de-France residents – that's 80 percent of the population of this region – are "affected by simultaneous exposure to noise and atmospheric pollution at levels which greatly exceed the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organisation).
The findings are contained in a report published on Tuesday by Bruitparif, the noise observatory in Ile-de-France, and Airparif, an association responsible for monitoring air quality in Île-de-France.
The organisations published a new combination of maps containing data gathered between 2020-2022.
They show that in 487 of the 1,276 towns across the Île-de-France region, more than half of the population is exposed simultaneously to degraded air quality and significant levels of noise.
In the study, the authors specified that a large part of these communities are located in the heart of Paris, the inner suburbs and particularly those located near the airports.
This double pollution is very strong close to the ring roads and major roads around Paris, while "the situation is slightly better" near the wooded areas on the outskirts of Paris, such as Vincennes and Boulogne.
Premature deaths
The report mentions on the other hand that "almost the entire population is relatively spared" by the simultaneous pollution of the air and noise pollution in 316 communities.
Some communities are mainly affected by noise pollution but less by air pollution, the report found. These include municipalities located near railway lines in the southern half of the Île-de-France region.
Bruitparif points out that noise pollution "leads to discomfort, disrupts sleep, increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or diabetes, and reduces learning capacity."
According to Airparif, air pollution is linked to the development of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and lung cancer, leading to a drop in life expectancy and an increase in mortality.
"It is responsible for 7,900 premature deaths per year in Île-de-France."
(with AFP)
