Brussels, 17/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Tuesday, the European Commission presented the People research project (Population Exposure to Air Pollutants in Europe) which has as goal to measure the effects of air pollution on human health by focusing on one pollutant: benzene contained in petrol, and on two sources that emit this carcinogenic component: transport and smokers. In the framework of the project, two thousand volunteers adepts of different forms of transport (private cars, public transport, bicycle and walking) will be invited to carry a pollution detector, for twelve hours a day, at most. The evaluation will be made at heavy traffic road junctions, as well as in parks. The results obtained will be compared to those obtained in a group of people working outside their homes or who do not leave homes, and in a group of smokers.
The plan is to measure benzene levels over short periods of time to give an overall snapshot of air pollution in European cities and its impact on public health. The European Research Commissioner, Philippe Busquin, explained in a press release: "A recent independent study reveals that roughly 40,000 people die every year from the effects of air pollution in three European countries alone: France, Austria and Switzerland. It is clear therefore, that air pollution has a long-term negative effect on people's health in general, despite tough EU emissions standards… Such information will not only help policy makers take informed decisions about traffic and transport policies, but also help citizens make informed choices on personal and health issues, to limit their exposure." The PEOPLE Project supports forthcoming EU legislation on benzene, and the Healthy Cities project launched by WHO (World Health Organisation). It will help meet the targets of the EU directive on benzene (Directive 2000/69/EC) that comes into force at the end of the year and will complement the Commission's Environment and Health Research Programmes. Starting in Brussels and Lisbon, the project will be extended to other European cities (including Bucharest, Budapest, Dublin, Krakow, Ljubljana and Madrid).