The European Commission has just announced plans for an overhaul of laws on regulating outdoor air pollution. 2013 will be designated as the “Year of Air” and is expected to see major legislative reviews on the EU Ambient air quality law and the National Emissions Ceilings Directive.

With the support of member organisations’ expertise and resources, HEAL will continue to voice the concerns of the health and medical community, and vulnerable groups in these debates. Ambitious measures on reducing air pollution will help strengthen the economy. HEAL will also continue to highlight the linkages with EU climate change policy as well as indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

At the same time, HEAL will continue to voice its call for an EU Green Paper on indoor air quality, as a way to achieving a harmonised framework on indoor air. HEAL brings the voice of the health community as well as citizens to the DG SANCO Expert Group on Indoor Air Quality through its membership. We also continue to raise awareness with the general public on the need for healthy indoor environments.

HEAL aims to:

• Ensure that health impacts and standards are incorporated in EU air quality laws that reflect the needs of vulnerable populations and are based on World Health Organisation’s new Air Quality Guidelines (AQG);
• Contribute to a coordinated EU policy on indoor air quality to protect public health in particular in public spaces and for those most vulnerable in close collaboration with HEAL member organizations working on the issue.

Previous News on our policy work

Spotlight on Health and Clean Air

On 19 March, HEAL and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) co-organised the Spotlight on Health and Clean Air event at the EP which shed further light on air pollution and the measures that Europe needs in order to tackle this invisible killer. Read more...

Indoor air quality: results from EU research projects

Results from two EU funded research projects (HealthVent, SINPHONIE) shed light on the neglected policy issue of indoor air quality. Europeans spend the majority of their time indoors, and many EU policies influence the quality of the air we breathe inside. During the 2013 Year of Air, HEAL works to build support for an EU strategy to ensure clean air everywhere. Read more...

NGOs set strategic priorities on air quality

Sixty environmental, health and citizens’ NGOs from across the EU urge the European Commission to come forward with three priority actions to put the EU on track for cleaner air. The adoption of ambitious emission reduction commitments in the revised NEC Directive, sector legislation to cut emissions from all major sources; and enforcement and strengthening of ambient air quality limit values are crucial to improve health and environment. Read more...

Air pollution increases chances of low birth-weight babies

A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives reveals that air pollution in towns and cities increases the chances of women giving birth to small babies. Pollution from particulate matter has been linked with up to a 10% risk increase of low-weight babies. Read more …

HEALer Anne Stauffer receives a Clean Air London 2013 Award for her tireless work on air quality

Environmental campaign group Clean Air in London (CAL) has awarded a number of individuals, including HEAL’s Deputy Director Anne Stauffer in recognition of their work to improve air quality in the capital. The Awards recognise 24 people who have made a valuable personal contribution to improving air quality in London. Read more …

Aphekom WP5 paper on health benefits of reducing urban air pollution

The APHEKOM project aimed to provide new, clear and useful information on the health effects of air pollution in Europe. It assessed the health and monetary benefits of reducing short and long term exposure to PM and ozone in 25 European cities. Read more...

Air pollution ranked as top health risk factor in Europe

The new Global Burden of Disease (GBD) assessment, released in a special issue of the leading British medical journal, The Lancet showed that outdoor air quality has been recognised as a top level risk for public health. Read more...

EU Year of Air: strengthening EU legislation to reduce health impacts from air pollution

The 2013 EU Year of Air provides great opportunities to improve public health as the Commission gears up to review EU air legislation and put forward new proposals later this year. HEAL and other stakeholders discussed what needs to be done at an international conference organised by the European Commission (EC), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Health Effects Institute. Read more...

Indoor air quality: launch of EU health-based ventilation guidelines

On 20 February, the HealthVent consortium will launch health-based ventilation guidelines for Europe. At the event in the EP, participants will also discuss the significance of ventilation guidelines for EU policies on health, air quality, energy, eco-design and buildings and consumer products. Read more...

New Eurobarometer: Attitudes of Europeans towards air quality

Europeans are increasingly concerned about air pollution in their countries. A recent Eurobarometer survey carried out by the European Commission highlights the views of the European public on matters of air quality and air pollution. Read more...

Air Quality in the spotlight in 2013

2013 as the EU Year of Air will include a series of expert meetings, consultations and EU research results to assess the significant public health problems and costs linked to air pollution, and contribute to policy revisions expected later in the year. HEAL will participate in the high-level kick-off event on 8 January 2013, organised by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), followed by an air quality & health conference organised by the EU Commission, World Health Organisation (WHO) and the US Health Effects Institute at the end of the month. Read more...

Exposure to traffic air pollution in early years damages lung function in children

A new study of the leading Karolinska Institute of Environmental Medicine in Sweden highlights that exposure to ambient air pollution from traffic during infancy is associated with lung function deficits in children up to eight years of age. Children sensitised to common allergens are particularly vulnerable. Read more …

HEAL Policy Workshop on Air Quality

At least half a million people die every year in the European Union due to air pollution. Higher rates of chronic cardiovascular and respiratory disease create economic costs as well as individual suffering. A HEAL policy workshop on air quality featured upcoming policy developments, new scientific evidence from recent research projects, a real time monitoring of air pollution in Brussels and best practice examples from public campaigns targeting air pollution in cities. Read more …

EEA shows city population at highest risk

The new report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on the air quality situation in Europe in 2012 confirms that many parts of Europe still have persistent problems with particulate matter (PM) and ozone concentration levels. The situation is especially worrying for those living in cities where almost a third of the population is exposed to levels above EU air quality standards. When compared to stricter WHO air quality guidelines, almost every European living in a city is exposed to concentrations harmful to health. Read more ...

How is indoor air quality in your school?

The EU funded SINPHONIE project will soon launch results on the indoor air quality situation in schools and health effects on children. In this first ever European wide monitoring, 40 participating scientists carried out fieldwork in 118 schools in 24 countries, involving around 350 classrooms with 8000 students. HEAL is a member of the SINPHONIE advisory board and participated in the final meeting in Hungary. Read more …

Policy Workshop: EU Year of Air – how can we reduce air pollution to improve health?
While there have been some improvements in air quality in Europe, air pollution continues to be a massive public health problem, which is responsible for nearly half a million deaths each year in the European Union alone. On 13 September, HEAL is organising a policy workshop for an exchange on health effects of air pollution, on what is being planned for the EU Year of Air 2013 and on how groups can become involved in EU policy decisions for cleaner air. Learn more...

NGOs urge enforcement on air quality
HEAL and over 25 other NGOs urge commissioner Potočnik to take immediate action against those Member States who are breaching their obligations to comply with limit values set by the EU’s ambient air quality legislation. Every day, in many places across the EU, the limits for particulate matter (PM10) continue to be breached although EU legislation entered into force more than seven years ago. Learn more...

HEAL backs 10 guiding principles and call to tackle an invisible killer
HEAL supports European lung experts’ recommendations for stronger EU air quality legislation and calls on EU and national leaders to respond to this public health threat by also adopting more ambitious climate policies. The 10 guiding principles of the European Respiratory Society are relevant not only for air quality but also for climate policy. Learn more…

EU leadership for pollution reduction needed

HEAL and other organisations urge European leaders to take all necessary steps towards an ambitious revision of the Gothenburg Protocol on air pollution, which will have major implications for the future of EU air quality. As negotiations on the protocol draw to an end, the EU should go ahead on ambitious reduction commitments. For a high ambition level, the benefits would outweigh the costs 55 times. Learn more…

Act now or face costly consequences, warns OECD

Environment and health groups are alarmed by the OECD’s prediction that urban air pollution will be the top environmental cause of mortality worldwide by 2050, ahead even of dirty water and lack of sanitation. The OECD outlook examines past trends and projects future trends if new policies are not introduced to reduce these risks. Learn more …

Previous actions taken

EU public consultation on options for revision of the EU Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution and related policies
All stakeholders and interested parties are invitied to contribute with their views on the review of the EU’s Thematic Strategy on Air Pollution and identify options for a comprehensive air pollution policy package that would aim to ensure full implementation of the existing legal framework and make further progress to reduce the negative impacts of air pollution in the long term - Deadline 4 March 2013

Capture the invisible for the EEA photo story competition

A competition has been created by the European Environment Agency (EEA) inviting participants to tell a story about Europe’s air in three pictures. The aim is to raise awareness of the importance of air quality. The competition is open to all citizens of European Union Member States and several other countries which cooperate with the EEA. Participants must submit three pictures and a short text which tells a story about air, choosing one of four themes: air and health; air and technology; air and nature; and air and cities. Deadline for submissions is 7 October. Act now!