While the health impacts of air pollution are well-documented in scientific studies, this factor has not been recognized in Polish medical diagnoses as a primary cause of health issues until a breakthrough case last year. As highlighted by HEAL in Poland in May 2023, an eleven-year-old boy, Maciek (name changed), suffered for most of his life from a persistent cough, shortness of breath, and frequent infections, all of which worsened during the heating season. After a prolonged struggle by Maciek’s parents to find the true cause of his health issues, a conclusive opinion was finally issued, stating: “suspected bronchial hyperreactivity/allergy due to air pollution.”
The European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety is currently considering the proposal to revise the EU’s ambient air quality directives (AAQD), a cornerstone for the protection of people’s health and the environment from air pollution.
Today, HEAL, together with the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), the European Respiratory Society (ERS), the International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM), Mutualités Libres/Onafhankelijke Ziekenfondsen, the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients Associations (EFA) and the Standing Committee of European Doctors (CPME) has written to members of the committee, urging them tostep up on the European Commission’s proposal, to reduce ill-health and health cost swiftly and significantly.
Read the full letter here
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