The toxic air in Romania’s
\ncapital city, Bucharest, has been constantly felt by its residents mainly in
\nthe past five years. Furthermore, recent research is linking the rising
\npollution to a series of health issues. The latest survey in this respect has
\nbeen carried out by a team of 14 experts under the guidance of the Bucharest-based
\nCenter for Pneumology Marius Nasta. The research focuses on the link between
\nthe suspended particles of the PM 2.5 and PM 10 types and patients suffering
\nfrom a series of chronic diseases. As for the pollution caused by the PMs as
\nwell as by other toxic substances such as Nitrogen Dioxide, the Center for Durable
\nPolicies, Ecopolis, through its Aerlive sensor network has drawn certain
\nconclusions presented in the 2023 report on air quality in Bucharest. Here is Oana
\nNeneciu, coordinator of the aforementioned 44 sensor network. <\/p>\n
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Oana Neneciu: Suspended particles are dust powders carrying
\nall sorts of substances, which became airborne and find their way into our
\nrespiratory system, into our lungs. PM10s are actually larger particles, with a
\nlarger diameter, but the PM 2.5s seem to be more toxic as they go directly into
\nour lungs. Out of 266 monitored days, in 101 the admitted level for PM 2.5
\nparticles has been exceeded. Interestingly enough, St. Valentine’s Day, on
\nFebruary 14th was the most polluted day of the year. It seemed that
\neverybody went by car to St. Valentine’s parties. The highest pollution level,
\nhas been registered at the Victor Gomoiu’s Children Hospital, 371 micrograms
\nper cubic meter, right on February 14. Out of the 30 schools and 14 hospitals
\nmonitored, 29 have registered higher PM 2.5 values than the annual average.
\nWhen we are speaking about the PM pollution, the most affected areas aren’t necessarily
\nthose in the city center. The heaviest pollution has been registered on the city’s
\nmost crowded boulevards. 13 out of 14 hospitals have registered an annual
\naverage higher than the maximum value admitted.<\/p>\n
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These exceeded values have been calculated according to the
\nEU directives Romania has adopted and the bad effects they have on human
\nhealth.<\/p>\n
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There are also WHO recommendations concerning the admitted
\nlimit of the suspended particles: in the case of PM 2.5s, the monthly level of
\n5 micrograms per cubic meter must not be exceeded and for PM10s there are
\nannual limits of 15 micrograms per cubic meter per month. Starting from these
\nreference points, the authors of the aforementioned survey, entitled The
\nImpact of Pollution over Chronic Diseases, have for five years studied the
\neffects of higher pollution on patients. Here is physician Beatrice Mahler, director
\nwith the Pneumology Institute<\/p>\n
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Beatrice Mahler:<\/em> We have compared the PMs we have monitored with the
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In the case of cardiovascular diseases, the situation is
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Beatrice Mahler: The monthly 10 micrograms rise per cubic
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So, the expert conclusions are clear: the higher the PM2.5 and
(bill)<\/p>\n
A recent survey conducted by experts has revealed the impact higher pollution levels may have upon a series of illnesses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42997],"tags":[116803,116804,116805,116806,33439],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-623858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-society-today","tag-cardiovascular","tag-illnesses","tag-lungs","tag-pm-2-5","tag-pollution"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nnumber of hospital admissions and we have noticed three types of illnesses:
\nrespiratory, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs). As we have noticed from data gleaned, the period
\nwith the highest pollution level is between the months of March and May.
\nPollution starts in September and rises until November. The exception was the
\nyear 2020, during the emergency situation when people stayed at home, the
\nnumber of admissions to hospitals decreased and industrial activity almost
\nceased. What we obtained from the scientific data assessment is that the
\ninfluence of PM 2.5 and PM 10 causes an average monthly number of hospital admissions
\nfor respiratory illnesses ranging between 1963 and 3825. We have practically
\nhad a rise of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of the average monthly PM 2.5 value
\nand a rise in the number of admissions for respiratory illnesses between 90 and
\n938. Which means the number of sick people rises according to the increased
\npollution level. The number of admissions caused by the PM 10 rise is a little
\nlower because these particles are bigger and don’t go directly into the lungs; the
\nillnesses they cause are rather of the bronchitis type. <\/p>\n
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\nsimilar with the same statistically valid correlation for the number of
\nadmissions, says doctor Beatrice Mahler. <\/p>\n
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\nmeter of PM2.5s causes a rise in the number of hospital admissions for
\ncardiovascular illnesses between 26 and 1392. So the impact is much higher in
\nthe case of cardiovascular diseases, such as hyper blood pressure and heart
\nattacks, all the illnesses treated by our cardiologist colleagues. The PM10 particles
\ncause a lower number of admissions between 25 and 888. I would say that the cerebrovascular
\naccident (CVA) comes as a surprise, not because we didn’t know about the connection
\nbetween neurologic or cerebrovascular illnesses and these particles, but only
\nbecause we took into account only the PM 2.5 particles, not the PM10s. So there are 10 more monthly hospital admissions
\nif the PM levels are higher by 10 micrograms per cubic meter. <\/p>\n
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\nPM10 concentration in Bucharest, the higher the number of hospital admissions
\nfor those suffering from the aforementioned diseases. At the same time, the
\neconomic costs are higher, according to the same survey: the increased PM2.5 concentration can cause hospitalization
\ncosts estimated at a value between 26,500 Euros and 288 thousand Euros per
\nmonth. <\/p>\n
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