Personal Health

The Federal environment Agency calls for stricter limit values for fine dust

The Federal environment Agency (UBA) urges stricter limits for fine dust. Authorities boss Maria Krautzberger pointed out in the “süddeutsche Zeitung” on the recommendations of the world health organization (WHO). “We are also in the Federal environment Agency, see the risks due to high concentrations of fine dust,” said the UBA President with a view to the health hazards. Therefore, your authority to believe that a “discussion about stricter limits” for “required”.

The dangers posed by fine dust, the vehicles in connection with the debate on emissions of nitrogen oxides from diesel and the threat of driving bans in numerous cities more and more into consciousness.

2.4 years of life, less air pollution

Also, the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, had confirmed on Tuesday in a opinion, although the dangers of nitrogen oxides, fine dust, however, as the far more serious Problem. Therefore, there needed to be additional efforts to reduce the concentrations of fine dust in the air, demanded the scientist.

Also, the WHO is currently considering, according to the report a tightening of their guidelines for fine dust. There is evidence of health effects at even lower concentrations than previously thought, it said. Fine dust is considered to be a cause for diseases of the circulatory system, lung cancer and Diabetes. The EU limit values for fine dust be observed in Germany as a rule. However, they are approximately twice as high as recommended by the WHO.

“We appreciate the reduction in the lifetime of air pollutants in Germany to 2.4 years of life,” said Jos Lelieveld, Director at the Max-Planck-Institute for chemistry in the “süddeutsche”. Of these, 20 per cent went to the account of the traffic. According to the findings of the Leopoldina, the mortality rate in Europe is on the rise due to the fine dust load by seven per cent.