What we know from “436,000 Europeans yearly dying early from particulate matter alone: Air audit underway” that long-term exposure to fine particulate matter pollution kills roughly 436,000 Europeans a year sooner than what would have occurred had these people not succumbed from fine particulate matter’s effects.
What I don’t understand is why in the European Union (EU) the European Court of Auditors when it presumably fully knows the region has an air pollution problem, has initiated an audit for, what?, the purpose possibly of getting a better handle on polluted air in the six European-based countries of Stuttgart, Germany; Krakow, Poland; Ostrava, Czech Republic; Sofia, Bulgaria; Milan, Italy; and Brussels, Belgium, well, it is a little hard to get one’s head around, frankly. Come on, what other information is needed to tell one that there are places in Europe hampered by polluted air and the effect that is having on citizens breathing in the toxic brew long-term which practically goes without saying, the corresponding result, of course, being hundreds of thousands early succumbing from air pollution’s dire effects yearly. How much more of a graphic picture does one need?! Maybe that’s the purpose of the air quality audit already initiated – who knows?!
What I know about audits is as follows.
A company I once worked for had an audit conducted on the truck the crew I was assigned to, used. It went something like this: the truck was fully evaluated for defects, missing materials and equipment and whether it was up to snuff, operationally.
The result, corresponding work was performed according to what was specified in the audit. And, the rest is history.
But, honestly. Is an air-quality audit really necessary? What can be learned by such that isn’t known already?
So, consider that we know: 1) there’s pollution – that part is obvious; and 2) air pollution causes harm – some of the harm that’s already been done is irreversible. So, what else is there?
Forgoing that, how about we get rolling and clean the miasmic mess up before more people have to experience what those who have already left the earth have on account of lack of big-time mitigating and corrective action?
What, fighting pollution doesn’t deserve our attention?! What, the situation isn’t serious enough to warrant addressing?! Someone please tell me exactly what is holding us back from nipping this problem in the bud once and for all. I would really like to know. We just can’t keep pumping pollutants into the atmosphere as if it is a bottomless pit. It’s not. The airborne crud doesn’t stay there indefinitely, you know. Much of it is being breathed in.
And, then there is the fallout. It is showing up in the lungs of people and animals. It is showing up in the bloodstreams of the like as well in many cases. Damage from such to lungs, hearts and even brains, has been documented through countless scientific, medical and other related conducted studies. I could go on and on about ones performed, though I do not want to dedicate space here to list.
Mr. Dominador Tomate in providing comment to the aforementioned Air Quality Matters post: “436,000 Europeans yearly dying early from particulate matter alone: Air audit underway,” has his finger on the pulse, as exemplified in his writing: “This is not a left wing, tree hugging, libertard point of view. It’s our children’s and grandchildren’s lives and futures.”
Getting on board, in gear, doing everything in our power and employing all at our disposal to clean up the filth in our air, now, more than ever, is de rigueur.
Why? Future lives may very well depend on it.
If that isn’t reason enough, then I don’t know what is.
Image above: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
– Alan Kandel