The letter from 14,000 pediatricians and neonatologists to the mayors: “Take immediate action against air pollution”

“With the accession of the Fimp and Sin associations, it rises to 14 thousand the number of pediatricians and neonatologists who writes to you again to ask for direct action from you mayors to change the habits of the population, for the benefit of a less risky lifestyle for everyone. We ask you for a kind reply.

L’air pollution it represents the most important environmental threat to public health. Many of the components or factors involved in air pollution are also responsible for climate change, which in turn impacts the health of the population and causes numerous adverse effects. The social costs of air pollution are consequently very high, as shown by the data presented in the latest report of the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) on 432 European cities in 30 countries. They also include direct healthcare costs linked, for example, to reduced life expectancy. In 2018 the costs quantified in the report were more than 166 billion euros; on average each inhabitant of a European city has suffered a loss of well-being of over 1,250 euros per yearwhich is equivalent to 3.9% of city income (here the .pdf).

As for health, the pediatric population is more susceptible to the effects associated with exposure to atmospheric pollutants, due to a combination of biological, behavioral and environmental factors. Babies are particularly vulnerable during fetal development and in their early years, when their organs, lungs and central nervous systems are still maturing. Furthermore, they can spend a lot of time outdoors, with long periods of exposure to pollutants.

The scientific evidence of the negative effects of air pollution on children’s health is clear and convincing, and reveals a possible impact on health even in adulthood and even across generations.

The findings of the reviews confirm that the developing fetus and child are particularly vulnerable. Early exposure to air pollution is linked to adverse fetal and birth outcomes, increased infant mortality, neurodevelopmental disorders, childhood obesity, impaired lung function, asthma and otitis media. The scientific evidence is therefore already sufficient to adopt immediately clear and concrete measures to reduce the population’s exposure to air pollution.

What we ask

Our associations – Cultural Association of Pediatricians (ACP), Italian Society of Pediatrics (SIP), Italian Society of Pediatric Nutrition (SINUPE), Italian Federation of Pediatricians (FIMP) and the Italian Association of Neonatologists (SIN), together with Pensiero Scientifico Editore and Think2it – already engaged in the dissemination of knowledge on this issue for some time, they ask the Italian Municipalities to implement actions that can reduce or remove the damage. Recent papers (5) and (6) provide evidence on interventions that were more effective to improve outdoor air quality and to reduce exposure to air pollution, also at the individual level (a summary of the main conclusions of these two documents is reported here).

It is a question of promoting sustainable individual behavior on the part of the population, through policy interventions on infrastructures that can make the use of the car disadvantageous and that of sustainable means advantageousthe bike firstthe adoption of traffic restrictions of polluting vehicles in cities (ZTL), the pedestrianization or creation of 20 km/h low speed zones near blocks of school buildings, cities at 30 km/h, creation of cycle paths, development of green spaces in urban areasin the light of previous experiences and results achieved in Europe and in the world, according to the scientific data at our disposal, as indicated in the annex “Intervention suggestions“.

In making this request, we confirm our willingness to disseminate the available evidence on this crucial issue for the well-being of our society, both locally and nationally.

The signatories of the initiative:

Cultural Association of Pediatricians (ACP)
Italian Pediatric Society (SIP)
Italian Society of Neonatology
Italian Society of Pediatric Nutrition (SINUPE)
Italian Federation of Pediatricians (FIMP)
think2it
Scientific Thought Publisher