Air pollution in Milan at illegal levels – '110,000 children breathe toxic air'

Milan's duomo suffocated in smog
MILAN- Nitrogen dioxide levels are 37.5% over the European law-imposed limit. Over a thousand schools are in the metropolis, and kids spanning from infant to high school age are being exposed to harmful air. Air quality in many areas of Milan rank as “unhealthy” every day, with an average air quality of 37 µg/m³, making it poor for most and unhealthy for sensitive populations.
 
The ‘Citizens for Air’ association in Italy published a map on Monday detailing the dangerous air conditions. It added that the toxic smog ‘increases heart attack risk for adults by almost 12% and respiratory conditions, like asthma and acute infections, in children by 48% and 36%, respectively.’ The association also reported that the number of schools located in the polluted areas totals “110,000 children that are breathing toxic air.”
 
‘Citizens for Air’ pleads the city’s government to begin prioritizing air health. The association’s president, Anna Gerometta, said, “It is the responsibility of the city, starting with those who administer it, to protect the new generations so that their development is not altered by the air they breathe.” The issue of combatting air pollution has become so pertinent that the association wants to instill several changes to transportation in Milan to decrease the amount of nitrogen dioxide polluting the air.
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