Over 1,1,00 persons over age 30 die every year from air pollution in the Tel Aviv region, the Ministry of the Environment and the Israel Union for Environmental Defense (IUED) revealed at a press conference today in Tel Aviv.
The figures were derived from a three-year study by the ministry and the IUED. The study surveyed a variety of pollutants, and attempted to estimate the number of cases of death and disease caused by the heavy air pollution in the Tel Aviv and Ashdod regions.
The findings indicate a significant effect on health, as a result of both chronic and acute exposure to a variety of pollutants, including cases of death and disease in both the Tel Aviv region, which has one million residents, and the Ashdod region, which has 200,000.
The study found that the main risks to health were exposure to pollution caused by transportation, power plants, and industry. Air pollution-caused deaths accounted for 14% of all deaths in the over 30 age group in the Tel Aviv region.
The study emphasizes that similar mortality and disease figures can be expected for other urban regions in Israel in which similar air pollution levels have been measured. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution killed eight million people worldwide in 2002.
The study also showed that the worst air pollutants were small 2.5-micrometer particles, which attract hydrocarbons and heavy metals, and bypass the body’s natural filtration mechanism, penetrating deep into the respiratory system. The study stressed that these particles, emitted mostly from diesel used in vehicles and factories, are suspected carcinogens.
The study further indicated that all the monitoring stations in Israel report double or more the Israeli pollution standard. The study estimates that because of this deviation, the death rate from pollution is liable to double in 2002-2003.
In response to the findings, Ministry of the Environment director general Shmuel Hershkovitz said that in addition to measures already taken, including forcing public transportation to use CT/diesel exclusively, and enforcement of standards for industrial plants, there will be no alternative to forbidding vehicles to enter city centers.
IUED executive director Philip Warburg said the government should take responsibility for air pollution, and cancel its decision to set up a coal-fired power plant in Ashkelon, which would employ outdated high-pollution technology. Warburg pointed out that the government spends millions combating traffic accidents, while twice as many people are dying of diseases linked to air pollution.
Published by Globes [online] - www.globes.co.il - on January 7, 2003