ANSES’s work on air quality
A major public health challenge
Air pollution encompasses a wide range of pollutants in the form of fine particles, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and ozone, for example. Their negative health effects are well known and include respiratory and cardiovascular effects such as asthma and high blood pressure.
Recent studies have demonstrated other health impacts (metabolic, neurological, etc.) as well as new pollution indicators that need to be further explored such as black carbon and ultrafine particles. They have helped to define new targets to protect public health from the harmful effects of air pollution, such as the guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
To improve ambient air quality, the European regulations have referred to these guidelines to propose more restrictive regulatory values. Efforts still need to be made to reduce concentrations of air pollutants.
Although outdoor pollution – particularly from road traffic, factories, heating and fires – is what spontaneously comes to mind for most people, air pollution also affects indoor spaces in our homes and workplaces, as certain materials and human activities release pollutants in enclosed environments.
ANSES’s missions relating to air quality
The Agency supports public decision-makers by helping to advance knowledge of the risks associated with air pollution. Its complementary expert appraisal, monitoring and research activities allow it to acquire scientific data to better protect health. ANSES’s scope of action gives it an integrated view of risks, considering the various sources of contamination and meeting the need for reference values to support risk assessment.
Knowledge analysis and risk assessment as part of collective expert appraisals
To assess the risks associated with air pollution, ANSES relies on its Expert Committee on Assessment of the risks related to air environments. It addresses a wide range of multidisciplinary topics related to air pollution, including:
- urban and rural air pollution,
- specific sources of emissions,
- health indicators and values for health protection,
- health risks to workers due to their occupational exposure,
- health risks to the general public in indoor environments.
Over the past 20 years, the Agency has issued over 50 expert appraisals, providing an overview of scientific knowledge relevant to public policy by exploring various aspects of air pollution through:
- Chemical (organic, inorganic, particulate matter, etc.) and biological (pollen, mould) pollutants
- Different sources of pollution: vegetation fires, wood heating, sand haze
- Specific environments: car parks, underground railway areas, areas near road traffic
- Specific issues such as the transfer of pollution from outdoor to indoor environments, as well as microsensors to measure exposure.
ANSES also reports on this scientific knowledge relating to air quality monitoring and health effects in the opinions it issues on draft regulations, for example.
With regard to indoor environments, since 2004, as part of a specific mission, the Agency has assessed around 10 chemicals in order to propose indoor air quality guidelines (IAQGs), which are useful for interpreting campaign results and setting regulatory values.
Research into air quality issues
To inform its health risk assessments, it is essential for ANSES to acquire data enabling the population’s exposure to pollution to be characterised. Since 2006, ANSES has funded around 180 research projects on air quality issues as part of the National Research Programme for Environmental and Occupational Health. In line with the recommendations in its expert appraisals, these projects have helped to improve or generate the scientific knowledge needed to assess health risks and identify courses of action to improve air quality or reduce exposure. This research has focused in particular on:
- characterising exposure to the various agents present in our ambient air,
- studying potential toxicity mechanisms,
- exploring the effects of mixtures,
- identifying links with health effects.
Pesticide monitoring in air
As part of its missions on pesticides, ANSES runs the phytopharmacovigilance scheme together with the French National Institute for Industrial Environment and Risks (LCSQA/INERIS), the Scientific and Technical Centre for Building (OQEI/CSTB) and approved air quality monitoring associations (AASQAs). This scheme monitors and studies the effects of plant protection products and their residues once applied in fields.
This scheme has a budget to finance specific studies, generate new knowledge and investigate reports of adverse effects.
The main studies undertaken in recent years have included the following:
- The national exploratory campaign to measure pesticides (CNEP) in outdoor air, conducted from June 2018 to June 2019. It provided a snapshot of the substances present in ambient air and their concentration levels in France.
- The second national housing campaign (CNL2), which ran from 2020 to 2023 for the analysis of pesticides in indoor air and dust, as part of the missions of the Indoor Environment Quality Observatory (OQEI).
- The PestiRiv study, carried out from October 2021 to August 2022, aimed at better understanding the exposure to pesticides of people living near grapevines and those living far from any crops.