Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) warned on Tuesday that high levels of fine particles released when aircraft burn jet fuel pose a health risk to the 52 million people living around Europe's busiest airport.
When an airplane takes off or lands, it releases ultrafine particles (UFPs) that are about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair.
Due to their very small size, UFPs can easily penetrate human tissues, and there is growing evidence that these particles are harmful to human health.
However, UFPs remain largely unregulated.
“Tens of millions of Europeans are exposed to increased health risks from aviation UFPs,” T&E said in the report.
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“The good news is that reducing air traffic and improving jet fuel quality can mitigate the problem in the short term, with further climate benefits,” the NGOs said, calling for improved monitoring and the setting of targets to reduce unburned fuel.
The Brussels-based NGO analysed UFP concentrations around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, based on data collected by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
T&E then extrapolated their findings to Europe's 32 busiest airports, assuming that UFP contamination increases with air traffic and is spread evenly across airports.
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The study found that 52 million people living within a 20 kilometre radius of the airport are at risk of serious health conditions due to high levels of UFPs.
Within a five kilometre radius of Amsterdam's Schiphol airport, RIVM researchers found UFP concentrations of “between 4,000 and 30,000 particles per cubic centimetre (cm3),” according to T&E.
In urban areas, UFP concentrations reached between 3,000 and 12,000 particles per cubic centimetre, highlighting “airports' significant contribution to UFP pollution,” T&E said.
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Air Parif, which monitors air quality in the Paris region, recorded a UFP concentration of 23,000 per cubic centimetre at Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in February.
The monitoring group found that excess concentrations of UFPs linked to air traffic were most pronounced within five kilometers of airports, but beyond 10 kilometers, other particle sources had higher concentrations.
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