Air pollution — Introduction

The need to strengthen the monitoring and prevention of air pollution in our regions led to the Law on Air and Rational Energy Use of December 30, 1996. This law established, among other things, the right of everyone to breathe air that does not harm their health, as well as the right to information on air quality and its effects. It also requires the implementation of various planning tools (regional air quality plans, atmospheric protection plans, urban transport plans, emergency measures) to prevent air pollution and its effects.

Air pollution results from changes in the chemical composition of the air caused by human activities. It can occur on an urban and local scale or on a global scale, and the risks associated with these changes vary depending on the spatial and temporal scale involved. Changes in the chemical composition of the air on a global scale are manifested in particular by an increase in the levels of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, and mainly generate a risk of major changes to the planet's climate. On the other hand, local pollution, in industrial or urban environments for example, mainly poses risks to human health due to the levels of pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter that may be encountered. Other forms of pollution also occur at intermediate levels, particularly in the form of acid-oxidizing pollution, and can affect ecosystems.

Various technical and scientific disciplines are concerned with air pollution issues, and this report is intended as a general introduction to air pollution. It focuses on air quality issues at the local and regional levels and will be followed by other dossiers dealing in greater detail with the topics covered: regulatory framework, state of knowledge and methods in the fields of toxicology and ecotoxicology of air pollution, pollutant monitoring and effluent treatment technologies, air pollution simulation tools, etc.