Nearly 9.7 million Ile-de-France residents, or 80% of the population of Ile-de-France, would be simultaneously exposed to levels of atmospheric and noise pollution which “strongly exceed” the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), alert Airparif and Bruitparif, the two organizations responsible for monitoring air quality and noise in an unprecedented report published Tuesday May 28.
This is the first time that the two observatories have carried out a cross-mapping of air and noise pollution within the most populated region of France. The Greater Paris metropolis concentrates 86% of people at risk said “very degraded” due to noise linked to transport (major roads, airports, railways), air pollution or both.
This mapping reveals that 487 municipalities (38% of municipalities in Ile-de-France) are particularly exposed to these two pollutions: more than half of their population is simultaneously exposed to an air quality judged “degraded” and at noise levels considered “important”. A large part of these communities are located in what is called the dense heart of the Paris metropolitan area: Paris and the towns of the inner suburbs; and for the latter, particularly those located near Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports.
A double penalty which is quite easily explained: the closer we live to a major traffic route, the more we are exposed to both noise and pollution (emissions of fine particles and nitrogen oxides) generated by automobile traffic still largely dominated by thermal engines (petrol and diesel). However, with more than 40,000 kilometers of roads, including more than 1,000 kilometers of motorways and expressways, Ile-de-France is crisscrossed by the leading road network in France.
Regulatory limits exceeded
The most critical situations (red zones) are mainly located in direct proximity (100 to 200 meters) from major roads. In Paris and in the neighboring towns, the ring road is obviously a major source of nuisance, but other roads in the capital are also bright red: the gates, the large squares, the boulevards of the marshals, or even the roads on the bank always open to traffic.
Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports also constitute a significant source of nuisance for local residents and heavily overflighted areas. In addition to planes, all airport activity causes inconvenience.
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