Improving Air Quality in the Po Valley, Italy: Some Results by the LIFE-IP-PREPAIR Project

Abstract

The Po Valley (Northern Italy) represents an important exceedance zone of the air-quality limit values for PM (particulate matter), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) and O3 (ozone). This area covers the territory of most Italian northern regions and includes several urban agglomerates, such as Milan, Turin, Venice and Bologna. The area is densely populated and heavily industrialized. The paper summarizes the assessment of the impact of the current (2013) and future (2025) emissions and of the meteorological conditions on the air quality of the Po Valley. This study is one of the first outcomes of the EU LIFE-IP Clean Air Program Po Regions Engaged to Policies of Air (PREPAIR) project. The project, involving administrations and environmental agencies of eight regions and three municipalities in Northern Italy and Slovenia, started in 2017 and will end in 2024. Future emission scenarios consider the emissions reduction due to the air-quality action plans of the regions involved, of the agreements between the national authorities and regional administrations and of the PREPAIR project itself, in the overall context of the application of the current legislation of the European Union. The combination of these measures will lead to the reduction of direct emissions of PM10 in the Po Valley and of the main precursors emitted in the area (NOx, nitrogen oxides and NH3, and ammonia) by 38% for PM10, 39% for NOx and 22% for NH3, respectively. This lowering corresponds to a reduction of about 30.000 tons of primary PM10, 150.000 tons of NOx, 54.000 tons of NH3 and 1700 tons of SO2. The results show that these expected reductions should allow us to achieve the EU PM10 limit value in the Po Valley by the year 2025.

Non-linear response of PM<sub>2.5</sub> to changes in NO<sub><i>x</i></sub> and NH<sub>3</sub> emissions in the Po basin (Italy): consequences for air quality plans

“…The seasonal fields of PM 2.5 clearly show that high yearly average values mostly result from the winter season contributions when more stable atmospheric conditions lead to stagnant conditions, favouring the accumulation of particulate matter in the area (Pernigotti et al, 2014;Raffaelli et al, 2020). The increased emissions from the residential sector (heating, especially wood burning) foster this process (Ricciardelli et al, 2017;Hakimzadeh et al, 2020). Wintertime low temperatures also favour the partitioning of semi-volatile components (e.g.…”

COVID-19 pandemic persuaded lockdown effects on environment over stone quarrying and crushing areas

“…Crude fact is that deaths from air pollution accounted for 7.6% of all fatalities worldwide as per 2016 report by WHO (WHO, 2020;Isaifan, 2020). So, such reduced pollution level could be help nature to restore herself and help people to get fresh breath (Kelly and Fussell, 2015;Wu et al, 2017;Ma et al, 2020;Yongjian et al, 2020;Sharma et al, 2020;Raffaelli et al, 2020). In China, NO 2 and carbon emissions have reduced respectively by 30 and 25% (Lauri, 2020;McMahon, 2020).…”

The impact of stay-home policies during Coronavirus-19 pandemic on the chemical and toxicological characteristics of ambient PM2.5 in the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy

“…In an effort to restrain the rapid spread of this infectious pathogen, governments have adopted various prevention and control strategies such as social distancing, businesses shutdown, and city-wide lockdowns ( Anjum, 2020 ; Collivignarelli et al, 2020 ). Due to the implementation of abovementioned strategies, several recent studies have reported improvements in urban air quality, mainly attributed to the significant decreases in road traffic and (to some extent) industrial emissions ( Bao and Zhang, 2020 ; Raffaelli et al, 2020 ; Tobías et al, 2020 ). Among different criteria air pollutants, ambient fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 , particle with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm) is of great importance due to its distinct physio-chemical characteristics and well-established adverse health consequences (e.g., respiratory and cardiovascular disease) ( Brook et al, 2010 ; Gauderman et al, 2002 ; Pope et al, 2015 ).…”