La veille

Communiqué de presse co-signé par Canopea, la SSMG (Société scientifique de médecine générale), la Belgian Lung Fundation, la Fédération des maisons médicales. Une nouvelle étude (ici le briefing, ici l’étude) menée par le groupe environnemental Transport & Environment (T&E) indique que des milliers de cas d’hypertension artérielle, de diabète et de démence en Belgique et en Europe pourraient être liés aux minuscules particules émises par les avions.

Ultrafine particles (UFPs) are aerosols with an aerodynamic diameter of 0.1 µm (100 nm) or less. There is a growing concern in the public health community about the contribution of UFPs to human health. Despite their modest mass and size, they dominate in terms of the number of particles in the ambient air. A particular concern about UFPs is their ability to reach the most distal lung regions (alveoli) and circumvent primary airway defenses. Moreover, UFPs have a high surface area and a capacity to adsorb a substantial amount of toxic organic compounds. Harmful systemic health effects of PM10 or PM2.5 are often attributable to the UFP fraction. In this review, we examine the physicochemical characteristics of UFPs to enable a better understanding of the effects of these particles on human health. The characteristics of UFPs from diesel combustion will be discussed in the greatest detail because road vehicles are the primary source of UFP emissions in urban pollution hotspots. Finally, we will elaborate on the

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