Portal de Cartagena
www.portaldecartagena.com
Ecologists in Action have submitted two letters of complaint to the City of Cartagena and the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, noting the many episodes of particulate pollution in the atmosphere during the month of July in which you have exceeded the limit value protection health of particulate matter PM10, which is 50 micrograms per cubic meter, reflecting a pattern of deteriorating air quality in the vicinity of Cartagena and the surrounding area.
The environmental organization also notes that the metering station Escombreras Valley has been without providing data throughout this month.
The allegations themselves are based on data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Water through their website: http://www.carm.es/cmaot/calidadaire/portal/
Data from the days of exceedances of the limit value for health protection have been:
Aljorra season: 29 days during the month of July.
Alumbres station: 9 days during the month of July.
Mompean station: 8 days during the month of July.
San Ginés station: 7 days during the month of July.
Union Station: 4 days during the month of July.
Valley Station: No data for the entire month of July.
Stresses in this context The Aljorra, where virtually the entire month has exceeded the limit values for health protection.
The origin of this decline are varied: the road emissions, industrial emissions and agricultural work to which it has joined the intrusion of Saharan dust days in the middle and one end of the month.
Ecologists in Action said that while it can do little about Saharan dust emissions, neither the Council nor the Department have plans of action to control emissions from road traffic, industrial and agricultural work, as required by legislation (Royal Decree 1073 / 2002 of October 18 on the evaluation and management of air quality in relation to sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, lead, benzene and carbon monoxide).
This legislation establishes an annual maximum of 35 days with exceedances of the daily level of protection for human health for the pollutant PM10 (which is 50μg/m3), and when this limit is exceeded, authorities are required to develop action plans to reduce and prevent such contamination.
In 2008 all measuring stations Cartagena environment, except La Union, exceeded the limit of 35 days; Aljorra Monpas and the more days that exceeded this limit at 78 and 74 days of exceedances, respectively.
In 2009, The Aljorra exceeded and almost double the 35 days with only the sum of the exceedances of June and July, which account for 52 days with PM10 values above 50 ug/m3.
Despite all this, neither the Ministry of Agriculture and Water, the City of Cartagena and seem intent on developing such action plans as required by law.
This situation is much worse, if we consider also the European Directive 2008/50/EC and the Royal Decree 1073/2002 establishes two stages for the annual limit of days that exceed the daily limit of 50μg/m3 PM10 Particulate:
In Phase I (1-Jan-2005 up to 1-Jan-2010) NOT exceed more than 35 days.
In Phase II (from 1-Jan-2010) NOT exceed more than 7 days.
That is, from 1 January next year, with only seven days of exceedances of the level of health protection for PM10, the regional administration would have to prepare Action Plans for each of the affected areas.
The suspended particles in the atmosphere, known as PM10, are causing serious health problems.
This particulate matter can penetrate into the lower respiratory tract and cause serious conditions to ducts and respiratory system.
Particles PM10 pollutants can cause respiratory diseases, asthma, aggravation of allergic conditions and cardiovascular problems, among others.
Studies show the relationship of such pollution with increased hospital admissions and increased mortality of the population.
The Environment Ministry itself acknowledges that air pollution is behind more than 16,000 premature deaths each year in Spain.
The environmental organization has consistently criticized the passivity of the council and the regional administration has not taken any action in recent years to prevent these continuing exceedances of PM10 particulate pollutants when, as noted, the law requires that public authorities are required to write and implement action plans for improving air quality.
The environmental organization also demand the inspection activities of the Department on industrial emissions in the area to avoid this chronic environmental problem and public health.
Finally, Ecologists in Action said that since June 2009, after months of reported episodes of toluene and benzene pollution in Murcia and Cartagena Sewell, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water has withdrawn its website information Public pollution levels Toluene, Benzene and Xylene detected measuring stations in the autonomous region, and that until that date were available to the general public.
This step back, and crude strategy of concealment of evidence, in addition to not solving the problem of pollution episodes associated with industrial production process, denouncing the organization, is an unacceptable obscurantist attitude is difficult to access public information , more typical of the past, and that goes against international conventions on government transparency and access to information by citizens.
Unfortunately, with such facts, the Ministry of Agriculture and Water shows its true face, and goes to show again the lack of willingness of the regional administration to ensure the health of the citizens of this region, keeping the uninformed actual quality of the air we breathe every day.
Source: Ecologistas en Acción Región Murciana
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