August 11th: Inter-American Air Quality Day
Author: Tania Mijares García
Every year on the second Friday of August, the Inter-American Air Quality Day is commemorated, with the main objective of raising awareness among the population about the great problem that air pollution represents and its serious impacts on our health and quality of life.
The relationship between air pollution and cerebral cardiovascular events (CVD), heart disease, lung cancer, acute or chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, headache, dizziness, eye irritation has been proven in various medical studies in the last decade and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is also a risk factor for diabetes.
Already in 2018, the Network for the Rights of Children published a diagnosis of air quality and the right of children and adolescents to clean air. The findings included therein are quite worrying, since the report reveals that 1,680 children under the age of 5 die each year due to poor air quality.
By themselves these data are alarming, but unfortunately, poor air quality, in addition to affecting children and adolescents, also damages the health of adults, because in addition to respiratory diseases, it is related to greater stress, work absenteeism among other effects.
At B + F we understand how important it is to have clean air, and we know that there are alternatives to improving air quality in our cities, such as the use of renewable energies for the generation of electricity, public transportation with hybrid technology and other measures which contribute both to air quality and to the creation of economic and social environmental value. This is why at B+ F we closely follow-up our clients and allies’ projects from the technical part (MIAs, ETJ, ASHR, etc.) to the legal part (consulting, litigation and strategy).
For this reason, we commemorate this day knowing that beyond just reminding us of the importance of having good air quality, it makes us aware that having clean air is a gift that allows us to have many more years of life.