IN ITALY TRAFFIC POLLUTION CAUSES FAR MORE DEATHS THAN ROAD ACCIDENTS

The Italian Government is preparing to adopt a new General Plan on Transport that should be finalised in few months. A draft has already been circulating among experts. With a public appeal Amici della Terra have asked to the responsible Ministers to redraft completely the parts relating to environment and health. Otherwise, they maintain, the present bad quality of transport in Italy, with the associated social and environmental problems, will continue.

What is missing is a comprehensive evaluation of the ecological and social damages caused by road transport at domestic level. For instance, despite WHO recommendations, the governmental draft does not address the issue of particulate released by road vehicles. Amici della Terra have been studying in recent years the issue of external costs of mobility, developing an original evaluation methodology based on existing authoritative researches like the European Union’s "ExternE Transport".

According to Amici dell Terra results, the deaths caused by particulate pollution from road transport amount to 23,000 cases (referred to 1995). Deaths can be further divided in premature "acute" mortality (e.g. due to sudden illness) and "chronic" mortality (see table). In the same year 1995 deaths caused by accidents were 8,400.
Amici della Terra add that globally the financial estimate of the social and environmental costs of transport gives a figure of 80 million EUROs per year, equivalent to 9% of the Italian GNP. This has serious consequences on the country’s economic growth, in terms both of productive capacity of workers and of lobal efficiency.

The second report on external costs of Italian mobility will be presented in a conference that Amici della Terra will held in Rome on next June 22nd 1999.

Premature mortality and loss of life expectancy (in years) due to PM10 (particulate) emissions caused by road transport in Italy, 1995.

 

Rural

Urban

Total
Life expectancy loss (in years)

38,240

69,216

107,456
Total deaths

8,227

14,892

23,119
Life expectancy loss (in years) due to acute mortality

3,824

6,922

10,746
Acute deaths

5,099

9,229

14,327
Loss of life expectancy (in years) due to chronic mortality

34,416

62,295

96,710
Chronic deaths

3,129

5,663

8,792

Source: Elaboration of Amici della Terra based on ExternE Transport

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