All posts by Sofia Langlois

Environment

Arles air quality raises health concerns

Text by Sofia Langlois
Photo by Malcolm Taylor

Air pollution kills more people each year in France than any substance besides alcohol and tobacco, according to Damien Piga, director of external relations and innovation at Atmo Sud Marseille.

“When it comes to alcohol and tobacco, we choose to drink and smoke,” said Piga. “When we drink, we kill ourselves, but we don’t kill others. Air quality, on the other hand, is collectively suffered.” 

Atmo Sud is an air quality observatory that monitors pollution and recommends ways of reducing exposure. It is based in the South Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France, which includes the city of Arles, where narrow, densely populated streets can concentrate pollutants. 

Piga has worked at Atmo Sud for a decade and specializes in mapping pollution data. The non-profit organization’s website provides reliable data in real time, both about air currently being inhaled and air that is inhaled over time. 

Such data helps government authorities to enforce guidelines. For example, on June 19, Arles enacted Level 1 alert procedures as a preemptive measure for an increase of fine particulate matter in the air the following day. It involved health and behavioral recommendations across multiple polluting sectors.

Fossil fuels are a primary source of these fine particles. The region burns the most fossil fuels for transportation and heating, followed by manufacturing and agriculture. On days with poor air quality, the government requires drivers to reduce their speed by about 12 miles per hour (or 20 kilometers per hour).

The Air to Go application was recently developed by Atmo Sud in collaboration with the various observatories and Lyon/Lille counterparts. The Geolocated website and mobile app inform its users of the current air quality and provide recommendations on how to adapt behavior based on readings. Upon inputting your destinations for the day, Air to Go will advise which time and route is ideal to avoid the highest levels of pollution. It will be available throughout all of France in the near future.

“In Arles, for example, the proximity of the main roads is where I’m going to have the most pollution,” said Piga, in referencing the function of Air to Go. “I’m going to avoid going there… If I have to enroll my children in school, I’m going to look at where the schools are in relation to these maps so that I can have information and not put them in schools where there are playgrounds close to sources of pollution.”

The Atmo Index representation of daily pollution levels operates using an integer system (1-10) with the colors green, orange and red to indicate severity. It is mandatory to establish a comprehensible air quality index in urban areas exceeding 100,000 inhabitants. The WHO sets non-compulsory health recommendations. For each time its air quality recommendation is exceeded, the Index increases by one. 

Furthermore, the European Union established legal regulations to prevent countries from exceeding certain quantities of the various pollutants. It serves as a middle ground between health considerations and socio-economic normalities by adhering to respiratory concerns with an understanding that some polluting industries are important to civilization. 

Corporations that increase pollution levels in France are charged a tax based on the amount of emissions produced. Those funds are then allocated towards environmental operations. For instance, Aix-Marseille Metro pays up to 400,000 euros per year.

“If a company ultimately shows that it does nothing for the climate, does nothing for air quality, does nothing for biodiversity, we know that it has very little future,” said Piga. “Because more and more consumers are paying attention to this. On the one hand, there’s going to be pressure from regulations, but there will also be pressure from consumers and citizens.”

The concentration of pollution is measured in micrograms per cubic meter of air (often written as µg/m3). For reference, human hair is typically 50-70 micrograms. Particulate matter is a formulation of smoke, soot, salts, acids, metals or dust. It has the potential to induce tissue damage or lung inflammation when deposited on the surface of larger airways in the upper region of a lung. The two symptoms impact the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. 

Air pollution by fine particles is of primary concern because particulate matter with a mass of 10 micrograms or less is small enough to enter the lungs by passing through the nose or throat, according to the California Air Resources Board. Examples include construction-site or landfill dust, wind-blown particles from open lands and pollen. 

Those at the highest risk for developing health conditions as a result of short or long-term exposure include adults who are 65 years or older, people with chronic heart or lung disease, pregnant women, asthmatics and children. Humans breathe 15,000 liters of air per day. Children inhale more air per pound of body weight than adults. According to Piga, poor air quality is a cause of death for children worldwide equal to malnutrition.

“Exposure to pollution levels commonly observed in urban or peri-urban environments appears to induce cancer and result in excess mortality and a decrease in life expectancy from several months to several years,” according to the Encyclopedia of the Environment. A study conducted in 2016 by Santé Publique found that 48,000 deaths per year could be attributed to particulate matter 2.5.

Poor air quality can cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, watery eyes, itchy nose, throat irritation, reduced lung function, worsening of asthma or other respiratory diseases, increased need for hospitalization or emergency department assistance, faster disease progression and even decreased life expectancy. 

Dr. Christian Pic is a pediatric neurologist in Arles who earned a degree in sports medicine. He has experience working with athletes and additionally trains as one. Pic advises others to avoid running in hot, dry and polluted air.  

“It affects performance, yes,” said Pic. “I notice it in myself, in others. Illnesses are more of a long-term effect. We should conduct long-term studies on runners who are only in the mountains versus those in valleys and cities. We should conduct 30-year studies.”

There could be a widespread lack of awareness about more severe health implications from pollution exposure due to how long those effects take to present themselves, according to Pic. Short-term exposure often causes minor irritation. Over the course of a lifetime, particles such as those emitted from diesel engines can cause disorders of varying severity even in small doses, from respiratory/ocular discomfort to leukemias; alterations in the nervous, hormonal or immune systems; and genetic heritage. 

“I think it’s not immediately noticeable, actually,” said Pic. “There are pulmonary effects, then cerebral effects, but over the long term. There are studies that have been done with people living in polluted environments. In the United States, for example, there are studies with maps comparing people living in the middle of large agricultural plains with pesticides and neurodevelopmental disorders. The two maps intersect.”

Typical health recommendations include avoiding physical and sporting activities as well as high-traffic areas, favoring short outings and airing homes out for 10 minutes each day.  

Concerning those who work outdoors daily and cannot necessarily avoid highly polluted times and areas, there are other measures they can take to protect themselves. 

“This is very important for people working on construction sites: an employer must provide them with protective equipment,” said Piga. “In dusty environments, they must have respiratory protection, in particular masks. So it’s a question of respecting the obligation for professionals to use safety equipment properly.” 

Steven Castrillon is a mason in building construction and home renovation. He works eight to nine hours a day, five days each week. Castrillon emphasized that working in this field without protective equipment poses the risk of a respiratory infection or, in some cases, lung cancer. He specified that heat engines – machinery that burns fossil fuels – are a particular problem.

“Frankly, I haven’t had any respiratory problems yet,” said Castrillon. “I learned to avoid the long-term consequences of respiratory pollution by wearing masks and avoiding heat engines. If possible, use electric machines.”

Piga shared that Atmo Sud developed scholastic programs aimed at the younger generations. The modules are open source for teachers and professors to instruct specified lessons on air quality. Its purpose is to raise children’s awareness of the issue.

“The most effective way, as always, if we want to change behavior, is to work with children,” said Piga. “Because with children, they have life ahead of them; they have the world in front of them.”

Politics

Leftist politicians speak at Arles demonstration

Story by Sofia Langlois
Photos by Thomas Murphy
Video by Sophia Maxim

Citizens of Arles in support of a new left-wing coalition gathered at Place de la République on June 22. Theirs was one of many recent protests across France opposing the far-right Rassemblement National in a contest for control of the National Assembly.

The event provided an opportunity for leftist political candidates to take aim not only at the National Rally but at incumbent President Emmanuel Macron. 

“He is not interested in Arles,” said Nicolas Koukas of the French Communist Party, who is running for the 16th electoral district of the Bouches-du-Rhône. “And we need to have in the country elected territorial officials who know people, who know their worries, who know their problems.”

Koukas is a candidate of the Nouveau Front Populaire, a wide-ranging leftist alliance formed on June 10 in response to Macron’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly. The organizations involved include La France Insoumise, Les Écologistes, Place Publique, the French Communist Party and the French Socialist Party, among others. 

The Nouveau Front Populaire formed in opposition to the Rassemblement National, a right-wing French nationalist party that promotes populist and anti-immigrant values. It was founded by politician Jean-Marie Le Pen in 1972 and was formerly known as the Front National. The party gained popularity after it acquired a less extremist image under the leadership of his daughter, Marine Le Pen.

Protestors sheltered under umbrellas while listening to candidates, including Nicolas Koukas (facing the crowd, second from right,) Photo by Thomas Murphy.

In the European Union elections of June 6, the right wing gained seats in delegations of many of the 27 member countries. In France, the centrist Renaissance Party, led by Macron, received 14.6% of the vote, significantly defeated by the Rassemblement National, which received 31.6% of the vote.

Macron dissolved the National Assembly, thus launching early legislative elections in France. The two rounds of voting will take place on June 30 and July 7.

Koukas, a citizen of Arles, delivered an impassioned speech at the June 22 protest. “Where is [Macron] in the fights?” he asked. “Where is he in the struggle?” Koukas suggested Macron’s administration had neglected public services such as the Arles Hospital and Miramas’ public freight service.

Koukas encouraged the people of Arles to push for a selection of government officials who have their interests at heart. He accused the president of neglecting Arles as a prominent city in the nation. 

“He is not there. He is nowhere. He is elsewhere,” said Koukas.

Macron’s presidential term ends in 2027 and left-wing supporters are trying to prevent Le Pen from entering government. If the far right gains a majority, the president would likely appoint Jordan Bardella as prime minister, granting him limited authority over domestic and economic affairs. Bardella would serve under the terms of cohabitation laws, which gives the position to the party with the majority of seats in the National Assembly.

As a means of preventing conservative politicians such as Le Pen and Bardella from holding office, those in opposition took to protesting. The movement quickly gained traction and demonstrations have been held in several cities.

Koukas concluded his speech by promoting the Nouveau Front Populaire. He emphasized that its leadership does not define the group but rather the citizens who support the left-wing values it was built on. 

“We will be there to defend,” Koukas said. “That is what brings us together today and what makes us strong because the Popular Front is not Christophe or Nicolas. The popular front is you.”

Sophia Maxim contributed to this report.

Featured image: Nouveau Front Populaire candidate Nicolas Koukas and others march on rue Gambetta in Arles. Photo by Thomas Murphy.

Postcards

Exchanging Glances

Walking hand-in-hand toward Place Voltaire, a mother and her small child sent opposing signals as we crossed paths. The woman glanced briefly at me, only for her eyes to revert forward. She was focused on the road ahead, seemingly unable to respond to my smile.

Her daughter grinned warmly at me and even turned her head to sustain eye contact once we were no longer facing each other. Neither of them recognized me, but the child felt inclined to match my expression. I considered the interaction pleasant, and my smile remained for another few steps. I looked to the left and noticed a man smirking at me. His look was not similar to that of the young girl I had just encountered. I felt inexplicably uneasy and shifted my eyes to the ground. 

In moments of passing, I feel compelled to engage in nonverbal communication with most Arlesians, as if to say, “I notice you and you seem nice.” Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is better to avoid interacting with certain strangers completely. 

Catcalling is a regular occurrence across this city and countless others. It seems as though certain men lurk on sidewalks for the sole purpose of leering at women. I close myself off at times to avoid unwanted advances. This is not to imply that any men I encounter in Arles are potentially dangerous or violent. Their attention simply evokes discomfort on my end. 

I find it interesting that there are conflicting reactions between age groups. Little girls tend not to understand that smiling at anyone and everyone may send a particular message to creepy people that it is okay for them to approach you. 

These interactions contribute to my general awareness. At one point or another, adolescents learn that not everyone is to be trusted. Before I came to this realization myself, I believed that the whole world interacted in the same manner as the small child and me. 

I typically keep my eyes fixed and my head held high when walking to or from school. If well-intended adults smile at me, I either cannot tell or do not have enough time to return the favor. It is easier to stay shut off than to make 100 individual decisions about who is safe to smile at and who is not. Maybe the girl’s mother and I shared this attitude. 

There is no real method of determining whether a particular person is fixed on their destination as a defense mechanism or simply not interested in communicating with others at a given time. Smiling at “inconnus,” those you do not know, is much less common in France than in the United States, leading to both positive and negative outcomes.

I was previously taken aback by its infrequency in Arles. My newfound understanding is that displaying any sort of expression opens a person up to assumptions from others. I cannot automatically assume that someone who does not smile at me is rude. Every expression holds a purpose.