Air pollution caused by car traffic leads to an increase of emergency admissions for respiratory diseases

Air pollution due to car traffic affects the short-term respiratory health of urban populations. Public transport disruptions on a strike day lead to variations in air pollution that can be attributed to car traffic. When public transport supply decreases, part of the population resorts to car transport: travel times are lengthened and air pollution increases.

On the day of the disruption, carbon monoxide concentration is higher. As a result, emergency admissions for acute upper respiratory diseases are significantly higher. The following days, the concentration of fine particles in the air rises, as well as emergency admissions for abnormalities of breathing.

On the contrary, the transport disruptions induce a lower viral spread, due to fewer exchanges and contacts between individuals. Indeed, emergency admissions for influenza and gastroenteritis decrease in the days following the perturbation. Thus, viral respiratory diseases would be subject to two phenomena with opposing effects that must be distinguished: an increase induced by increased air pollution, a decrease due to less contagion. Overall, the finding of an increase in admissions of certain respiratory diseases confirms the harmful role of air pollution on respiratory health.