Air quality in Paris presents ongoing concern for Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Olympic and Paralympic games taking place in Paris this summer are officially underway. Each year, air pollution leads to 7920 premature deaths in the Ile-de-France region of France alone². This year, air pollution’s impact on health is likely to play a major role in the region: air quality levels in all parts of Paris currently exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for air pollution, putting the health of athletes and spectators at risk. Read on to learn more.

Air pollution: a problem for health

As the world’s best athletes compete for gold medals, the physical effort they put forth has them breathing 4 to 10 times more air than they would at rest¹. During peaks of air pollution, one of the recommendations made by the WHO is to remain indoors. Of course, for athletes performing outdoors or for spectators watching from the stadium, this is not an option.

Which air pollutants are the most concerning?

According to the WHO, elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particles (PM10, PM2.5), and ozone in Paris are causing concern. In 2023, Paris experienced levels of NO2 of 43.25 µg/m3, more than four times the recommended level of the WHO’s guidelines of 10 µg/m3¹. PM2.5, widely considered to be the most dangerous form of particulate matter based on current research, measured three times the level compared to the WHO’s recommended levels for PM that same year in the region⁴. This year, it is estimated that 95% of event sites in Paris exceed the WHO’s recommendations for air pollutants⁵.

Furthermore, as of 19 July, Paris has been experiencing a ‘concerning’ episode of ground-level ozone. This has led Airparif, an organisation specialising in air quality monitoring in the region, to knock down the air quality grade in Ile-de-France from ‘poor’ to ‘degraded’. Hot, sunny weather makes for prime conditions for ozone formation².

What are the consequences of air pollution exposure?

For athletes

As mentioned above, athletes exerting physical effort breathe in 4 to 10 times more air than they would at rest. This increases their exposure to polluted air by 4 to 10 fold. In addition to the other negative effects on health caused by air pollution, studies have found that exposure to air pollution leads to decreased mental and physical performance, increasing the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular events and inflammation in the body. For athletes that are asthmatic, the risk of having an asthma attack increases dramatically. Airparif states that the impact of air pollution could even be enough to keep an athlete from being awarded a medal or standing on the podium².

For spectators

As a whole, air pollution contributes to 6.5 million deaths annually on a global scale. Exposure to air pollution has been proven to cause or aggravate a host of health conditions including respiratory disease (allergies, asthma, COPD, pulmonary embolism), cardiovascular disease, multiple types of cancer (especially lung cancer), mental health conditions (anxiety and depression), infertility, decreased productivity, diabetes mellitus, and more. Although air pollution affects everyone, the most at-risk groups include children, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals. According to the WHO, 99% of the world lives in an area with subpar air quality. Reducing air pollution could decrease the incidence of 12 different types of cancer.

What can be done?

For athletes

The city of Paris has taken steps to try to improve air quality for athletes. For example, ‘shade houses’ have been installed at bus stations where athletes wait to be transported to event sites. Designed to protect athletes from the sun, five out of seven of these giant structures measuring 5 metres high by 6 metres in diameter are also equipped with air filters that remove 95% of fine particles. With these bus stations located 150 metres from two of France’s busiest motorways, this 1.5 million euro innovation ‘douses athletes in pure air’, temporarily keeping them safe from fine particle pollution as they await their bus³. Unfortunately, this is the only place where air pollution measures have been put in place: athletes are still exposed elsewhere, including athlete housing.

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For spectators

Over 16 million visitors are expected to flock to the French capital to attend the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Additionally, the buzz of the Olympics will bring 50 million tourists to Paris throughout the year 2024, making it reclaim its spot as the number one visited city in the world. Over 101 million international tourists are expected to visit France as a whole in 2024.

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Despite the fact that increased tourism from the Olympic Games is anticipated to bring 10.7 billion euros to France, there are no additional measures in place to protect spectators nor visitors to Paris during the games or throughout the rest of the year.

Let Eoleaf protect you from indoor air pollution

Outdoor air pollution is scary, and individuals usually have little control regarding its state. However, individuals can protect themselves from indoor air pollution. Indoor air is 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air: air from outside becomes trapped inside when windows and doors are open, and a lack of proper ventilation (and high levels of outdoor air pollution that bring in even more polluted air when windows and doors are opened) severely degrades indoor air quality. Eoleaf is here to help. With our devices boasting an impressive 8-step air filtration system, we offer some of the highest-quality air purifiers on the air purification market. Our medical-grade filtration system removes 99.97% of all air pollutants down to 0.01 microns in a single pass from your indoor air, safeguarding you and your loved ones from the effects of air pollution. Reach out to our team today to choose the right device for your needs.

Resources

¹ Roudaut, M. (2024, July 16). Olymic Games Paris 2024: this map reveals air quality at each athletic site with ten days remaining before the opening ceremonies. Le HuffPost. https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/jo-paris-2024/article/jo-de-paris-2024-cette-carte-revele-la-qualite-de-l-air-sur-chaque-site-sportif-a-10-jours-de-l-ouverture-des-jo_236978.html

² Stephan, J. (2024, July 19). Paris 2024: one week out from the start of the Olympic Games, air quality presents a concern. L’Humanité. https://www.humanite.fr/environnement/jeux-olympiques-paris-2024/paris-2024-a-une-semaine-des-jo-la-qualite-de-lair-inquiete

³ Mandard, S. (2024, July 25). Air pollution in Ile-de-France, a 'major concern' during the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Le Monde.fr. https://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2024/07/25/jeux-de-paris-2024-la-pollution-de-l-air-une-preoccupation-majeure_6257871_3244.html

⁴ In Paris, the Olympic Games sites exposed to air pollution. Reporterre, le média de l’écologie - Indépendant et en accès libre. (2024, July 16). https://reporterre.net/A-Paris-les-sites-des-JO-trop-exposes-a-la-pollution-de-l-air

⁵ Franceinfo. (2024, July 17). Paris 2024: Nearly all Olympic sites in Ile-de-France are too polluted. Franceinfo. https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/paris-2024-la-quasi-totalite-des-sites-olympiques-en-ile-de-france-sont-trop-pollues_6670959.html

⁶ Olympic Games: Urban installations in place for remove outdoor air pollution in the Olympic Village. Environnement Magazine. (2024, February 9). https://www.environnement-magazine.fr/pollutions/article/2024/02/09/147702/jo-mobilier-urbain-pour-depolluer-air-exterieur-village-des-athletes

⁷ Paris tourism statistics 2024 - how many will visit olympic games?. Road Genius. (2024, July 24). https://roadgenius.com/statistics/tourism/france/paris/2024-forecasts/