Impacts of agriculture on PM10 pollution and human health in the Lombardy region in Italy

Air pollution is one of the main environmental health concerns globally, with particulate matter (PM) as the primary threat. While many policies address emissions from transport and industry, there is growing evidence of agriculture’s significant impact on air quality. Evaluating how intensive farming impacts PM concentrations and public health is necessary for informed policy interventions. We focus on the Po Valley (Italy), characterized by intensive agricultural practices and substantial pollution levels. Our study examines secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) concentrations between 2013 and 2020 in Lombardy. Our findings reveal key insights into the impact of intensive farming on air pollution and public health. First, we find that ammonium salts make up over 30% of the daily particulate matter <= 10 μm (PM10), with annual levels [11.6–11.8 μg/m3] reaching half of the European Union’s proposed limit (20 μg/m3). Second, exposure tends to peak in low-wind conditions. In Milan, ammonia predominantly flows from the east, aligning with heavy livestock activity, while nitrogen oxides’ (NOx) impacts seem more localized. Rural SIA peaks correlate with winds from NOx-rich areas. These outcomes imply that targeted, single-sector policies might fall short of significantly reducing PM10 concentrations. Additionally, manure spreading raises SIA levels by 2–3 μg/m3 in urban backgrounds the following days. Local sources also stand out in back-trajectory modeling of concentrations. Finally, applying long-term concentration-response functions to ammonium salts as a fraction of PM10, our study suggests that pollution stemming from agricultural activities in Milan leads to approximately 589 [446–866] deaths annually, resulting in an average loss of 6,951 [5,267–10,222] life years. This equates to 43 [33–64] deaths and 511 [387–751] lost life years for every 100,000 residents

Note a margine sull’applicazione della legge regionale lombarda 31/2014 e sulle norme transitorie (con modifiche). Serve veramente questa legge per contenere il consumo di suolo?

La Lombardia è, da diversi anni, la Regione italiana che dispone delle banche dati territoriali più accurate per la misurazione degli usi e delle qualità pedologiche e produttive dei suoli. È anche la prima Regione ad avere approvato una legge specifica per il contenimento del consumo di suolo e per la riqualificazione dei suoli degradati (l.r. 31/2014). Ciononostante si conferma anche come la Regione con la più alta quantità di suolo urbanizzato e impermeabilizzato, e con dinamiche di consumo del suolo, inteso quale processo di trasformazione di terreni agricoli e naturali verso usi antropici, tra i più intensi del nostro Paese (cfr. Rapporto ISPRA 2016 e le percentuali di crescita registrate dal Rapporto 2017). Nei quasi tre anni trascorsi dall’approvazione della l.r. 31 non si possono segnalare significativi cambiamenti di tendenza

Consumo di suolo e questioni ambientali

L’inadeguata problematizzazione degli effetti ambientali del consumo di suolo e il loro consistente quanto trascurato impatto, richiedono un profondo ripensamento degli strumenti tecnico-urbanistici sia per scala di intervento, sia per competenze e sia per resistenza alle pressioni trasformativ

Impacts of agriculture on PM10 pollution and human health in the Lombardy region in Italy

Air pollution is one of the main environmental health concerns globally, with particulate matter (PM) as the primary threat. While many policies address emissions from transport and industry, there is growing evidence of agriculture’s significant impact on air quality. Evaluating how intensive farming impacts PM concentrations and public health is necessary for informed policy interventions. We focus on the Po Valley (Italy), characterized by intensive agricultural practices and substantial pollution levels. Our study examines secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA) concentrations between 2013 and 2020 in Lombardy. Our findings reveal key insights into the impact of intensive farming on air pollution and public health. First, we find that ammonium salts make up over 30% of the daily particulate matter ≤ 10 μ m (PM10), with annual levels [11.6–11.8 μg/m3] reaching half of the European Union’s proposed limit (20 μg/m3). Second, exposure tends to peak in low-wind conditions. In Milan, ammonia predominantly flows from the east, aligning with heavy livestock activity, while nitrogen oxides’ (NOx) impacts seem more localized. Rural SIA peaks correlate with winds from NOx-rich areas. These outcomes imply that targeted, single-sector policies might fall short of significantly reducing PM10 concentrations. Additionally, manure spreading raises SIA levels by 2–3 μg/m3 in urban backgrounds the following days. Local sources also stand out in back-trajectory modeling of concentrations. Finally, applying long-term concentration-response functions to ammonium salts as a fraction of PM10, our study suggests that pollution stemming from agricultural activities in Milan leads to approximately 589 [446–866] deaths annually, resulting in an average loss of 6,951 [5,267–10,222] life years. This equates to 43 [33–64] deaths and 511 [387–751] lost life years for every 100,000 residents