Commission monitors EU citizens’ exposure to air pollution

	Who?	EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, in co-operation with the Region of Brussels-Capital
	What?	“One Day in the Life of Two Cities” Launch of the PEOPLE (Population Exposure to Air Pollutants in Europe) project by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre
	When?	17th September 2002, 14:30 hrs.
	Where?	Residence Palace, International Press Centre-Salle „Passage“ 155 Rue de la Loi, Brussels 1040

Every day EU citizens are exposed to air pollution. To monitor the outdoor and indoor presence of pollutants and their impact on human health, EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin, together with the Brussels Minister for the Environment Didier Gosuin, will launch on 17 September the PEOPLE project in Brussels. 2000 volunteers across Europe will be asked to wear a monitoring device for 12 hours on a given day. The study will focus on carcinogenic substances manifesting long-term effects, and first of all on benzene. Measurement campaigns will take place in ten large European cities, such as Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Dublin, Krakow, Lisbon, Ljubljana, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. PEOPLE will measure the range of exposures to air pollution associated with different lifestyles, transport modes, specific environments (schools, shops, offices, bars, etc.), and personal habits such as smoking.

The project will start in Brussels and Lisbon (pilot phase). Each person selected in both cities will be provided with a measurement device and asked to wear or ‘expose’ the samplers to the ambient air for 12 hours in their home and on their body (personal exposure measurements). These short-term measurements are possible thanks to the use of a newly developed diffusive sampler that allows for data to be collected over short periods of time.

The PEOPLE Project launch event and press conference will provide journalists with the opportunity to interview Commissioner Busquin and Mr Didier Gosuin, Brussels region Minister for the Environment. A second presentation will take place on 13th September in Lisbon. Journalists are more than welcome to try the device themselves!
The Region of Brussels–Capital has already adopted EU legislation concerning benzene. In addition, thanks to its network for permanent measurements of air quality, the Region already possesses important statistical data on the evolution of the concentration of benzene over the last 10 years. The Brussels Minister for the Environment Didier Gosuin is therefore particularly pleased to participate in this project. His administration has recruited quite a number of Brussels inhabitants who will lend themselves as volunteers to this experience. Several of these volunteers will be present at the press conference.

More info? Please contact:

Fabio Fabbi
EU Commission
Press and Communication Directorate-General
Spokesman for Research
tel. +32 2 296.41.74
GSM +32 (0)498 96.41.74
fax +32 2 296.30.03
e-mail Fabio.Fabbi@cec.eu.int

Jean-François Leconte
Region of Brussels-Capital
Press advisor to the Cabinet of Minister Didier Gosuin
tel. +32 2 517.12.44.
GSM +32 (0)497. 59.99.49.
fax +32 2 512.15.51.
e-mail jfleconte@gosuin.irisnet.be