A public meeting on the subject of “Air Pollution and its effect on Human Health”is to take place at the Lorenzo Manche Boys School (Ospizio) in Floriana on Thursday the 3rd of April at 6 pm.

One does not need to study air monitoring reports to realise that air pollution has increased significantly in Malta over the last years. True, the readings have decreased in certain areas and for pollutants, however the overall perception is that health conditions aggravated by air pollution are on the increase. As we all know, Malta is still wholly dependent on oil for electricity production and there are about 280 thousand vehicles in circulation on our small island. Many of these vehicles are diesel driven and many of them are old and profusely polluting. The pollution generated by our old buses and many commercial vehicles is particularly harmful, resulting in the release of a toxic cocktail of pollutants in our streets where it does most harm.

The most important of these pollutants are the ‘particulates’- fine particles of soot impregnated with toxic chemicals. The particles are usually so fine that they are invisible but old or badly maintained diesel engines emit particles in such density that it is visible as black smoke. Other major pollutants are benzene, nitrogen and sulphur oxides and ozone. Another source of particulates is our construction industry. All these pollutants are a threat to our health through causing increases in lung cancer and heart and lung disease. Children growing up in polluted surroundings are particularly at risk, and sadly Malta has the highest rate of childhood pulmonary problems in the Mediterranean.

The fact remains that no matter how environmentally-friendly newly introduced vehicles might be, the internal combustion engine remains a source of pollution. So it comes as no surprise that, Malta having one of the highest car ownership rates in the world, our pollution problem seems to be here to stay. Malta’s car ownership rate is slightly higher that that of the US, only while this stands at .76 cars per square mile in the US, Malta’s limited surface area means that our rate peaks at 2295 cars per square mile. Solutions include introduction of a less polluting public low-carbon transport system, introducing measures aimed at discouraging car use and providing incentives for low carbon cars such as electric or hybrid cars or small fuel-efficient cars. At the same time something must be done to conserve energy at all levels - domestic, industry and government - and this includes making housing more energy efficient. Finally, Malta cannot continue using oil to generate electricity - we must exploit the sun and the wind and decrease our dependence on oil.

These are some of the issues to be discussed at Thursday’s public lecture where the guest speaker will be Ms Catherine Witherspoon, who is a consultant on climate change and environmental governance issues in the USA. She is visiting Malta to offer her expertise on the question of air quality in our country. The meeting, made possible through the auspices of the US Embassy, will be a unique opportunity for those who are concerned about the effects of pollution caused by our dense traffic to inform themselves on this matter.

After this delivery, members of the public will have an opportunity to discuss the issue with public officials who will be present at the talk. The Lorenzo Manche Boys’ School is to be found behind the Police HQ via Belt is-Sebh Road, which passes under the bastion tunnel.