Health risk associated to the urban environmental pollution in Europe: results of HEREPLUS project

In Europe approximately 80% of the population lives in urban areas. There is a clear need to understand the impact of Global Changes on urban population, and more generally on the management of large metropolitan areas. This is why the Project ‘‘HEalth Risk from Environmental Pollution Levels in Urban Systems’’ (acronym HE.R.E.P.L.U.S., website: http://www.hereplusproject.eu/), was funded under European Commission’s RTD FP7, and operating from 2008 to 2011. The project involves four European cities along a wide latitudinal gradient, and an interdisciplinary scientific community including physicians (epidemiologists, pneumologists, cardiologists), environmental scientists (chemists, ecologists, botanists) and statisticians. HEREPLUS faced with the complexity of the relationships between air pollution, human health and vegetation, the inherent difficulties in tracking drivers and impacts, and the potentially enormous benefits from understanding and managing processes and resources, by using a multidisciplinary approach. And concerning the evidence coming from current research on air pollution and urban green there waqs the possibility to demonstrate the ameliorating effect of urban vegetation on air quality, but often also pointing out perverse interactions between biogenic and anthropogenic volatile organic compounds, eventually worsening pollution effects. The HEREPLUS project was finally aimed to disseminate guidelines and best practice indications at a European level, through international workshops and a conclusive report, also in support of the implementation of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) initiative and of the Environment and Health Action Plan.