TELECONFERENCIA EUROPEA SOBRE LA CONTAMINACIÓN MEDIOAMBIENTAL

El 15 de abril de 2016, FENAER participa en el Grupo de Trabajo Ambiental de la EPT Determinantes que llevó a cabo una teleconferencia para discutir la manera de seguir adelante con la definición de la calidad del aire interior, los más recientes desarrollos legislativos en la materia, así como conferencias y futuros planes:

Date of meeting:  15^thof April 2016 – 14:00-14:30 CET

Present: RS Roberta Savli
GS Giorgio Salerni (FederASMA e Allergie Onlus)
AB Artur Badyda (Polska Federacja Stowarzyszeń Chorych na Astmę i POChP)
SE Solveig Enberg (Astma och Allergi Förbundet)
KK Kevin Kelly (Asthma Society of Ireland)

Apologies: BO Bo Gleditsch (NAAF - Norges Astma- og Allergiforbund)

EFA and working group future activities and priorities

RS informed group members of EFA’s activities around environmental determinants:

·         during World Allergy Week (4-10 April), we have underlined in social media the link between pollen, air pollution and climate change – we will continue with this in summer with our possible participation in the sixth European symposium on aerobiology;

·         during the first (and depending on adoption, possibly second) semester of 2016, together with other health and environment non-profit organisations, we have advocated for stricter emissions reductions in EU legislation;

·         we are planning to work on a directive that will be proposed by the Commission this spring that aims at banning some carcinogenic chemicals in working environments to help, although indirectly, people with asthma, allergy and COPD;

·         we have finalised the analysis of the results of the survey to members on the definition of indoor air quality to patients’ perspective and we now have to decide what we will be doing with them. RS asked for members input on this topic. On the 5^th of June, in occasion of the World Environment Day, we could present the brand new definition with social media messages (indoor air quality was chosen by EFA as our main theme for this international day).

Group members shared their projects and initiatives:

·         GSexplained that Federasma e allergie has worked on the NEC directive and sent an advocacy letter to the Italian Ministry of Environment;

·         KK presented a project ASI is launching. They will monitor indoor air quality in their members’ homes and the results will come up this autumn and will be published in a report probably in January 2017;

·         AB underlined that there is a lack of awareness on indoor air quality due to the absence of legislation and the fact that at least some European countries have very poor ambient air quality, and they believe that this is a more important and urgent matter to tackle. In some countries, like in Poland, there is also an economic factor behind poor indoor air quality, as people use old and polluting boilers and/or burn wood inside their houses. He believes that education is crucial and asked for best practices. GS presented a project led by Global Alliance against Respiratory Diseases (GARD) Italy, in which Federasma e allergie is involved, that underlines the importance of indoor air quality in schools. He also informed group members of the existence of a working group on environmental tobacco smoke;

·         SE presented a new project developed by Astma och Allergi Förbundet that will measure indoor air quality in schools. She will send more information on the scope and objective of the project in due time.

Action points:

-          KK and SE to send info on their respective projects;

-          GS to send info on GARD Italy working groups;

-          RS to send info on the chemicals that are under Commission revision and member to comment whether they are aware of links with asthma, allergy and COPD;

-          members to brainstorm on possible use of the results of the survey on the definition of indoor air quality from patients’ perspective.