Air quality in Benevento

Is Benevento city heavily polluted currently?

Benevento is a city and commune of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of the same name. It is located at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the Sabato rivers.

According to a recently conducted census in August 2020, Benevento had an estimated population of approximately 58,500 people.

At the end of 2021, Benevento was experiencing a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI reading of 81. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most prolific air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. It can then be used as the metric when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. If data is unavailable for all 6 pollutants, a figure can still be calculated by using what figures there are. There were just two pollutants measured in Benevento which were PM2.5 and PM10 with respective figures of 26.6 µg/m³ and 31.9 µg/m³.

This level of PM2.5 is just higher than two and a half times the recommended safe level of 10 µg/m³ as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as being an acceptable level. Although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

When air quality is classed as “Moderate” the given advice would be to stay indoors as much as possible, closing doors and windows to prevent more the ingress of more dirty air. Those who are more sensitive to poor quality air should avoid venturing outside until it improves. If this is unavoidable, then a good quality face mask should be worn at all times. There is a downloadable app from AirVisual.com which is suitable for all operating systems which gives the latest information regarding air quality in real-time. This information should help with any decisions that need to be made.

Does the level of air pollution vary much throughout the year in Benevento?

Air quality is affected by many variables and can therefore change rapidly. The figures for 2020 released by IQAir.com show that the month with the worst air quality was January when the reading was 40.0 µg/m³ which placed it in the “Unhealthy for sensitive groups” category. The remaining eleven months of the year saw air quality classified as “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. Out of these, the best month was May with a figure of 12.2 µg/m³. The month with the dirtiest air was December with a 31.7 µg/m³ reading.

Historically, records were first kept in 2017 when a figure of 19.4 µg/m³ was recorded. The following year it dropped to 14.2 µg/m³ but then rose again the following year to 16.2 µg/m³. It rose again in 2020 which was against the world trend. At that time, it may have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as many vehicles were no longer in daily use because the offices were closed, and staff were told to work from home in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere, albeit on a temporary basis. Worldwide, cities reported a much better quality of air because of the general lack of traffic pollution in city centres due to the pandemic.

Is there a major source of pollution in Benevento?

Once again, Benevento fails the air quality test. The European Environment Agency places the Samnite capital among the cities with the worst air on the continent (Benevento is 282^nd out of 323 European cities with more than fifty thousand inhabitants).

The main sources of emissions are always traffic, domestic heating, industries and agricultural practices. Surely the main cause may be the excessive use of private cars, to the detriment of ecological vehicles such as bicycles or public transport. It is nearly always the same in any large city.

The suspended particulate is made up of all the non-gaseous material suspended in the air. The nature of the particles is very diverse: organic or inorganic compounds. In urban areas, particulate matter can originate from industrial processes (foundries, cement factories, incinerators, etc.), from heating systems, from the wear of asphalt, tyres, brakes and from the exhaust emissions of motor vehicles, in particular those with diesel engines.

Can anything be done to improve air quality in Benevento?

To accelerate the ecological transition and start Italy "towards zero pollution", it will be essential to jointly carry out both urgent measures and reforms and structural works. In particular, the following proposals emerge among the urgent measures proposed. The circulation of the most polluting vehicles, bonuses and scrapping incentives for the purchase of combustion cars must be limited and speed limits for pollution on roads and motorways introduced.

In the agricultural field, the association calls for a ban on spreading sewage in the field without immediate coverage.

As for the heating, you need a gradual stop to the use of diesel fuel in September 2022 in polluted cities, the immediate halt to tax incentives or heat bill and the ban installation of stoves wood or biomass under 5 stars. Furthermore, the association supports and promotes the use of innovative technologies, starting with heat pumps.

What are the health impacts of breathing dirty air in Benevento?

Ozone is reactive and strongly oxidizing. High levels of ozone corrode living materials, buildings and textiles. Ozone reduces the ability of plants to perform photosynthesis and hinders their absorption of carbon dioxide. It also weakens the growth and reproduction of plants, resulting in lower yields and reduced development of woods and forests. In the human body, it causes inflammation of the lungs and bronchi. As soon as we are exposed to ozone, our body tries to prevent it from entering the lungs. This reaction reduces the amount of oxygen we inhale. Inhaling less oxygen makes the work of the heart more difficult. So for people who already suffer from cardiovascular or respiratory conditions, such as asthma, ozone surges can be debilitating and even fatal.

Combustion of fuels usually changes the structure of many substances, including nitrogen - the most abundant gas in our atmosphere. When nitrogen reacts with oxygen, nitrogen oxides (including nitrogen dioxide) are formed in the air. If, on the other hand, nitrogen reacts with hydrogen atoms, ammonia is formed, another air pollutant, which has highly harmful effects on human health and nature.