Milan, the third most polluted city in the world, is alarmed and has taken drastic measures.

Italy's economic capital is particularly affected by its geographical location, but above all it pays the consequences of its activity.

It's like a very subtle layer that makes the air gray. The city of Milan and its region will, from Tuesday, February 20, 2024, be subject to strict anti-pollution measures, including traffic restrictions, calls to turn down the heat and a ban on the spreading of slurry on fields. Since the start of the year, air quality warnings have multiplied in the Italian city, causing concern.

On Sunday, February 18, IQ Air, a Swiss company that sells air purifiers, pointed out that for a few hours, only Dhaka in Bangladesh and Lahore in Pakistan were ahead of Italy's economic capital as the world's most polluted cities. The city has since been downgraded in this live ranking, but still appears to be one of the most polluted cities worldwide.

Almost a month above the approved standard

However, the data is considered unreliable According to some Italian mediapointed out The city's Social Democratic mayor, Giuseppe Sala, was outraged: “We are taking steps to improve air quality. This is what the regional agency says, but not enough, I confirm it. But until everyone from there takes the information in a private company, it is not possible!

If the Regional Environmental Protection Agency is less cautious than this individual ranking, the data will be significant. For almost a month since the beginning of the year, Milan has exceeded the permissible standards for fine particles by 30 times the limit on dark days.

The economic capital of Italy pays the consequences of its activity: industry, population density, traffic, intensive reproduction in the region… The Po plain is between the mountains, and the Italian spring at the end of winter worsens the situation, as rain is rare. The nearby Turin region is also in need of a natural disaster.