Right to healthy air
Environmental law charity ClientEarth is working with EQUAL Partners to explore a possible legal action against the Belgian authorities for failing to ensure everyone living in Belgium can breathe safer and cleaner air.
Air pollution & health problems
We all know that the air we breathe is important – but it’s not always safe. Air pollution is the main environmental risk factor for human health in Europe and has been associated with a huge range of health issues. In Belgium, air pollution was responsible for almost 8,700 premature deaths in 2018 alone.
We are all affected by toxic air, but some – especially children, older people, and people on low incomes or from ethnic minorities – are more vulnerable or affected than others. This is not fair – and we are taking action to fight back.
Our aim is to start a legal action to demand that the Belgian authorities take immediate action to protect human health by aligning levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 – the fine dust that clouds the air) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2 – an invisible and toxic gas associated with vehicle emissions) as much as possible with the World Health Organization (WHO)’s new air quality guidelines.
The WHO – the leading experts on public health issues, including polluted air – recently issued new air quality guidelines that drastically lower the safe levels of various pollutants including PM2.5 and NO2. These guidelines reflect the best available science on the threat air pollution poses to human health and should be used by governments to protect citizens’ health and life. But this is currently not the case in Belgium and in other countries across Europe.
If you or your loved ones have experienced irritated airways, feeling out of breath, wheezing, coughing, high blood pressure, chest discomfort or other symptoms, it could be linked to air pollution.
In fact, air pollution has been associated with a huge range of health issues, including:
- Asthma
- Acute lower respiratory infections in children (bronchiolitis, bronchitis, pneumonia)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for example chronic bronchitis
- Lung Cancers
- Heart attacks and heart failures
- Strokes
If you have suffered from any of the health problems listed above – or have otherwise been impacted by air pollution – please come forward and express your interest by filling in the form below.
Resources
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GDPR policy (PDF)
Questions for individuals
Please complete the form below to provide vital information and express your initial interest in taking action. All the information is protected in line with GDPR rules.
Answering the following questions does not commit you to anything, you are simply expressing your interest. At this stage we are simply looking at who might be eligible to help us bring a potential case. You will not need to pay anything at any stage of the process.