Seven people living near the most polluted sites in Germany with fine particles seized the Constitutional Court on Monday, September 26 to "
defend their fundamental right to health
".
"
Current laws and national limit values for air pollutants do not protect against the health risks confirmed by the World Health Organization
", denounce the plaintiffs, supported by the environmental NGOs DUH and ClientEarth.
The seven plaintiffs live in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt or even Munich in areas “
the most polluted with fine particles
”, they explain in a press release.
They call for “
the fastest possible implementation at national level of the limit values recommended by the WHO
”.
They seized the German Constitutional Court, based in Karlsruhe, responsible for ensuring that legislation complies with the Basic Law of 1949.
Read alsoPollution of the rivers: thirty-six years after "Chernobale", the rebirth of the Rhine
"
Current government legislation is manifestly insufficient to protect people's health
," they lament, pointing out that the levels of fine particles in these areas were "
five times
" higher than the limit values set by the WHO.
“
I am complaining above all for my two children.
Even in the city, children must be able to grow up healthily without falling ill from air pollution
,” lambasted one of the plaintiffs, a resident of Düsseldorf, quoted in the press release.
"We can't avoid it"
“
The government has an obligation to protect my children from damage to their health, which they will suffer all their life
,” she adds.
“
The perverse thing about air pollution is that you can't avoid it, you can't see it.
This is why it is often ignored
, ”adds another complainant, Volker Becker-Battaglia, a resident of Munich.
Read alsoHow pollution causes lung cancer
"
The legislator must review the protective measures in force in the light of new scientific knowledge, such as the new WHO directives on air quality, and strengthen them
", explains lawyer Caroline Douhaire, who dealing with the constitutional complaint.
Present in exhaust gases, dust from vehicle brakes or fumes from fossil fuels, fine particles can cause serious pathologies, including lung cancer.
