The Impact of Atmospheric and noise Pollution on the Health of Urban Populations
The chair in mobility and quality of life in urban areas will measure the impacts of pollution by gases, particles and noise on the quality of life and health of the residents of a city. In response to this societal issue, the car manufacturers PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault have realized the importance
of supporting the sponsored research project that UPMC is running together with France’s Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), Atmosphere, Media and Spatial Observation Laboratory (LATMOS), Ecce Terra, the Jean le Rond d’Alembert Institute and the Institute for Acoustics and Music Research and Coordination (IRCAM). "By taking the many factors involved in chemical air pollution into account, as well as unconventional sources of pollution such as noise, the chair can bring a new dimension to the concept of the urban environment, which may be promising for the future," commented Laurence Eymard, Chair.
An Inter-disciplinary Research Team of Experts
A chair headed by Laurence Eymard, coordinating an inter-disciplinary team of experts in acoustics, air quality and health. Laurence Eymard will coordinate a scientific community of more than 1,000 people specialized in earth system and environmental sciences, ranging from biodiversity to health, and from deep-earth science to planetary science, via climatology. Régis Marchiano, a professor at UPMC, works on linear and non-linear acoustic wave propagation in complex media at the UPMC/CNRS Jean le Rond d’Alembert Institute. Nicolas Misdariis is joint head of the Sound Perception and Design team at the Institute for Acoustics and Music Research and Coordination (IRCAM). Sébastien Payan, professor at UPMC and a research fellow at LATMOS, researches various issues on the boundary between molecular physics and atmospheric physics. In health, Isabella Annesi-Maesano, head of the INSERM/UPMC Epidemiology of Allergic and Respiratory Diseases team, runs research projects to understand the etiology of rhinitis, asthma, chronic obstructive broncho-pneumopathy, and identify subjects at risk. Annick Clément, professor of pediatric pneumology at UPMC, runs the pediatric pneumology ward at Trousseau Hospital. She also coordinates a European research group on rare lung diseases in children and sits on numerous scientific boards in France and around the world.
Major Issues for Private-Sector Sponsors of the new Chair
Sylvain Allano, Scientific and Future Technology Director at PSA Peugeot Citroen: "We thought a sponsored chair was an appropriate way to support high-quality inter-disciplinary research in areas with a strong societal dimension, such as air quality and noise pollution. The research results should provide the kind of solid, recognized scientific basis that often is missing from societal and environmental debates." Rémi Bastien, Head of Innovation Engineering at Renault: "Society expects mobility, which is both a necessity and a fundamental freedom, to contribute to a higher quality of life, especially in urban areas. Current forms of mobility have increasingly unacceptable impacts. As manufacturers, we are part of the problem, so we want to be part of the solution. The best way is to cooperate with high-level inter-disciplinary scientists. The new chair offers us a unique opportunity to
pave the way for sustainable, reliable solutions backed by in-depth scientific expertise." Claire Martin, vice President of CSR at Renault and Managing Director of the Renault Foundation: "The better we understand impacts in their complexity, the more able the government and industry will be to develop appropriate responses. It is also legitimate and necessary to analyze the technical, economic, social, health and other aspects of phenomena in order to send clear, objective messages to all audiences."
