Paris air quality improved in 2016, says new report

The study, published by the air quality surveillance agency Airparif, said that the percentage of Parisians exposed to the damaging pollution “PM10” particles - those measuring 10 microns in diameter or smaller - had dropped by 40%, with 60 000 people exposed in 2016 compared to 100 000 in 2015.

Similarly, the number of Parisians exposed to the most-damaging particles - the smallest “PM2,5” variety - had dropped by a significant 70%, reported French newspaper Le Monde.

The Mairie (Town Hall) of Paris celebrated the news, and released a statement praising its “strategy to support non-harmful driving” and its work to reduce the numbers of “polluting cars”.

The news comes just days after the capital held its third annual “Day Without My Car” ("Journėe sans ma voiture") in a bid to reduce pollution from non-essential vehicles.

However, Airparif was keen to point out that despite the improvements, pollution levels in the city continue to surpass the annual limit, and that the concentration of damaging particles and azote dioxide - the latter of which mainly come from diesel vehicle fumes - “is still problematic”.

Although the daily limit for PM10 particles - which specifies that particles must not surpass 50mcg per m³ for more than 35 days per year - “is largely respected” in areas far from major roads, anywhere “near road traffic” regularly flouts the limit, the report said.

The agency estimates that “around 200 000 people” - or 10% of Parisians - are still regularly exposed to more pollution that allowed by the daily limit, with people living in areas near major roads at risk of “concentrations [of particles] that are twice as high as the ideal daily threshold”.