Girona has initiated a European study to analyze indoor air quality in homes. On Wednesday, the first meters began to be distributed among selected participants in the city. Around 200 people will have these devices with the aim of evaluating pollution from furniture, cleaning products, or fabrics in their homes.
First meters in Girona homes
The initiative, named Girostudi, is part of a project promoted by the Diputació de Girona through Dipsalut. The purpose is to collect data on the health of 4,000 people from Girona for a decade. The Dipsalut Observatory coordinates the research and has the collaboration of the Spanish National Research Council and the Catalan Institute for Water Research in proposals submitted to European and state calls.
"We breathe the air at home many more hours than the air outside, and this has hardly been studied" - Pau Batlle, Observatori de Dipsalut
The study seeks to establish the correlation between the presence of chemical toxins in wastewater and the detection of these same compounds in biological samples of the participants. Furthermore, the relationship with bacterial resistance to antibiotics will be analyzed.
Scientific collaboration and new approaches in public health
The research also addresses the analysis of the intestinal microbiota through biological samples. It aims to study the relationship between quality of life, possible early indicators of diseases such as Alzheimer's or situations of stress and depression, and the composition of the microbiota. The objective is to cross biological health, social conditions, and environmental factors in a single framework of analysis.
"One of the strengths of Girostudi is that several research groups seek us out to collaborate" - Pau Batlle, Observatori de Dipsalut
The arrival of competitive European projects implies funding and consolidation of research groups in the territory. Pau Batlle, coordinator of the Dipsalut Observatory, highlights that the demarcation is beginning to position itself as a pole of attraction for European projects in population health.