Air pollution and its effects on cultural property : a Mediterranean example

Abstract

Air pollution, and especially acid rain, is normally associated with the industrialised countries of Northern Europe rather than with Mediterranean region. Notwithstanding the undeniable fact that in the north the problems of air pollution and its associated detrimental effects on cultural property are present, it is also true that this phenomenon is not limited to one specific geographic region; in Southern Europe pollution is also an important cause of the deterioration of cultural property. Countries which immediately come to mind include Greece and Italy. Other areas in the Mediterranean, such as the Balearic islands, the South of France, Sicily or Malta, are more often imagined as idyllic places enjoying sunny weather and clean air rather than polluted air and smog. However here too the deterioration of cultural property, and especially that of historic buildings and archaeological sites, is an ever-present reality. In the following lecture these problems will be illustrated with special reference to the Central Mediterranean and in particular to the island of Malta; the effects of air-borne pollutants on cultural property will also be discussed.