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‘Baby’ Claire measures pollution - 12th February 2021

Meet 'baby' Claire: the lifelike doll assisting researchers in Belgium by keeping tabs on the city's air pollution.

Named after her mission statement of "Clean Air for Everyone", Claire is pushed through the congested streets of Antwerp in her buggy, which is equipped with electronic sensors measuring particulate matter from vehicle and factory emissions. Despite a population of just 11 million, Belgium has some of the poorest quality air in Europe.

Referred to as a silent killer, air pollution causes about 7 million premature deaths around the world every year.

Roeland Samson is a professor of bioengineering at the University of Antwerp.

Samson: "What do we analyse? We analyse particulate matter in 2 size fractions: 10 (micrometres) and 2 and a half, and ultra fine particles which are even more dangerous, because they really can penetrate the lungs deeply and even can entrance our blood system."

Accompanying Claire on her travels around the city is volunteer Veerle Bonaers.

Bonaers: "Because I have a child myself and I worry that she has to grow up in a very polluted city, and that it might affect her health in the long term."

Senior climate campaigner at Greenpeace Belgium Joeri Thijs is hopeful transport emissions can be reduced in the future.

Thijs: "But now actually with the new cars, diesel and petrol cars they are as bad. We need to go away from fossil fuel cars, we need to go to electric cars that can be fueled with renewable energy, but most of all we need to go to a different kind of mobility with much less cars, and better alternatives."

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