A day walking around the streets of Rome is the equivalent of smoking five to six cigarettes. This is according to an investigation carried out by the hospital Sesto S. Giovanni in Milan.

The most polluted cities in Italy are Milan, Palermo and Trieste where each person inhales the equivalent of 15 cigarettes a day. In second place comes Naples with the equivalent of between nine and eleven cigarettes. Verona, Turin, Florence and Genoa tie for third place with seven to eight cigarettes, after which comes Rome. Benzene from cars and motorcycles is the predominant cause of this high pollution level.