Air pollution fourth biggest threat to health

Posted on May 22, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

The number of people exposed to high particle pollution will be halved by 2025 if government plans are realised.

There will be an attempt to curb smoke from solid fuel fires and wood-burners; pollution from diesel machinery will be reduced.

Farmers, who have largely evaded pollution controls so far, will be told to buy new equipment to reduce ammonia from slurry.

Campaigners welcome the consultation, but say it does not go far enough.

They accuse the government of passing on tough decisions to local councils.

The government has been obliged to publish this Clean Air Strategy under an EU rule. It’s in addition to the legislation which has seen the UK taken to court over high levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution.

Ministers estimate that their plans will reduce the costs of air pollution to society by an estimated £1 billion every year by 2020, rising to £2.5 billion every year from 2030.

They describe air pollution as the fourth biggest threat to public health after cancer, obesity and heart disease.

The Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “Air quality has improved significantly since 2010 but sixty years on from the historic Clean Air Act a clear truth remains – air pollution is making people ill, shortening lives and damaging our economy and environment.

“This clean air strategy sets out the comprehensive action required across all parts of the government to improve air quality.”

New powers

All EU nations will have to submit similar plans to cut pollution but Mr Gove says the UK’s policies will be carried out beyond Brexit.

The planned legislation will give new powers to local councils to tackle bad air quality. Some councils welcome this approach whilst others think they’re being left to do the government’s dirty work.

Campaigners are pleased, though, that the plan will be embedded in new primary legislation.

They applaud the decision to halve the number of people in the UK exposed to levels of particulates above the World Health Organization limit of 10 microgrammes/m3.

But they say the consultation document so far doesn’t say how the government will deal with the on-going problem of NOX emissions from cars.

Alison Cook from the British Lung Foundation said: “We can’t lose focus on transport as a main culprit for pollution.”

Critics also accuse ministers of passing the buck to local councils.

Doug Parr from Greenpeace told BBC News: “The ambition is impressive – but how is it going to be achieved? Lots of councils simply don’t have the resources to deal with these issues.”

The government has avoided other potentially controversial decisions. The document promises that only the cleanest of solid fuels will be allowed to heat people’s homes.

No ban

But a Defra spokesman told BBC News that open fires, coal-burning and wood-burning would not be nationally banned.

Instead, new stoves – including wood-burners – would have to be cleaner. And people would also be encouraged to burn dry wood, because it emits fewer particulates.

Mr Parr said this was far too vague: “Will hard-pressed environmental health officers really be checking on wet wood in forecourts?” he asked.

Meanwhile, farmers will be supported to cut ammonia emissions through the proposed new farming funding system known as public money for public goods.

One technologically-difficult issue is also acknowledged – the contribution to microplastic air pollution and water pollution from vehicle brakes and tyres wearing on the road. The government says it will work with international partners to research and develop new standards.

Sue Hayman MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said: “Michael Gove has become the Secretary of State for Consultations – with over 25 consultations published by his department since the General Election and not a single piece of primary legislation brought forward.”

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas said: “It’s good to see a strategy finally published – but the details of this plan look extremely underwhelming. The Government is using a water pistol to put out the air pollution wildfire.”

via Air pollution fourth biggest threat to health – BBC News

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Ozone exposure at birth increases risk of asthma development

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

A long-term study of the health of Canadian children has found that exposure to ozone (O3), a common air pollutant, at birth was associated with an 82 percent increased risk of developing asthma by age three. The study, which was a 10-year follow-up to the 2006 Toronto Child Health Evaluation Questionnaire (T-CHEQ), was presented at the 2018 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

“Our findings show that the hazard ratios for ozone measured at birth as a single pollutant showed statistically significant higher risks for development of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema,” said lead author Teresa To, PhD, senior scientist, Child Health Evaluative Services at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “The results of our study are important because the study examines the effect of pollution on health outcomes in early childhood, and has the longest longitudinal follow-up of a cohort of school-aged children in Canada.”

A hazard ratio is a statistical formula used to determine risk.

For this part of the T-CHEQ study, 1,881 children were followed from birth to 17 years of age, on average. Amongst these children, 31 percent developed asthma, 42 percent had allergic rhinitis and 76 percent had eczema. An 82 percent higher risk of developing asthma was associated with each 10 parts per billion, or ppb increase in exposure to ozone at birth. A similar risk was not observed in association with exposure to nitrogen dioxide or PM2.5, a type of pollutant.

The researcher team took annual average concentrations of pollutants from fixed monitoring stations across Ontario. They assigned these measurements based on study participants’ postal codes at birth. Development of asthma, allergic rhinitis and eczema were determined based on any records of health services used for these conditions. The researchers adjusted for variables such as parental history of asthma and early home exposure to pollutants.

Some studies have shown that ozone depletes antioxidant activity and increases indications of inflammation in the respiratory tract fluid lining and affects lung growth.

“We examined O3 and NO2, as well as particulate matter PM2.5 and ultrafine particulates (UFP – not discussed in this abstract), because these are the key pollutants that have been suggested in the literature to exacerbate asthma, diabetes, hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” said Dr. To, who is also a professor in the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. “It is well supported by research findings that short-term and long-term exposure to NO2 and particulate matter can increase asthma exacerbations, respiratory symptoms, hospitalizations and even mortality. Similarly, short-term exposure to O3 can decrease lung function and increase the risk of respiratory infections in children.”

Children are at a higher risk because their lungs and other respiratory organs are smaller, and they spend more time in outdoor physical activities that make them breathe faster and more deeply. Poor air quality may have a larger impact on them.

“The quality of air in Ontario, Canada is relatively good on most days of the year, yet we observed an adverse effect on health outcomes in children who were exposed to air pollution at birth and in early life,” said Dr. To. “This has significant implications for other countries that have higher levels of pollution. It is well established that short-term exposure to pollutants such as ozone can decrease lung function, exacerbate asthma and increase the risk of respiratory infections. There is now mounting evidence that long-term exposure can lead to disease progression, such as from asthma to COPD and could increase the risk of death.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 report on air pollution and health indicated that 92 percent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceeded WHO limits. According to WHO, one in eight deaths in the world is a result of air pollution exposure, making air pollution the single largest global environmental health risk.

“Air pollution isn’t only one or a few countries’ problems, but rather a global public health concern,” Dr. To said. “While there are individual actions one can consider to reduce exposure to air pollutants, it also requires action by public authorities at the national, regional and international levels. Reducing air pollution could save millions of lives.”

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The study was funded by Health Canada and the SickKids Foundation.

via Ozone exposure at birth increases risk of asthma development | EurekAlert! Science News

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Hamburg prepares for diesel driving ban with signs warning motorists

Posted on May 18, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

The city of Hamburg this week put up signs on its streets warning motorists of diesel restricted zones – an indication to residents that they are taking the diesel driving bans seriously.
Limited diesel driving bans were introduced for two busy roads in the Hanseatic city after a top court in February ruled that German cities could impose the bans to combat air pollution.

Almost immediately after the verdict, the port city became the first to announce plans for a driving ban on Max-Brauer-Allee and Stresemannstrasse in the Altona district from late April.

The city subsequently made signs which warn people of diesel restricted zones and possible alternative routes. This week the signs started to make an appearance in the Altona district.

The ban in Max-Brauer-Allee applies to all vehicles that do not meet the Euro 6 emissions standard, while the ban in Stresemannstrasse only bars trucks which are below the Euro 6 standard.

Excluded from the driving ban are residents and their visitors, as well as ambulances, garbage trucks and delivery vehicles.

Nonetheless, the ban has not officially started and an exact start date has not yet been set, reports Spiegel Online.

The Hamburg Ministry of the Environment and Energy (BUE) expects the ban in Hamburg to be implemented the week after next.

Motorists in breach of the ban can expect to cough up fines of €25 for cars and €75 for trucks.

There are no plans for further diesel driving bans in Hamburg, according to the BUE.

But when the Hanseatic’s city’s bans are officially put in place, it will be the first German city to implement diesel driving bans, meaning that other cities could follow.

As the ruling obligates Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) to consider driving bans, the two smog-clogged state capitals of Stuttgart and Düsseldorf must seek to control air pollution limits as quickly as possible.

Stuttgart expects initial diesel driving bans to be implemented at the end of the year.

via Hamburg prepares for diesel driving ban with signs warning motorists – The Local

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Diverting diesel trucks spared lungs in Sao Paulo

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

The positive health outcomes of the intervention could guide the formulation of similar transport polices in other cities.

In densely populated cities like Sao Paulo, many vehicles running on diesel such as commercial trucks, vans, and buses circulate right by where people live, causing constant exposure to high levels of diesel emissions. The fuel emits highly pollutive particulate matter and nitrogen oxides that increase the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, among other illnesses.

In 2010, Sao Paulo constructed a beltway along sparsely populated areas that are about 15 miles away from the city center. The original intent of building the beltway was to enable heavy-duty vehicles to bypass the densely populated neighborhoods, and thereby ease traffic congestion in the inner-city roads.

While the intervention did immediately relieve road congestion by 20 percent, researchers from the National University of Singapore found that the effect was short-lived, as passenger cars quickly replaced the inner-city road space which the heavy-duty vehicles had left behind.

However, the researchers also found that the replacement of heavy-duty diesel vehicles with gasoline-ethanol passenger cars on the inner-city roads resulted in a sustained drop in the level of nitrogen oxides in the air, reducing air pollution in the city even after the traffic congestion rebounded.

The improved air quality in Sao Paulo also translated into long-lasting positive health outcomes for its residents. The researchers observed that the compositional change in traffic in the inner-city roads resulting from the beltway’s diversion of diesel vehicles led to an overall estimated reduction of 5,000 hospital admissions associated with respiratory and cardiovascular illness every year. The researchers quantify about one annual premature death for every 100-200 diesel trucks using inner-city roads.

“The unintentional improvement in air quality and public health resulting from the Sao Paulo beltway demonstrates how judicious transport policies can benefit public health,” says study leader Alberto Salvo, associate professor in the economics department at NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.

“Other world megacities such as London, Paris, New Delhi, and Singapore may stand to gain similarly by limiting the circulation of diesel vehicles in the cities, particularly during the day when people are out and about.”

Nearly 40 percent of London’s total nitrogen oxides emissions are attributed to diesel vehicles. Relative to North America, Europe’s households have significantly adopted diesel cars over gasoline and alternative fuels.

Different cities may adopt different abatement strategies, such as the Ultra-Low Emission Zone charge in London and the temporary ban on diesel cars in Oslo, and thus it is crucial that policymakers evaluate a range of policies in order to select a combination of strategies most effective for their cities.

Sao Paulo’s beltway construction provides a rare intervention, at the scale of a real-world metropolis, of the air and health benefits from shifting the urban transportation fuel mix away from diesel. Policymakers in other cities where human exposure to diesel runs high may learn from Sao Paulo’s experience.

The study appears in the Journal of the European Economic Association. Coauthors are from NUS and the University of Sao Paulo.

Source: National University of Singapore

via Diverting diesel trucks spared lungs in Sao Paulo – Futurity

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WHO States Cairo Second Most Polluted City in World

Posted on May 17, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

Cairo has been ranked as the second most polluted large city in the world, according to a report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), which studied air pollution globally from 2011 until 2015.

In 2017, the United Nations Environment Programme stated in a report that 40,000 people in different parts of Egypt all died from pollution. The report pointed to the absence of trees within Egypt’s capital as leading to the increase of air pollution.

The U.N. report explained that Cairo is similar to Iran’s capital Tehran and the U.S. city of Los Angeles in their air pollution ratios. The situation in Cairo differs slightly as the topography allows for an effective decrease in air pollution compared to the other two cities.

India’s city of New Delhi topped the list at first place while two other Indian cities, Kolkata and Mumbai, occupied the fourth and fifth places on the list. Turkey’s city of Istanbul came in at the eighth place.

The WHO report noted that seven million people worldwide die from exposure to polluted air, addeding that nearly 4.2 million people died in 2016 from air pollution; pollution from fuel exhaust also resulted in the death of 3.8 million people in 2016.

Being that it is the capital of the country, hosting a population of 19.5 million, Cairo is considered to be the most congested city in Egypt. The Qalyubia, Giza and Cairo provinces together represent what is known as Greater Cairo.

via WHO States Cairo Second Most Polluted City in World | Al Bawaba

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Blood pressure risk for children exposed to air pollution in womb

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

Children exposed to air pollution when in the womb are more likely to have high blood pressure, researchers have found.

They believe that tiny particles from car exhausts and factories can cross the placenta and cause long-term harm.

Their study – the first of its kind – looked at 1 293 mothers and their children aged three to nine. Youngsters exposed to the highest level of pollution in the last three months of pregnancy were 61 % more likely to have high blood pressure.

The researchers looked at ‘fine particulate matter’, which is produced by cars and the burning of coal. Dr Noel Mueller, who led the study at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, said the results – published in the journal Hypertension – showed the need for clean air regulations. But he said it was too early to say for sure that pollution caused the high blood pressure.

Oliver Hayes of Friends of the Earth said the study was the latest to highlight the risks of air pollution to unborn babies. He added: ‘We need urgent Government action to protect society’s most vulnerable from diesel fumes.’

via Blood pressure risk for children exposed to air pollution in womb | IOL Lifestyle

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Study: Street-level air pollution increases health risk among elderly

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

A new study published today in the journal Environmental Health shows that differences in traffic-related air pollution are associated with higher rates of heart attacks and deaths from heart disease in the elderly. Scientists from Environmental Defense Fund and Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Division of Research combined data from the nonprofit’s block-by-block study of air pollution in Oakland, CA, with 6 years of electronic health records from more than 40,000 local residents to evaluate the impacts of air quality between neighbors, people who live on the same street or within a few blocks of each other at an unprecedented resolution.

Specifically, the study shows that 3.9 parts per billion higher NO2 concentrations are associated with a 16 percent increased risk of diagnosed heart attacks, surgery or death from heart disease among the elderly and 0.36 microgram per meter cube higher black carbon concentrations are associated with a 15 percent increased risk of having a cardiac event and/or dying from coronary heart disease among the same population.

The effect estimates of street-level neighborhood differences in long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution on cardiovascular events in the general population of adults, were consistent with results found in previous studies, though not statistically significant. The associations among the elderly add to a growing body of evidence indicating higher susceptibility to air pollution.

In 2017, EDF revealed the results of our work with Google Earth Outreach, which deployed Google Street View cars to create one of the largest, most spatially precise datasets of mobile air pollution measurements ever assembled and mapped the differences in air quality within Oakland It also revealed unexpected variation in air pollution within smaller neighborhoods and even individual city blocks. This latest study combines that highly resolved air map with Kaiser Permanente’s health records to determine the health impacts of unhealthy air on the streets outside residents’ homes.

EDF is also visualizing these results in new maps, which show pollution associated relative risk for residents living in specific parcels.

“With 80 percent of the US population living in urban areas and cardiovascular disease contributing to one in six heath care dollars spent, it is critical that we better understand what is driving health disparities in cities,” said Ananya Roy, EDF Health Scientist and a co-author of the study. “Local action requires local information. While researchers have been able to study air pollution and health effects across populations in large neighborhoods, towns or cities, accurately evaluating and quantifying risks from air pollution at street level has been elusive until now.

“Our study shows the power of comprehensive health records for conducting cutting edge environmental health research,” said Stacey Alexeeff, lead author of the study and Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. “We’ve broken new ground by analyzing the health impact of air pollution on the city block scale for the first time.”

This research is part of EDF’s effort to advance the science behind air quality monitoring, using an emerging wave of environmental innovation to make pollution not only visible but actionable. EDF is not only tracking and measuring air pollution, but also bringing academia, industry, community groups and the public sector together to develop solutions and take these ideas to scale. EDF is already working on future air pollution mapping projects and will assess the health impacts of local pollution in new locations as well.

“As EDF builds on our research by expanding to other communities and exploring other kinds of data we can collect and analyze, we’ll be able to more accurately pinpoint environmental threats and do so in a way that’s scalable,” said Steven Hamburg, Chief Scientist at EDF. “We hope to empower people with this new information, driving solutions that improve the health of millions.”

via Study: Street-level air pollution increases health risk among elderly | Environmental Defense Fund

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Seoul to ban old diesels cars on air-polluted days

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Respro® UK Ltd

Old diesel cars will be banned from being driven in Seoul when heavy fine dust alerts are issued.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government ordered that diesel vehicles, registered before Dec. 31, 2005, will be restricted in downtown Seoul from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. when emergency action against heavy air pollution is needed. Any violators will be fined 100,000 won ($94).

The restriction will take effect next month after a regulation review.

According to government data, 200,000 vehicles are subject to the restriction in Seoul and 2.2 million nationwide. Given that 22.69 million cars were registered as of March, one out of 10 will be affected.

The city government initially considered restricting diesel-powered cars registered before December 2005 that weigh 2.5 tons or above.

However, through public hearings and discussions, Seoul reached a conclusion to expand the number of cars to be controlled.

Diesel vehicles that were registered outside Seoul and weigh less than 2.5 tons and those driven by the disabled will have a grace period until February next year to install emission reduction devices on their vehicles.

“We considered giving some exceptions to some vehicles driven by those who make a living using aged diesel cars. However, we decided to minimize the exemption range to increase the efficiency of the initiative,” said an official of the city government.

Diesel cars have taken heavy flak for polluting the air, with the government announcing measures aimed at reducing fine dust emissions.

Meanwhile, the city government recently withdrew its plan to provide free public transportation on days fine dust warnings are issued.

via Seoul to ban old diesels cars on air-polluted days

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