Environment Canada alerts of increased air pollution due to ozone 

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Environment Canada has issued a statement alerting residents of possible increased air pollution for July 18.

The statement affects all of York Region and other parts of the GTA. Environment Canada says “hot and sunny conditions are expected to cause increasing ground-level ozone concentrations in the area”.

Ozone is a colourless and odourless gas and a major component of smog. Ground-level ozone results from photochemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds in the presence of sunlight.

Air pollution’s effect on health is measured with the Air Quality Health Index. Short-term, high-risk AQHI values are expected in the afternoon.

As a result of increased air pollution, individuals may experience symptoms of coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors and those with cardiovascular or lung disease are especially at risk, Environment Canada says.

Visit airhealth.ca for more information on how to reduce your health risk, as well as your current and forecast AQHI values.

Source: Environment Canada alerts of increased air pollution due to ozone | YorkRegion.com

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Environmental pollution exposure during pregnancy increases asthma risk for three generations 

Posted on July 19, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Exposure to environmental pollutants during pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma for as many as three consecutive generations, according to new research.

Exposure to environmental pollutants during pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma for as many as three consecutive generations, according to new research. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology — Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.

Researchers studied three generations of mice born to mothers that were exposed to either diesel exhaust particles or urban air particle concentrate during pregnancy. The research team compared cells from the lungs of the first, second and third generations of offspring to three generations of control offspring that were not exposed to the pollutants. All generations descended from mothers exposed to diesel exhaust particles had an abnormal increase in a type of immune cell, a common marker for allergy. Offspring of pollutant-exposed ancestors also showed elevated levels of interleukin proteins that are involved in regulating the immune system, which are a marker of asthma risk. However, the increase was more prominent in the first and second generations, suggesting that inherited risk factors lessen in further removed generations.

Environmental pollutant exposure before birth caused epigenetic changes in the offspring’s DNA that affect how genetic code is used (DNA methylation). The researchers found that atypical DNA methylation led to transgenerational asthma risk due to abnormal changes in a type of immune cell called dendritic cells. Dendritic cells play a key role in the development of asthma in early life.

Seeing the changes in DNA methylation and gene expression that affect the health of future generations (epigenetic transgenerational inheritance) may help doctors start to recognize asthma as not only an inflammatory disease but “to a large extent, an epigenetic disease,” explained Alexey Fedulov, corresponding researcher on the study. “This approach may allow entirely new therapeutic strategies.”

Source: Environmental pollution exposure during pregnancy increases asthma risk for three generations — ScienceDaily

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Ozone pollution may cause cardiovascular diseases

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Ozone can damage the respiratory system, reduce lung function and cause asthma attacks.

Exposure to ozone, a powerful greenhouse gas and a widespread air pollutant in many major cities, may cause cardiovascular disease such as heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke, according to a new study of Chinese adults. Ozone is a pollutant formed through a chemical reaction that occurs when sunlight interacts with nitrogen oxides and other organic compounds that are generated by coal-burning, vehicle exhaust and some natural sources. It has long been associated with adverse health effects in children and adults, Xinhua reported on Monday. “We know that ozone can damage the respiratory system, reduce lung function and cause asthma attacks,” said study author Junfeng Zhang, from Duke and Duke Kunshan University.“Here, we wanted to learn whether ozone affects other aspects of human health, specifically the cardiovascular system.” Zhang and colleagues studied 89 healthy adults living in Changsha City of China for one year. They monitored indoor and outdoor ozone levels, along with other pollutants.

At four intervals, the study team took participant blood and urine samples and used a breathing test called spirometry to examine a set of factors that could contribute to cardiovascular and respiratory disease. The team examined inflammation and oxidative stress, arterial stiffness, blood pressure, clotting factors and lung function in participants. They noted blood platelet activation, which is a risk factor for clotting, and an increase in blood pressure, suggesting a possible mechanism by which ozone may affect cardiovascular health. These effects were found with ozone exposure lower than that which affects respiratory health, and lower than current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality standards. “This study shows that standards for safe ozone exposure should take into account its effect on cardiovascular disease risk,” said Zhang. These findings, by a team from Duke University, Tsinghua University, Duke Kunshan University and Peking University, were published Monday in the US journal JAMA Internal Medicine. “This study provides mechanistic support to previously observed associations between low-level ozone exposure and cardiovascular disease outcomes,” the study concluded. (Read: Exposure to air pollution may increase your risk of heart disease)

Source: Ozone pollution may cause cardiovascular diseases | TheHealthSite.com

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Polluted air ‘poisoning thousands’ across north of England, warns report 

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is ‘the tobacco of the 21st century’ says report, which calls on government to introduce radical measures to improve air quality

Dangerous levels of air pollution in towns and cities across the north of England are threatening the health of hundreds of thousands of people and stifling economic growth, according to a new report.

The analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North describes air pollution as “the tobacco of the 21st century” and says that while there has been a growing concern about the problem in London, many residents in regional towns and cities are unaware of the threat to their health.

Darren Baxter, researcher at IPPR North, said it was time the government took radical action.

“Too often the attention focuses on unclean air in the capital, but the reality is that it’s poisoning thousands in our regional cities too,” said Baxter. “Michael Gove [the new environment secretary] must show that the government is not prepared to sit on its hands while up to 40,000 people are killed every year from dirty air. We need to see radical plans to ditch diesel, introduce incentives for electric cars and bring in clean air zones in our major cities.”

The government has suffered two legal defeats over its plans to improve air quality in the UK after judges ruled they were so poor as to be unlawful. The courts have given ministers until 31 July to publish a new plan.

Campaigners want Gove to introduce a range of measures including charging clean air zones in the worst hit areas and a diesel scrappage scheme to compensate drivers who bought diesel cars after being told they were better for the environment.

The government’s own figures show that although London has by far the highest level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution, many urban areas – including large swaths of the Midlands, the north-west, West Yorkshire and the northeast – suffer dangerous levels of pollution.

The scale of the air pollution crisis was revealed in a joint Guardian-Greenpeace investigation earlier this year, showing hundreds of thousands of children were being educated within 150 metres of a road where levels of NO2 from diesel traffic breached legal limits.

Figures obtained by Labour showed that more than 38 million people, representing 59.3% of the UK population, were living in areas where levels of NO2pollution were above legal limits.

Baxter said: “This is the tobacco of the 21st century, and every single preventable death is a failure of government action. Gove must get a grip on this crisis which is killing literally thousands of children and adults a year.”

Tuesday’s report estimates that congestion in the north of England will increase by 3% annually. Estimates put the cost of congestion in Manchester and Liverpool alone at £2bn in 2015.

The study is the latest from IPPR North’s Northern Energy Taskforce, which has identified the energy sector as one of four key priority areas for the economy in northern England, along with manufacturing, health and digital.

“By taking the killer air crisis seriously, we can prevent many unnecessary deaths and ill-health, especially in our children, while preparing the way for a Northern green jobs revolution,” said Baxter.

The report calls for central government, councils and transport bodies to:

• Radically improve green public transport links, especially rail connections, and to prioritise hydrogen-powered trains.

• Pledge to phase out diesel cars over the coming years, in part to help spur the electric car market, in which sector the north is becoming a world leader.

• Introduce a new car scrappage scheme to encourage car owners to upgrade to electric vehicles.

Source: Polluted air ‘poisoning thousands’ across north of England, warns report | Environment | The Guardian

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Air pollution kills 2,120 people in Albania in 2016: report 

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Some 2,120 people died in Albania in 2016 as a result of deterioration of air pollution, a report on the Quality of Air in Europe for 2016 showed Monday.

According to this report, the air pollution here has deteriorated, causing a significant number of deaths in Albania.

“In 2013, the number of deaths caused by air pollution in Albania was 776, while only three years later, this figure has almost doubled,” the report cited.

The report says that in general, air pollution in Western Balkan countries is a big problem, also due to energy policies.

Meanwhile, the latest statistics from the World Economic Forum listed Albania in the first five countries that are most vulnerable to pollution.

According to these statistics, the mortality rate of Albania in terms of air pollution per 100,000 inhabitants is 171.4, that is, approximately 5,000 Albanian citizens per year risk to face death from this cause.

Source: Air pollution kills 2,120 people in Albania in 2016: report – Xinhua | English.news.cn

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Traffic jams worsen air quality–study 

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Here’s more bad news about the pesky heavy traffic in Metro Manila. A recent study by technical experts commissioned by the civic group Kaibigan ng Kaunlaran at Kalikasan (KKK) said traffic jams continue to worsen air pollution in Metro Manila, exposing people to risks of acquiring cardiovascular diseases and various health problems associated with breathing dirty air every day.

But what is causing the traffic? Ed Alabastro, executive director of KKK said: Overpopulation and the sheer lack of discipline of Filipinos.

These two, he said, are the reason for Metro Manila’s major traffic woes.

“Traffic is the reason for poor air quality but it’s the population that is causing traffic in Metro Manila. We are over populated,” he told the BusinessMirror in telephone interview.

Besides Metro Manila’s huge population, “Filipinos lack discipline. That’s another problem,” he added.

He said like Metro Manila, highly populated urban centers, like Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, are sure to experience living with poor air quality sooner or later.

“Metro Cebu’s traffic will lead to poorer air quality,” he said.

The study commissioned by KKK, he added, confirms the problem caused by traffic congestion—which is poorer air quality.

“The more engines are running longer, the more pollution we get,” he said in Filipino.

Based on the study, the congestion in Metro Manila is costing the country billions in lost revenues.

It is also contributing largely to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, according to the study.

“Inhalation and ingestion of pollutants from mobile sources can cause diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart disease and stroke,” the study said.

Conducted for a period of two years, the study was completed recently with support from nonprofit group Clean Air Asia, scientific research institute Manila Observatory and independent professionals.

Other “area” sources, including burning refuse, street-side cooking and construction work, account for 20 percent of air pollution, while only 4 percent is attributed to “industrial” sources.

The project, “Modeling Particulate Matter Dispersion in Metro Manila”, used an internationally recognized mathematical technique to predict the pathways of pollution from various sources.

Factors that impact air quality were used as inputs to the mathematical modeling: air quality-monitoring data, topography, actual traffic count, type of vehicles and fuels, and meteorology, such as wind speeds and directions that vary in different months.

Due to variability of these factors, not all of Metro Manila experiences dirty air the same way, the study noted.

KKK, or “Friends of Progress and the Environment”, a nongovernmental organization that advances sustainable development by providing science-based research to policy-makers, said that traffic congestion is now a critical health issue.

The study specifically focused on particulate matter that can easily enter people’s lungs and cause coughing, sneezing and asthma in children. Such small particulates are also internationally recognized as causes of ischemic heart disease, cardiopulmonary diseases, respiratory dysfunctions and lung cancer.

According to the World Health Organization, around 3 million deaths per year are linked to outdoor pollution, with the majority occurring in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.

In the Philippines, the Department of Health has noted that the leading causes of death include cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, among them, lung cancer exacerbated—if not directly caused—by air pollution.

While the group lauded the national government’s drive to solve traffic congestion, it emphasized that a lot can still be done to address traffic and the critical risk it continues to pose to citizens.

To address the problem, the study recommended a “holistic” approach to solving air pollution and traffic congestion. It proposed greater coordination among agencies handling traffic and environmental issues; establishment of a traffic-management bureau to oversee the traffic situation.

Strengthening of the motor-vehicle inspection system and traffic-management efforts; installation of more closed-circuit television cameras to monitor both social and environmental concerns; and upgrading of traffic light system to deal with increased traffic volume; and lesser dependence on manpower to direct traffic.

The study also recommended that enforcers should undergo a uniform training program, implementation of the no-contact apprehension and stricter compliance to existing emission standards.

Motorists should also consider the quality of fuels they use, along with reliability and cost.

It recommended the enhancement of air-monitoring capability of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, by putting up more monitoring stations in critical areas.

The group also called on government to lead a shift from cars to mass transit over the long term.

“A highly functional mass transport system, combined with land use and population management, would greatly support a drive for cleaner air in Metro Manila,” the study said.

Source: Traffic jams worsen air quality–study | BusinessMirror

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Traffic-clogged Cairo shifts sights to cycling 

Posted on July 14, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Choked with high air pollution and chronic traffic congestion, the Egyptian capital is struggling to shed off this image.

Cycling seems one key. Local authorities in Cairo, one of the world’s most populous cities, this week unveiled a project aimed at weaning people from private and public motor transport to bicycles.

Titled “Biskelta”, Arabic for “A bicycle”, the project targets areas in the vicinity of the city’s subway system, pedestrians-only areas as well as surroundings of the main two state-run universities in Cairo.

Bicyle lanes

“The state seeks to encourage citizens to reduce the use of private cars by providing a safe and inexpensive means of transport in order to ease overcrowding and curb air pollution,” Cairo Governor Atef Abdul Hamid said after he signed an agreement on the project with the United Nations Humanitarian Settlements programme, UN-Habitat.

“Both sides have agreed on sites of the project, its management and building lanes for bicycles in the designated areas in order to ensure safe use of bicycle sharing.”

Abdul Hamid said that the project has received backing from President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi. Since he took office in 2014, Al Sissi has been seen on several occasions participating in street cycling rallies.

Young people, who account for more than 60 per cent of Egypt’s 93 million population, are the main target group of the group, according to Abdul Hamid.

The project, expected to cost 30 million Egyptian pounds (Dh5.1 million), is based on picking, riding and parking bikes in designated brackets.

“The bike-sharing system has been tried around the world and has proved success in encouraging the use of non-motorised transport,” Rania Hedeya, the UN habitat manager in Egypt, said at the signing ceremony.

“Cairo is seeking to benefit from global experiences in the transport field, especially those cutting pollution,” she added.

More than 20 million people are estimated to living in the Greater Cairo zone that includes Cairo and the adjoining cities of Giza and Qaliubia.

The Egyptian government is currently building a new administrative capital outside Cairo with the aim of easing population and bureaucratic pressures on the age-old capital.

The “Biskelta” project is part of ongoing efforts to upgrade the urban transport system in Cairo, according to Khalil Saad, an adviser to the Cairo governor.

“The bikes will become part of public transport in Cairo. They will be available at designated places where the citizen will ride the bike to reach the nearest place where he’ll leave it,” Saad told private television station Al Mehwar.

This bike-sharing scheme will be covered by a protection tracking system, the official added.

Public awareness

“There will be a public awareness programme before the project comes into effect.”

He did not provide details about the timetable of the project or fees for individual use.

The idea of introducing a bike-sharing system into Cairo has enthralled some residents of the sprawling city.

“This is good news for Cairo, its people and the environment,” Wajdi Mahmoud, an engineer, said enthusiastically.

“Encouraging people to ride bikes will certainly help in controlling air pollution, a matter that will have a positive effect on the public health and the capital’s environment.”

The 38-year-old man said he has the habit of riding his bicycle on weekends when Cairo usually has light traffic as part of his exercising.

“Doing this on other days will be a kind of madness because you can’t compete with cars and pedestrians, who don’t need any of road rules,” Mahmoud said.

“Let’s hope the ‘biskelta’ project will be the first step in spreading the bike culture in Egypt. Lanes for bikes should be part of the new network of roads,” he added, referring to an ongoing massive scheme undertaken by Al Sissi’s administration to revamp and expand the nation’s routes.

Source: Traffic-clogged Cairo shifts sights to cycling | GulfNews.com

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Chinese cities deal with extreme smog, haze

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

The smog and haze issue in China has been a problem for many years, and recently it has become a severe problem. It has the potential to ruin a healthy life for millions of civilians.

The concept of environmental pollution is still very unclear to a mass majority of the population. Out of many cities in China suffering from the issue and its consequences, Xi’an residents are tired of living their life in a town full of smog and is ready to take action.

“It’s just an average day, I didn’t even realize that the haze is still there,” said Xi’an resident Yu Liu. “I mean, it was way worse in the winter, you can barely see the buildings in front of you some time, and it’s quite impossible for me not to wear a mask to go outside.”

In 2016, Xi’an became the Chinese city with the worst and most serious haze problem. According to the data from the Airvisual app, the air quality index (AQI) number reached a high of 687 on May 5, 2017. The Airvisual is a smart air quality monitor that shows immediate and accurate air quality data; the AQI is the universal index that tells people how clean or polluted the air is.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), when the AQI number reach 101, it’s already unhealthy for sensitive groups, more related numbers show in the chart below.

EPA AQI standard of air quality. 

“The emission of anthropogenic pollutants is much larger,” said Tao Jiang, the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau Director of Air Pollution Control. “There are few winds, less rain, and less light during the spring, fall, and winter. These three factors lead to the difficulty of spreading pollutants and accumulate in the atmosphere. In general, the character factor and meteorological factors result in the Xi’an haze.”

According to Jiang, the EPA is a comprehensive organization, and it has the responsibility of coordination and policy development work, from the development of Xi’an, pollution problems look like air pollution problems. However, it’s urban development issues that need every resident’s effort to solve.

The causes of haze. Infographic by Kaiyue Zhang

“The protection of the environment is everyone’s responsibility,” said Jiang. “Especially the air pollution, we have the responsibility to protect the environment. Now with the attention of the country and the urgent needs of the people, everyone’s environmental awareness has improved, and I believe it will be better.”

The website earth.nullschool.net directly visualized various environmental conditions and atmospheric climate on a worldwide scale. They do this by putting what you want to observe, the latitude and longitude of a particular area, which is pictured in Figures below. The vivid visualized data would show on board.

Compare to the U.S., more specifically, to Michigan, the air condition and pollution is much better than Xi’an, like shown in the comparison diagram below.

“We all know it’s bad, but not a lot of people can realize how bad, and that is has the potential to ruin our life,” said Fanshi Xi, a Xi’an resident who has been volunteering to promote the awareness of environmental damage in Xi’an. He has been working toward informing the population through Wechat and Weibo media platform since 2015.

“The government won’t stop building new construction projects. Even though they have the knowledge that it would cause serious, long-lasting environmental issues. There are always new buildings, new neighborhoods, and new subways, but there has been little improvement on how to reduce the haze. It looks better only because it’s the summer, they all know the haze will get worse again in the winter, but nobody seems to care.” Xi said angrily.

“More and more tall and dense buildings in Xi’an are being built,” said Nan Jiang, the director of the atmosphere room at Xi’an Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau Environmental Monitoring Station. “They’ve blocked the flow of air, increased the city heat island effect, the city government has been informed, and are aware of this problem. In 2014, the city already passed two documents to form the corridor of city surroundings, and we are working on it.”

The officials release the announcement that the relevant department is trying their best to improve the air condition by paying close attention to coal pollution control, for example, the Gaoxin district in Xi’an has demolished 18 coal-fired boilers and fund ￥3 million, which equates to $444,444.

“The city is making efforts, but it cost more than money, it is going to take a massive amount of time and the support from all the residents,” Jiang said. “It will be better, someday.”

Source: Chinese cities deal with extreme smog, haze | Spartan Newsroom

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