Don’t be ‘silent assassins’ drivers urged 

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Ten times as many people are killed by fumes in the air than road traffic accidents; now a new campaign is aiming to improve Scotland’s air quality. In Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen, levels of toxic chemicals in the air are way and above global ‘safe levels’.

So-called ‘silent killers’, like carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particle matter (PM) are pumped into the air as vehicle emissions, and have been shown to cause diseases like cancer as well as aggravate common conditions such as asthma and COPD.

And the East Central Scotland Vehicle Emissions Partnership wants to do something about it.

“Air pollution, caused by transportation, accounts for up to 40,000 deaths within the UK each year.

“That’s more than 10 times the annual number of fatal road traffic accidents,” said a spokesman, Tom Burr, for the group.

In an ideal world, we would all have super clean, electric cars – and maybe one day we will – but in the meantime, what can we do to help reduce the number of toxic chemicals in the air around us?

1) Switch off

The Switch off and Breathe campaign is waging war on idling, and has urged drivers who are stationary for more than a few minutes to turn off their engines.

The campaign spokesman, Tom Burr, said: “Pollutants from emissions have a proven impact on our health and environment. This is something you can stop. With a small change to our driving habits – stopping vehicle idling – you can help protect your own health as well as those around you.”

Switching off the engine can also help drivers’ pockets. Idling for two minutes uses the same amount of petrol as driving one mile, so turning the key can save on fuel consumption.

“There are times when idling cam be acceptable, such as on very cold days to provide heat, when stationary at traffic lights or when a running engine is required to power equipment.

“However, by switching off your engine wherever possible, you actively reduce air pollution and its effects on you and those around you,” said the spokesman.

2) Keep it closed

Research published last year found pollution levels inside cars in traffic jams were up to 40% higher than those in free-flowing traffic.

Dr Prashant Kumar, senior author of the study, said: “Where possible, and with weather conditions allowing, one of the best ways to limit your exposure (is by) keeping windows shut, fans turned off and to try to increase the distance between you and the car in front while in traffic jams or stationary at traffic lights.”

Switching the fan on sucks dirty air from outside into the vehicle, meaning toxic chemicals build up inside.

“If the fan or heater needs to be on, the best setting would be to have the air re-circulating within the car, without drawing it in from outdoors,” Dr Kumar added.

3) Drive economically

Eco driving is about making simple changes to your driving habits. They can all add up to lower emissions, as well as lower fuel bills. In fact, transport companies and fleet operators can reduce their costs by up to 15% if they train drivers to drive economically.

Maintaining a steady speed at a low RPM, changing gears early and checking tyre pressures frequently all make a difference. Regular servicing makes sure your vehicle is running at its best.

Don’t wait for your engine to warm up, just go, and don’t carry around unnecessary weight, including roof racks. Slow down because high speeds burn the most fuel, and use air conditioning sparingly.

4) Buy with care, if you need to buy at all

And when the time comes to get a new car, van, or any other type of vehicle, choose the most fuel efficient one you can. Shop around and do your research; then ask yourself, do you really need to drive, or can you get on your bike or walk?

Source: Don’t be ‘silent assassins’ drivers urged – The Scotsman

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‘Ban parents from leaving engines on’, says guidance 

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Parents should be banned from leaving the car running while waiting outside school gates, to cut air pollution, according to official health guidance.

The guidance also calls for councils to set up clean-air zones that could ban the most polluting vehicles or introduce charges.

The authors have called for “clean air” to be given the same importance as “clean water”.

Air pollution contributes to 29,000 deaths each year in the UK.

The report is by two government bodies – Public Health England (PHE) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Prof Paul Cosford, from PHE, said the report was the “distillation of best evidence” on tackling air pollution that local councils could implement.

He said cars going nowhere with the engine on “annoy me – I just think why are you sitting there with your car idling?”

“No-idling zones raise awareness in all our minds that ‘Come on, we don’t need to be polluting,’ he said. “It’s totemic.”

The report says the zones should be introduced outside schools, hospitals and care homes – to protect those most vulnerable from the fumes.

London’s Westminster Council already has marshals handing out £80 fines to car idlers.

Other recommendations include:

  • clean air zones with charges for polluting cars
  • congestion charges
  • promoting smooth driving by removing speed bumps and setting more 20mph (32km/h) speed limits
  • promoting electric cars, with more charging points in public places
  • training bus drivers in fuel-efficient driving
  • making it easy for people to walk and cycle
  • changing town planning to prevent homes and schools being in areas of high pollution

The UK has struggled to keep within EU limits on pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – with 37 of the 43 regions of the UK in breach of NO2 limits.

But the report says policies should be aiming to go much further than meeting legal limits.

Prof Cosford told BBC News: “The best estimate is 29,000 deaths in the UK [from air pollution], then why would we only want to reduce that to the legal amount?

“We want to reduce that to as close to zero as we can.

“We have developed clean water, and clean air is a basic issue of human health.”

The report from health officials comes as the UK government is about to be taken to court again over its plans for tackling air pollution.

Its draft plan has been dismissed as “toothless” and “weak” by critics.

James Thornton, the chief executive of ClientEarth, said: “It’s hugely significant that public health experts are raising the prospect of clean air zones, which could charge the dirtiest vehicles to enter the most polluted areas of our towns and cities.

“The government’s own evidence shows this is the most effective way to bring down illegal and harmful levels of air pollution as soon as possible, which ministers are legally bound to do.

“So it’s astounding that the government did not make this clear to people when it consulted on its air quality plans for the UK, forcing us to go back to the High Court next Wednesday to try to get them to do this.

“If this is going to happen, then people need to have their say on it.”

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: “Air pollution is poisonous.

“We welcome the recommendations to introduce no-vehicle- idling areas, [and] clean air zones in the most polluted towns and cities will be vital in reducing toxic emissions and protecting us all.”

Source: ‘Ban parents from leaving engines on’, says guidance – BBC News

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Air pollution from vehicles kills 1,100 Israelis a year, new data shows 

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Main culprits are older trucks, buses and vans running on diesel engines, Israel’s Environmental Protection Ministry claims

Air pollution from vehicles kills about 1,100 people in Israel every year and accounts for roughly half of all deaths from air pollution, according to data presented to the Knesset on Tuesday by the Environmental Protection Ministry.

The main culprits are vehicles with diesel engines, which produce 90 percent of all vehicular air pollution despite accounting for only a fifth of the total kilometers traveled by Israeli vehicles. This is largely because many diesel vehicles are old.

The primary source of pollution is diesel vehicles meeting the older Euro 1 to Euro 3 emission standards, as these emit more small particles that penetrate the respiratory system. There are 68,000 buses, trucks, commercial vehicles and minibuses of these makes.

In 2015, 70 percent of the ministry’s measuring stations recorded pollution that exceeds the legal maximum. Most of the stations in question were located along roads in the greater Tel Aviv area, Jerusalem and Haifa.

2020 Plan

The data were presented at a special session of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee dealing with vehicle air pollution. Environmental Protection Minister Zeev Elkin also presented a new plan that aspires to cut such pollution by 30 percent by 2020.

The plan, which will soon be submitted to the Knesset for approval, will require 21,000 older vehicles to install particle filters that would significantly reduce emissions. The rule would apply to passenger vehicles with nine or more seats and work vehicles whose capacity exceeds 12 tons. The ministry would subsidize the filters’ cost.

“For companies with fewer than three vehicles, or whose turnover is up to 1 million shekels [$280,000], we’ll finance the entire cost of buying the filter,” Elkin said. “We understand that this is a significant financial outlay.” A filter can cost up to 20,000 shekels.

The ministry also plans to revive an old program meant to encourage owners of older vehicles to take them out of service. Under this plan, the old vehicles are dismantled and some of the parts recycled, while the ministry subsidizes the cost of replacing the vehicle. This program could apply to tens of thousands of vehicles.

Another idea, to which the Jerusalem and Haifa municipalities are party, is to declare parts of those cities off limits to polluting vehicles. In Haifa, this plan is in the early stages of implementation.

The ultimate goal is to replace polluting vehicles with cleaner ones that run on electricity or natural gas. But switching to cleaner fuels has proved difficult, and to date Israel has only six electric buses.

Source: Air pollution from vehicles kills 1,100 Israelis a year, new data shows – Israel News – Haaretz.com

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Air Pollution Kills in America Despite EPA Efforts

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution continues to drive premature deaths in the United States with no level of exposure leaving humans unaffected, according to new research.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found a strong correlation between mortality and exposure to the pollutants ozone and particular matter, both of which contribute to smog. The higher the concentration of the pollutants in the air the higher the chance of an early death, according to the research.

While air pollution levels in the U.S. have declined significantly in recent decades thanks to regulation — including the Clean Air Act — many cities and regions still struggle to meet air quality standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But the new research suggests that even those standards may not be stringent enough: Air pollution contributes to premature mortality even below those levels.

“We think air quality in the United States is good enough to protect our citizens,” Joel Schwartz, a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health who authored the study, said in a statement. “In fact we need to lower pollution levels even further.”

The study joins a growing body of research showing the deadly effects of human exposure to air pollution at any level. But while researchers behind many recent studies have relied on relatively small data sets, the new study used data from more than 60 million Medicare beneficiaries between 2000 and 2012.

Air pollution has received the most attention in the developing world, and for good reason. Recent research published in the journal Nature estimated that air pollution leads to more than three million deaths annually. But research has also showed that tens of thousands of people in the U.S. face an early death because of exposure to air pollution.

The Trump Administration has promised to focus its environmental efforts on “clean air and clean water,” but has also sought to undo or defund many of the programs that address those issues. At President Donald Trump’s direction, the EPA has begun a process to undo rules regulating power plant emissions, which contribute to a variety of health ailments, in addition to climate change. The Trump budget proposal also includes funding cuts for EPA programs across the board. “Despite compelling data, the Trump administration is moving headlong in the opposite direction,” scientists wrote in a New England Journal editorial accompanying the study. “We must redouble our commitment to clean air. If such protections lapse, Americans will suffer.”

Source: Air Pollution Kills in America Despite EPA Efforts | Time.com

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Germany moves to crack down on vehicle emissions

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Germany will discuss a national plan to cut pollution from diesel engines and set up a new organisation to test vehicles to try to restore consumer confidence after Volkswagen’s emissions scandal, ministers said on Tuesday.

The moves – almost two years after the Volkswagen scandal broke – come as the German government faces growing pressure ahead of national elections on Sept. 24 to reduce emissions or see some cities ban diesel cars themselves.

On Monday, Reuters reported the transport ministry was pushing carmakers to update engine management software to cut pollution in up to 12 million diesel vehicles in the country, citing people familiar with the talks.

On Tuesday, the transport ministry and the environment ministry announced the creation of a “national diesel forum” to work with the auto industry and regional governments to cut emissions, with the first meeting set for Aug. 2.

“We want emissions to fall across Germany,” Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said in a statement.

Dobrindt, a member of the Bavarian sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, has come under fire for being close to the country’s powerful car industry and for not doing enough to combat vehicle pollution.

Government sources told Reuters on Monday the software update could cost 1.5 billion to 2.5 billion euros (1.33 billion pounds to 2.21 billion pounds), but HSBC analysts said hardware might be needed that could mean costs of up to 10 billion euros.

Sales of diesel cars have been falling since the Volkswagen scandal, but have dropped even faster since cities, including Stuttgart and Munich, have considered banning some diesel vehicles, blaming emissions for increased respiratory disease.

Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, a member of the centre-left Social Democrats that are Merkel’s junior coalition partners, said the diesel forum was an opportunity for carmakers to win back lost trust and improve air quality.

MORE TRANSPARENT TESTS?

Separately, the transport ministry said it was setting up a new institute to ensure “more transparency and reliability” in vehicle tests, involving consumer organisations, local governments and environmental groups, as well as the auto industry and ministries.

However, the KBA motor vehicle authority, which reports to the transport ministry and currently oversees vehicle testing, will remain responsible for licensing new models.

The ministry said the new institute would test about 70 car models a year using realistic driving scenarios, rather than relying solely on laboratory conditions, and the emissions and fuel consumption results would be made public to allow car buyers to make better comparisons.

It noted that current official tests do not take into account factors such as the use of air conditioning and radio, or the weather or style of driving, which all influence fuel consumption.

Germany’s VDA auto industry association said in a statement its members were keen to give customers more information about variance in fuel efficiency and would fully participate in the new institute in the interests of more transparency.

However, the environmentalist Greens questioned how independent the new institute would be given the car industry is set to pay its annual budget of 2 million euros.

In the aftermath of the Volkswagen scandal, the German transport ministry ordered tests on the carbon dioxide emissions of 29 models. On Tuesday, it said 17 passed the test, while 10 models still needed to be tested in the coming months.

However, some versions of an Opel Zafira car and a Smart For Two produced by Daimler emitted more carbon dioxide than they should, although the Smart model still needed to undergo further tests. Both versions of the models in question are now discontinued.

Zafira diesels already on the road will have to undergo a software update, the ministry said, although the licences for both vehicles will not be withdrawn.

Opel said the Zafira had passed all legal tests, noting fewer than 3,800 of the model in question had been sold in Germany.

European governments have promoted diesel cars as part of efforts to fight climate change as they produce less carbon dioxide than petrol cars, although environmental groups have cast doubt over how much less they produce and have focused instead on the levels of toxic nitrogen oxides they emit.

Source: Germany moves to crack down on vehicle emissions | Reuters

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Air pollution casts shadow over solar energy production: Hardest-hit areas are big solar investors: China, India, Arabian peninsula 

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Global solar energy production is taking a major hit due to air pollution and dust.

According to a new study, airborne particles and their accumulation on solar cells are cutting energy output by more than 25 percent in certain parts of the world. The regions hardest hit are also those investing the most in solar energy installations: China, India and the Arabian Peninsula.

The study appears online June 23 in Environmental Science & Technology Letters.

“My colleagues in India were showing off some of their rooftop solar installations, and I was blown away by how dirty the panels were,” said Michael Bergin, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University and lead author of the study. “I thought the dirt had to affect their efficiencies, but there weren’t any studies out there estimating the losses. So we put together a comprehensive model to do just that.”

With colleagues at the Indian Institute of Technology-Gandhinagar and the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Bergin measured the decrease in solar energy gathered by the IITGN’s solar panels as they became dirtier over time. The data showed a 50-percent jump in efficiency each time the panels were cleaned after being left alone for several weeks.

The researchers also sampled the grime to analyze its composition, revealing that 92 percent was dust while the remaining fraction was composed of carbon and ion pollutants from human activity. While this may sound like a small amount, light is blocked more efficiently by smaller humanmade particles than by natural dust. As a result, the human contributions to energy loss are much greater than those from dust, making the two sources roughly equal antagonists in this case.

“The humanmade particles are also small and sticky, making them much more difficult to clean off,” said Bergin. “You might think you could just clean the solar panels more often, but the more you clean them, the higher your risk of damaging them.”

Having previously analyzed pollutants discoloring India’s Taj Mahal, Bergin already had a good idea of how these different particles react to sunlight. Using his earlier work as a base, he created an equation that accurately estimates the amount of sunlight blocked by different compositions of solar panel dust and pollution buildup.

But grimy buildup on solar panels isn’t the only thing blocking sunlight — the ambient particles in the air also have a screening effect.

For that half of the sun-blocking equation, Bergin turned to Drew Shindell, professor of climate sciences at Duke and an expert in using the NASA GISS Global Climate Model.

Because the climate model already accounts for the amount of the sun’s energy blocked by different types of airborne particles, it was not a stretch to estimate the particles’ effects on solar energy. The NASA model also estimates the amount of particulate matter deposited on surfaces worldwide, providing a basis for Bergin’s equation to calculate how much sunlight would be blocked by accumulated dust and pollution.

The resulting calculations estimate the total loss of solar energy production in every part of the world. While the United States has relatively little migratory dust, more arid regions such as the Arabian Peninsula, Northern India and Eastern China are looking at heavy losses — 17 to 25 percent or more, assuming monthly cleanings. If cleanings take place every two months, those numbers jump to 25 or 35 percent.

There are, of course, multiple variables that affect solar power production both on a local and regional level. For example, a large construction zone can cause a swift buildup of dust on a nearby solar array.

The Arabian Peninsula loses much more solar power to dust than it does humanmade pollutants, Bergin said. But the reverse is true for regions of China, and regions of India are not far behind.

“China is already looking at tens of billions of dollars being lost each year, with more than 80 percent of that coming from losses due to pollution,” said Bergin. “With the explosion of renewables taking place in China and their recent commitment to expanding their solar power capacity, that number is only going to go up.”

“We always knew these pollutants were bad for human health and climate change, but now we’ve shown how bad they are for solar energy as well,” continued Bergin. “It’s yet another reason for policymakers worldwide to adopt emissions controls.”

This work was supported by the US Agency for International Development and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Duke University.

Source: Air pollution casts shadow over solar energy production: Hardest-hit areas are big solar investors: China, India, Arabian peninsula — ScienceDaily

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Munich to ban diesel vehicles from city following court order

Posted on June 27, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Munich has announced it will implement a ban on diesel vehicles, in its ongoing attempt to combat illegal air pollution. The mayor of the German city, who made the announcement, said he saw “no other way” to resolve the issue in the shortest possible timeframe.

The move follows a court judgment ordering the city to improve its air quality plans, the result of legal action pursued by Deutsche Umwelthilfe and ClientEarth.

The environmental lawyers and campaigners welcomed the move as a step in the right direction, but warn that excluding Euro 6 vehicles from the ban, as the mayor plans to, will present its own set of problems.

The trouble with Euro 6

CEO of Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) Jürgen Resch said: “The diesel ban in Munich should actually apply to most Euro 6 diesel vehicles. Current measurements show even the latest Euro 6 models chart record nitrogen dioxide emissions – often these newer models are in fact many times more polluting than 10-year-old Euro 4 diesels. If the Bavarian government really intends to exempt Euro 6 diesel vehicles from the ban, we will address this in our ongoing legal action.”

ClientEarth CEO James Thornton said: “Announcing a diesel ban is progress – Munich is heading in the right direction. Diesel vehicles are the main culprit for the high levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution that chokes our towns and cities. However, more ambition is needed. Authorities must be bolder and face up to the realities of Euro 6 vehicle emissions.”

DUH plans to release new data in the coming days about the true extent of pollution from Euro 6 vehicles. Resch added: “The vast majority of the Euro 6 diesels currently in circulation are many times over the legal limit for nitrogen oxides (NOx). Those who want to keep driving in cities must under no circumstances buy a diesel car.”

Thornton added: “The mayor’s announcement today is testimony to the effectiveness of litigation in defending public health and achieving real change.”

Source: Munich to ban diesel vehicles from city following court order

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Diesel charge trial launched in central London 

Posted on June 26, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Diesel car drivers will be charged an extra £2.45 an hour from today to park in parts of central London, in an attempt to combat toxic air.

Westminster council is launching a trial of the “D-charge” on pay-to-park bays in Marylebone, and parts of Fitzrovia and the Hyde Park area. It is the first town hall in Britain to impose the surcharge on parking bays.

The hourly charge for all pre-2015 diesel vehicles will be £7.35. All other vehicles will continue to be charged £4.90 per hour.

Announcing the charge in January, councillor David Harvey, Westminster’s cabinet member for environment, sports and community, said: “Additional charges for diesel vehicles will mean people think twice about using highly polluting cars and invest in cleaner transport that will make a real difference in the quality of air we breathe.”

The 50 per cent surcharge is intended to deter the heaviest polluting vehicles from parking in the area, which has some of the city’s highest levels of air pollution.

It has support of community groups including the Marylebone Association.

Sadiq Khan is introducing a £10 “T-charge” for older, more polluting cars, on top of the congestion charge, on October 23.

Source: Diesel charge trial launched in central London | London Evening Standard

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