Ahmedabad becomes first city to install air monitoring and warning system

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Gujarat installs an air monitoring and warning system to make the people aware of the growing problem of air pollution and fight against it.

 Air pollution has been a major threat all over the world and India shelters four out of the ten most polluted cities in the world. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution is measured by the amount of particulate matter under 2.5 micrograms found in every cubic meter of air. As per the data provided by the WHO, 7 million premature deaths occur every year due to air pollution and 3 million deaths due to outdoor air quality.

India and China are the two major countries to record the maximum number of deaths due to air pollution.

After the success of the plant set up in Ahmedabad to to fight against the extreme heat in the city, it launches another project and the first of its kind to depict the air pollution and make people aware of it. An air monitoring and warning system is installed in the city. The Air Information and Response (AIR) was launched in May, this systems records the air quality measures daily pollution levels in eight locations. The people are warned about the polltion through five color-coded alerts of the levels, and their related effects, displayed on huge LED screens set up across the city. It also warns the people when the pollution is likely to reach the level of ‘very poor’ or ‘severe’.

Chirag Shah, a deputy health officer at the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said that air pollution is major risk for the human kind and it can be controlled only if proper data is collected. He also added that just by collecting the data does not solve the problem, investment needs to be done and measures needs to be taken to curb the problem.

Dileep Mavalankar, head of the Indian Institute of Public Health also seconded the opinion of Chirag shah. He was also a part of the AIR plan as well as the Heat Action Plan.

The main cause for the air pollution according to BJP party President Amit Shah, is diesel-fueled vehicles, construction, cooking fires and the burning of trash. He said that few activites could be stopped in order to control the growing danger with increase in air pollution.

Air pollution can cause lung cancer, strokes and heart disease over the long term and sometimes even be the reason for a sudden heart attack.

Source: Ahmedabad becomes first city to install air monitoring and warning system – The Indian Wire

Posted in Air Quality, Asia, India | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Air pollution issues go back to court

Posted on July 5, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is forcing the UK government back to court for the seventh time.

The environmental legal group ClientEarth says minsters failed to conduct their recent public consultation on clean air properly.

It also says the government’s pollution plans for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are far too vague.

A government spokesman said ministers were committed to improving air quality.

ClientEarth’s case centres on the disparity between the consultation document the government produced for the public, and a related technical document from government experts.

The technical document makes it clear that the best way of combating pollution is for councils to set up clean air zones and then to charge vehicles for entering them.

But the consultation document – produced around election time following a court ruling – said councils should try all other measures before imposing charging zones.

Critics said the consultation had been rendered toothless by ministers’ wish to avoid political controversy.

ClientEarth says the difference between the two documents could open the government to judicial review from members of the public or councils who feel they were not properly consulted.

Its spokesman Tim Reid told BBC News: “The government needs to consult on this issue – it’s just not behaving properly. We are dismayed to be taking them back to court again.”

The group thinks that even a brief consultation of one or two weeks on charging zones would insulate ministers from further legal challenge as they prepare their air pollution strategy by the 31 July deadline imposed by a previous court ruling.

The other issue before the courts is the relationship between the UK and the nations.

Air pollution is a devolved issue, but ClientEarth argues that the UK government must take overall responsibility for EU laws. It says the pollution strategy for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is “plans about plans”.

A government spokesman said: “We have jointly consulted with the devolved authorities on proposals to further improve the nations’ air quality and will publish a final air quality plan by 31 July.

“The draft plan sets out steps the UK, Scottish government, and Welsh governments and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland propose to take to improve air quality in our towns and cities.”

Source: Air pollution issues go back to court – BBC News

Posted in Air Quality, Europe, UK | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

How air pollution is linked to type 2 diabetes 

Posted on July 4, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

An interdisciplinary team of scientists from the University of Leicester and other institutions has played a pivotal role in research investigating a possible link between air pollution and the rise in type 2 diabetes.

New research, published in the journal Environment International, examined data from 10,443 participants from diabetes screening studies in Leicestershire, UK.

The exposure to air pollution, the number of cases of type 2 diabetes and the impact of demographic and lifestyle factors were all considered.

The authors concluded that demographic factors largely explained the association between air pollution and type 2 diabetes.

The research team, supported by the NIHR, is composed of University of Leicester experts from a wide variety of fields, including Earth Observation Science, the University’s Diabetes Research Centre and the Department of Health Sciences and builds upon world-leading research in these areas.

Dr Gary O’Donovan, who led the research and is formerly of the University of Leicester and now at Loughborough University, said: “High air pollution and low physical activity are two of the leading causes of disease and premature death in middle and high-income countries.

“Like most cities in the UK, Leicester has only a handful of air quality monitors. The UN has estimated that two thirds of world’s population will be living in cities by 2050 and our cities must become better, healthier places in which to live.

“Cities like Copenhagen in Denmark and Medellín in Colombia are doing a much better job of measuring air pollution and facilitating active transport than most cities in the UK.”

Exposure to traffic related air pollutants is known to cause insulin resistance, a hallmark of the disease, and observational evidence has been applied to better understand a potential link.

Professor Roland Leigh, Technical Director of EarthSense and Director of Enterprise at the University of Leicester’s Institute for Space and Earth Observation, and co-author of the study, said: “We know that air pollution is the world’s largest environmental health risk affecting 92% of the population and associated with more than three million deaths per year, and evidence suggested it may contribute to the rise in type 2 diabetes.

“While original results suggested association between air pollution and associated particulates and type 2 diabetes, when the effects of lifestyle and demographic factors were considered, and given the limited size of the sample, evidence for direct association with air pollution was inconclusive.

“We will, however, continue to apply cutting-edge air quality research to unpick potentially connected long-term exposure factors,” continued Professor Leigh. “As innovators in air quality monitoring, the University of Leicester and EarthSense has a fundamental contribution to make in the understanding of the complex issues of pollution exposure and health.”

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in lower middle, upper middle and high income economies. The global prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled, from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014, with the majority of cases being type 2. Experimental evidence exists to suggest exposure to nitrogen dioxide and associated particulate matter is related to inflammation and insulin resistance.

The CHAMPIONS Study into the association between air pollution and type 2 diabetes was conducted by representatives from the University of Leicester Diabetes Research Centre, University of Leicester Earth Observation Science Group, University of East Anglia Norwich Medical School and University of Leicester Department of Health Sciences.

EarthSense Systems is a joint venture between aerial mapping company Bluesky and the University of Leicester.

Source: How air pollution is linked to type 2 diabetes — ScienceDaily

Posted in Air Quality, Health Effects of Air Pollution, Medical Studies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Luxury cruise liners ‘have worse air pollution than Piccadilly Circus’

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Some come with 10-storey slides, running tracks and private gyms while one boasts as many trees as a small city suburb. But the luxury ocean liners luring record numbers of tourists on to round-the-world cruises may not be as healthy as they seem.

Even on the open water, the air pollution on some ships is double that of central London, according to an investigation by Dispatches, the investigative series on the UK’s Channel 4.

The exhaust fumes the boats belch out at sea are not covered by regulations that limit emissions on land, and the heavy fuel oil that powers the ships’ engines is allowed to contain 3,500 times more sulphur than road fuel.

Standing on the deck, downwind of a ship’s funnel, investigators found air pollution of 84,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimetre. This is more than double the 38,400 ultrafine particles per cubic centimetre found at Piccadilly Circus and almost 20 times as much as the 4,285 particles at Camber Sands beach on the south coast of England.

Ultrafine particles are particularly damaging to human health because they are small enough to cross the membranes in our lungs.

Matt Loxham, a respiration biologist at Southampton University, said that ultrafine particles were about a thousand times thinner than a strand of human hair. “Larger particles that we inhale usually get trapped in the airways by phlegm, or by hairs in the nostrils. But ultrafines can get right into the depths of the lung and distribute throughout the body,” he said.

“There are some areas of the ship deck that are affected by really quite high levels of particulate matter. These are levels you would expect in some of the most polluted cities in the world.”

About 1.9 million people in the UK go on a cruise each year, a 60 per cent increase since 2007. At sea, ships are free to dump raw sewage 12 miles offshore. The liners, which can carry more than 7,000 passengers and crew, are also largely unfettered when it comes to flushing out “grey water” from sinks and showers. “Although there are local regulations, there are no global regulations despite the fact the water can contain pollutants such as cooking oil, detergents, soaps and food waste,” Dispatchessaid. “Grey water is believed to have similar environmental impacts to sewage. It would be illegal to dump it in rivers on land, but not at sea.”

Dr Loxham said the air pollution could affect asthmatics and exacerbate cardiovascular symptoms for passengers with pre-existing conditions.

Daniel Rieger, of the German eco-charity Nabu, said a single cruise liner could create as much particulate matter as one million cars. “You can say that 30 cruise ships pollute as much as all the cars in the United Kingdom,” he said.

A team from Dispatches travelled on the P&O ship Oceana, which is more than 250m long, 15 storeys high and can carry more than 2,000 passengers. They used an infra-red camera to film gases that are not visible to the naked eye, and a P-Trak ultrafine particle counter to measure air pollution.

Carnival Corporation, which owns P&O, said that cruise liners made up less than 1 per cent of the world’s “50,000 commercial maritime vessels”.

“Although a tiny fraction of the global maritime industry, cruise lines are leaders in implementing alternative fuels and emission-reduction technology,” a spokesman said. “The industry has invested more than $US10 billion ($13bn) in new ships that can use alternative fuels such as liquefied natural gas.”

The company said it had spent $US400 million installing exhaust gas cleaning systems on 60 ships that could reduce particulate matter by up to 80 per cent. According to Carnival’s figures for 2015, its fleet released the equivalent of 10 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.

Source: Luxury cruise liners ‘have worse air pollution than Piccadilly Circus’

Posted in Air Quality, Europe, UK | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Increased Air Pollution Can Take A Decade Off Your Life

Posted on July 3, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Increased air pollution can cut a human’s lifespan by between 9 and 11 years, almost a decade longer than most previous estimates had calculated at only one or two years.

On average, an increase of pollution particles by 10 micrograms per cubic metre, will kill the population 10 years earlier, according to a formula devised by Professor Mikael Skou Andersen of Aarhus University, Denmark.

In his research, Professor Andersen was attempting to find a definitive way to calculate the effects of air pollution on the economy, as he argues governments won’t act on fossil fuels until they see the monetary cost of premature deaths.

“People are willing to pay a price to reduce risks for dying prematurely, provided we have an understanding of the implications and magnitudes of such risks,” said Professor Andersen.

In order to encourage environmental action Andersen argues that researchers must find a robust way to determine this financial impact globally, as current variations in methodology leaves cost differing “wildly” between Europe and the USA.

In fact, the cost of losing someone to air pollution is three times higher in the USA, estimated to be worth $7.4 million.

However in Europe, because the methodology looks at change in life expectancy (presuming most victims are in their seventies or eighties) it only sees them lose one of two years of life with less financial consequence.

“Many European countries are unable to meet the air pollution standards they have agreed to in the European Union. We need to understand the true impact of long-term exposure to air pollution to develop better informed policies and reduce fossil fuel consumption,” he said.

So in order to work out a more accurate figure, Andersen used a life table of 100,000 people with an age distribution and determined the number of people expected to survive for their remaining lifetime in each group.

The result revealed the average age of an air pollution victim is 78.9 years and their average loss of life expectancy is between nine and eleven years.

Andersen hopes that this information will inform international institutions and policy makers that want to accurately account for deaths caused by air pollution due to fossil fuel consumption.

The World Health Organisation says that 16,355 deaths in the UK are attributable to ambient air pollution, and according to a 2015 King’s College London report, 9,500 of these are in the capital.

It should be noted that these figures are not collaborated across the board and other reports, such as one commissioned by the UK government, say that removing all anthropogenic (human-made) particulate matter air pollution (measured as PM2.5 1) could save the UK population approximately 36.5 million life years over the next 100 years.

Fintan Hurley, lead author on the study, explained the disparity: “It’s not as simple as it seems, but air pollution does kill people, and I do think it’s a fair way of summarising the mortality effect on the population.”

Source: Increased Air Pollution Can Take A Decade Off Your Life | HuffPost UK

Posted in Air Quality, Health Effects of Air Pollution | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Air Quality | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘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

Posted in Air Quality, Europe, UK | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Air Quality, Middle East | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment