UK government sued for third time over illegal air pollution from diesels 

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Environmental lawyers who have defeated ministers twice return to court in a bid to remove ‘major flaws’ from air quality plans

Environmental lawyers are taking the government to the high court for a third time in a bid to remove “major flaws” from minister’s plans to tackle the UK’s illegal levels of air pollution.

ClientEarth has inflicted two humiliating defeats on the government over previous plans, which were ruled not to meet legal requirements. Lawyers from ClientEarth had requested improvements to the latest plan from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) but were refused, prompting the new court action.

Levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), emitted mostly by diesel vehicles, have been above legal limits in almost 90% of urban areas in the UK since 2010. The toxic fumes are estimated to cause 23,500 early deaths a year and the problem was declared a public health emergency by a cross-party committee of MPs in April 2016.

“We have been looking at the fine detail of the draft air quality plans published by the government,” said James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth. “We have found some major flaws. The law requires the final plan to bring air pollution down to legal levels in the shortest time possible. These flaws seriously jeopardise that timetable. These are plans for more plans, what we need are plans for action.”

The government’s latest proposals were published on 5 May and were widely condemned, with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, calling them “woefully inadequate”.

ClientEarth’s lawyers argue that technical documents published show that the most effective way to reduce toxic air is by discouraging polluting vehicles from entering cities and towns. However, the consultation published by the government states that charging zones should only be the option of last resort, after all other measures such as removing speed bumps and encouraging cycling have been tried.

But as the technical documents show these other measures are not nearly as effective, ClientEarth’s lawyers say the government’s plan does not meet the court order to cut air pollution in the shortest time possible, as the law requires.

Lawyers also say that while the court ordered the government to produce a new plan, it produced only a consultation for a plan. Defra declined to comment during ongoing legal proceedings.

Conservative ministers are reluctant to implement charges on diesel drivers who were given tax breaks to buy diesel cars, which have lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Regulations were supposed to limit NO2 emissions but cheating and the exploitation of loopholes by car manufacturers led to vehicles that emitted far more pollution on the road than in lab tests. Such cars are still on sale, including Renault and Nissan models that emit 15 times more NO2 on the road than in the lab test.

ClientEarth’s legal action will be considered by the court, which will decide whether a hearing will be granted. The judge in the most recent case, Justice Garnham, was critical of the government: “The continued failure of the government to comply with directives and regulations constitutes a significant threat to public health.”

Therese Coffey, environment minister, said: “The Conservatives will further improve air quality while making sure that ordinary working families are not penalised for Labour’s mistakes. The government is also consulting on what further steps can be taken to mitigate any cost and burdens on ordinary working families and local firms – including the options of targeted scrappage schemes and retrofitting initiatives.”

Proposals put forward within government for a previous plan did include 16 new clean air zones, which would have charged drivers of polluting vehicles to enter urban areas. But court documents revealed that the Treasury, then run by George Osborne, had blocked these proposals due to concern about the political impact.

The global human health impact of the diesel emissions scandal was revealed earlier in May by new research showing a minimum of 38,000 people a year die early due to the failure of diesel vehicles to meet official limits in real driving conditions.

Source: UK government sued for third time over illegal air pollution from diesels | Environment | The Guardian

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India’s first early warning system in Ahmedabad aims to reduce health impact of air pollution 

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

An early warning system will notify people of excessive air pollution days as part of the response plan, while medical professionals will be trained to respond to emergencies.

The first Indian monitoring and early warning system for air pollution was launched on May 12, 2017, in the nation’s fifth most populous city, with the hope that it will reduce the health impacts and deaths from air pollution, a growing problem in a country with nine of the world’s 20 most polluted cities in 2016, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Combining the efforts of local government, scientists and non-profits, eight new air quality monitoring sites across Ahmedabad will produce a daily air quality index (AQI) that will be accessible to citizens through 11 LED screens across the city, as part of what is called the Air Information and Response (AIR) plan.

An early warning system will notify people of excessive pollution days as part of the response plan, while medical professionals will be trained to respond to air-pollution emergencies. The monitors are installed at eight locations (Bopal, Satellite, Pirana, Raikhad, Navrangpura, Rakhiyal, Chandkheda and the airport) in a city of over 5.5 million people.

An AQI is a metric on a sliding scale that tells people about the quality of the air and associated near-term health impacts. It transforms complex air quality data of various pollutants into a single number (index value), nomenclature and colour.

Ahmedabad was among the five most polluted cities in India in terms of PM 2.5, according to the WHO’s 2014 Ambient Air Pollution database.

PM 2.5 is particulate matter finer than 2.5 micro-meters, or about 30 times finer than a human hair. Inhaled deep into the lungs, they can cause heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and respiratory diseases, and are known to pose the greatest risk to human health. Their measurement is considered to be the best indicator of the level of health risks from air pollution, according to the WHO.

In the footsteps of Beijing

People living in more polluted areas die prematurely after long-term exposure to air pollution, and inconsistent monitoring makes it difficult to assess the threat posed by ambient air pollution.

The AIR plan is a collaborative effort between the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), a nonprofit in Gandhinagar, Natural Resources Defense Council (a non-profit head-quartered in New York), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (government institute) and the Indian Meteorological Department’s System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) network.

The monitoring and warning system will be tried for the first time in India, but follows the successful example of Beijing, that started the program for issuing colour-coded pollution alerts in 2013, according to this report by The Scientific American.

However, this warning plan was accompanied by other measures like restricted driving schedules, school closures and reduced industrial production to curb emissions, according to a 2014 paper in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which is missing in the Ahmedabad plan.

The AMC has set aside a budget of Rs 30 lakh for 2017, Chirag Shah, nodal officer of the AIR plan and the Deputy Health Officer of the West Zone at the AMC, told IndiaSpend.

“All the recurring costs, such as the maintenance of screens and stations, issuing advisories and initiating programs to increase public awareness will also be borne by us,” said Shah. “The land for installing the AQI monitors has been provided free of cost to SAFAR by the AMC, and SAFAR has invested about Rs 20 crore to install ten AQI monitors in Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, eight of which are here.”

The AMC had drafted a comprehensive Air Action Plan to combat pollution from construction activities, vehicular emissions and industries in 2016, its second such plan since 2002, but it is yet to be implemented, according to a Times of India report on May 12, 2017.

Forecast air quality, issue early warnings and be better prepared

The AMC Health Department is responsible for coordination of the AQI and AIR Plan. This includes monitoring the daily AQI, issuing alerts and warning on bad air days and disseminating public health messages to local departments and community service providers.

The AIR plan is modelled after Ahmedabad’s Heat Action Plan (HAP), launched in 2013 to reduce health impacts and mortality from extreme heat waves through measures that included early warning systems, increased public awareness and training health professionals.

Source: India’s first early warning system in Ahmedabad aims to reduce health impact of air pollution | india-news | Hindustan Times

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What is an Air Quality Alert? 

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has issued
an Ozone Action Day, also known as an Air Quality Alert, for the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday.

Air Quality Alerts were designed by the government to communicate to the public on how much pollution there is in the low levels of our atmosphere, the air we breathe. They are common across North Texas this time of year.

An Air Quality Alert is issued when there is a high level of pollutants, such as ozone, near the surface that can potentially affect your health. Ozone at the surface is harmful to your lungs and health and breathing it can trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory issues. The elderly and very young are most at risk.

Ozone in the upper levels of our atmosphere helps protect us from harmful rays from the sun. This is the good ozone.

Pollution from ozone occurs when oxide nitrogen gasses and chemical reactions from volatile organic compounds mix together. Sunlight and heat help to combine oxide nitrogen gasses and volatile organic compounds together forming smog. Cars, trucks and factories are all big contributors to ozone pollution.

You can do your part in preventing pollution by carpooling, walking, riding a bicycle, taking your lunch to work, avoiding drive-through lanes, conserving energy and keeping your vehicle properly tuned.

Source: What is an Air Quality Alert? | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

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Speed limit reduced to 90km/h on Luxembourg motorways

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Due to hot weather, drivers on Luxembourg’s motorways must slow down to 90km per hour to help reduce air pollution, effective immediately.

The warning was issued by the Automobile Club de Luxembourg (ACL) on Monday afternoon and will be in force until further notice.

Source: Luxemburger Wort – Speed limit reduced to 90km/h on Luxembourg motorways

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South Korea to suspend eight older coal-fired power plants to tackle pollution 

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

South Korea will halt operations at eight of the country’s older coal-fired power plants for a month in June as part of measures to tackle air pollution, the energy ministry said on Tuesday.

New President Moon Jae-in earlier this month announced plans to temporarily shut operations at 10 coal-fired plants that are more than 30 years old and to bring forward their permanent closure to within his presidency which ends in May 2022.

The energy ministry said in a statement that eight of the 10 older coal-fired plants will be temporarily shut down from June 1 for one month, while the other two will remain operational to ensure stable power supply.

From next year, the plants will be regularly shut down for four months over spring, and operations will be permanently suspended by 2022, three years earlier than previously planned.

Coal power currently accounts for about 40 percent of South Korea’s total electricity needs.

The country operates a total of 59 coal-fired power plants and the 10 older power plants account for 10.6 percent of the installed coal power capacity, or 3.3 gigawatts.

Source: South Korea to suspend eight older coal-fired power plants to tackle pollution | Reuters

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Diesel pollution linked to heart damage: PM2.5 associated with harmful changes to heart structure and function

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Diesel pollution is linked with heart damage, according to research presented today at EuroCMR 2017.1

“There is strong evidence that particulate matter (PM) emitted mainly from diesel road vehicles is associated with increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, and death,” said lead author Dr Nay Aung, a cardiologist and Wellcome Trust research fellow, William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London, UK. “This appears to be driven by an inflammatory response — inhalation of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) causes localised inflammation of the lungs followed by a more systemic inflammation affecting the whole body. ”

The current study examined whether PM2.5 may damage the heart directly. The study included 4 255 participants from the UK Biobank, a large community-based cohort study. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging was conducted to measure left ventricular volume (structure) and left ventricular ejection fraction (function). Annual average exposure to PM2.5 was calculated based on participants’ home address.

The association between PM2.5 exposure and heart structure and function was estimated using multivariable linear regression, a form of statistical modelling which adjusts for potential factors that could influence the relationship such as age, gender, diabetes and blood pressure.

Participants were 62 years old on average and 47% were men. The annual average PM2.5 level was 10 µg/m3. The investigators found linear relationships between ambient PM2.5 level and heart structure and function. Every 5 µg/m3 increase in exposure was associated with a 4-8% increase in left ventricular volume and a 2% decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction.

Dr Aung said: “We found that as PM2.5 exposure rises, the larger the heart gets and the worse it performs. Both of these measures are associated with increased morbidity and mortality from heart disease.”

The researchers also looked for potential factors that could modify the relationship. They found that people with degree-level education were less prone to having a larger heart and had a smaller reduction in ejection fraction when exposed to PM2.5 than people with a lower level of education.

Dr Aung said: “People who were highly educated were less likely to have harmful effects on the heart from pollution. This could be due to a number of factors including better housing and workplace conditions, which reduce pollution exposure. Educated people may also be more aware of their health, have healthier lifestyles, and have better access to healthcare.”

Regarding how pollution might have these negative effects on the heart, Dr Aung said PM2.5 causes systemic inflammation, vasoconstriction and raised blood pressure. The combination of these factors can increase the pressure in the heart, which enlarges to cope with the overload. The heart chamber enlargement reduces the contractile efficiency leading to reduction in ejection fraction.

Dr Aung said: “We found that the average exposure to PM2.5 in the UK is about 10 µg/m3 in our study. This is way below the European target of less than 25 µg/m3 and yet we are still seeing these harmful effects. This suggests that the current target level is not safe and should be lowered.”

He continued: “Our results suggest that PM2.5 is linked with negative changes in the heart structure and function that are associated with poor outcomes. Reducing PM2.5 emission should be an urgent public health priority and the worst offenders such as diesel vehicles should be addressed with policy measures.”

In terms of what individuals can do to decrease their risk, Dr Aung said: “Avoid times and places where there is a high level of pollution. If you want to cycle into work and there is heavy traffic around that time then try to find a quieter route. Walk on the part of the pavement furthest from cars to reduce the amount of pollution you breathe in. Those with cardiorespiratory diseases should limit the time spent outdoors during highly polluted periods such as rush hours.”

Source: Diesel pollution linked to heart damage: PM2.5 associated with harmful changes to heart structure and function; higher education protective against the damage — ScienceDaily

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2017 smog season packing a punch, with worst ozone levels since 2008

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

If our air seems terrible, well, it is. Smog season 2017 has arrived with a vengeance.

So far this year, Southern California has endured 27 days with unhealthful levels of ozone, the hallmark pollutant of smog, making this spring the worst start of a smog season since 2008, according to state data.

Ozone forms when volatile organic compounds, such as gasoline fumes, react with nitrogen oxides from diesel trucks and other machines with internal combustion engines.

In the past week, brush fires in Redlands and Reche Canyon near Moreno Valley made things worse.

Ozone is harmful because it is an unstable gas that burns the moist tissues in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. It aggravates cardiac and respiratory conditions and causes nausea, coughs, burning eyes and runny noses. It’s also associated with a rise in early deaths.

Early this week, officials at Community Hospital of San Bernardino said they had more asthma cases than they had seen in weeks.

In the Long Beach area, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach also can contribute to smoggy skies, as thousands of diesel trucks zip in and out of the mammoth cargo hubs.

VEHICLE POLLUTION DOWN

Sam Atwood, a spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District, said emissions from trucks, cars, factories and other tracked sources are declining.

But, he added, ozone levels depend greatly on the weather.

This spring has seen a series of high-pressure systems with temperature inversion layers that trap the air pollutants in Southern California’s sea-to-mountain air basin, said Derek Schroeter, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“The inversion acts like a lid and keeps the air pollutants close to the ground,” he said.

Atwood said that as emissions from vehicles and factories go down, the number of days meeting the federal health standard of no more than 70 parts per billion of ozone averaged over eight hours each day should also improve. And, overall, the region’s air quality has been improving since the 1970s.

Southern California is classified by the federal government as an “extreme non-attainment area” for ozone pollution. But don’t expect healthful air anytime soon.

That designation is expected to give the region until 2037 to clean up ozone, though an official deadline hasn’t been set, Atwood said.

ON THE COAST

Air officials call the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach the largest stationary source of air pollution in the region, though the cargo hubs have reduced their emissions in recent years. Earlier this year, AQMD regulators imposed voluntary emission standards as part of a region-wide air strategy.

Environmentalists, however, think the plan didn’t go far enough to push port officials to clean up dirty air.

“We have had decades of voluntary time to clean up the pollution and now is the time to make it mandatory and required,” said Adrian Martinez, an attorney with Earthjustice.

But port planners believe they can reduce the harmful emission and point to a plan in the works that is expected to decrease the reliance on dirtier old trucks and update diesel-fueled equipment with cleaner burning equipment.

“We have had focused efforts over the last decade that have met with a lot of success,” said Heather Tomely, an environmental specialist at the Long Beach port.

“We recognized there is still a lot of work to do,” she said, “and we are working on the developing strategies we need to continue to get the reductions we need into the future.”

Source: 2017 smog season packing a punch, with worst ozone levels since 2008

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35 million dirty #Diesels are driving on Europe’s roads today, new research finds 

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

More than one-and-a-half years after the dieselgate scandal erupted the number of dirty diesels poisoning the air Europeans breathe keeps growing. New T&E research shows that there are 35 million of these diesel cars and vans driving on Europe’s roads today, six million more than in 2015. These Euro 5 and 6 diesel cars and vans were sold in Europe between 2011 and 2016 and exceed the nitrogen oxides (NOx) limits by at least three times.

Carmakers cheats are the sole reason why diesel cars and vans surpass NOx limits on the road with emission control technology mostly switched off or down.  These excess NOx emissions alone caused nearly 7,000 early deaths in Europe in 2015. Air pollution is Europe’s biggest environmental health problem. In total, nitrogen oxides are estimated to kill 70,000 Europeans every year.

Unlike the US, dirty diesels on our roads keep growing because no national government in Europe has penalised or fined any carmaker nor taken grossly polluting diesels off the road.

Julia Poliscanova, clean vehicles and air quality manager at Transport & Environment (T&E), said: “There has been no progress in Europe over a year after dieselgate: carmakers cheats continue to kill people. The air pollution crisis in European cities is mainly caused by the unwillingness or inability of national authorities to act to recall and repair cars unfit for the road or even stop more rolling off production lines. It’s high time for lawmakers to put citizens’ health above the purse of carmakers.”

The top car manufacturing countries in Europe have the highest numbers of grossly polluting diesels. The number in Germany grew to 6.5 million in 2016. 5.3 million are driving on UK roads; Italy has almost 4 million and Spain counts 2.4 million.

The discredited car approval system is at the heart of dieselgate. On May 29th ministers of the 28 member states will meet in Brussels to agree a common position on how to reform the system abused by carmakers. Both the European Commission and European Parliament want a better, independent system to prevent future dieselgates. But the German government is the only one to be actively blocking the reform as it opposes new EU-wide checks and oversight of car approvals.

“The current reform is one-in-a-decade chance to fix Europe’s broken system for approving cars that is allowing dieselgate to continue. If Chancellor Merkel insists on protecting VW, Daimler, Audi and BMW interests and blocking progress, ministers of the 27 member states must remain equally firm in protecting Europeans health. At stake are the 70,000 early deaths each year.”

Source: 35 million dirty #Diesels are driving on Europe’s roads today, new research finds : EU Reporter

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