WHO: Pollution Kills 1.7 Million Children Every Year

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Exposure to environmental pollutants kills 1.7 million children under the age of five each year, according to two new reports released by the World Health Organization. Worldwide, more than one in four deaths among children under the age of five are attributable to environmental hazards such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, contaminated water, and poor sanitation, the WHO reports.

The first report finds that some of the most common causes of death among young children — diarrhea, malaria, and pneumonia — can be prevented through access to safe water and clean cooking fuels, and other efforts to reduce environmental risks.

The second report details the impact that exposure to polluted environments has had on child mortality, Reuters reports.

“A polluted environment is a deadly one — particularly for young children,” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in a statement. “Their developing organs and immune systems, and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water.”

According to the second WHO report, 570,000 children under the age of five die every year from respiratory infections linked to indoor and outdoor air pollution, and second-hand smoke; 361,000 die every year from diarrhea, because of poor sanitation, hygiene, and limited access to safe drinking water; and 270,000 die during their first month from conditions that could have been prevented through improved sanitation, access to safe water, and reduced air pollution. Another 200,000 deaths from malaria could have been prevented through mosquito control and safer water management, the report finds.

The WHO reports detail long-term effects that environmental pollution can have on children’s’ health, as well. Children exposed to air pollution and second-hand smoke have an elevated risk of developing pneumonia and chronic respiratory problems, such as asthma.

Increasing volumes of electronic waste from disposed smartphones and other devices can expose children to toxins linked to reduced intelligence, lung damage, and cancer, the WHO says. The volume of so-called e-waste is expected to reach 50 million metric tons by 2018 — a 19% increase from 2014.

In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the WHO’s cancer arm, classified outdoor air pollution as a carcinogen for humans, reporting links to lung and bladder cancer. In September 2016, the WHO said that more than 90% of the world’s population lives in areas where air pollution exceeds levels considered safe for humans.

Climate change has heightened risk factors, as well; rising temperatures and CO2 levels has led to increased pollen counts, which is linked with asthma prevalence among young children. Between 11 and 14% of children under the age of five currently suffer from asthma-related symptoms, and 44% of those cases are attributable to environmental factors, the WHO says.

To mitigate these risks, the WHO has called on governments to reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution, protect pregnant women from second-hand smoke, and provide safe water and sanitation.

Source: WHO: Pollution Kills 1.7 Million Children Every Year | Financial Tribune

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Firms could be sued over diesel cancer 

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Employers have been told they are legally obliged to protect their staff from diesel fumes — and could be sued if workers develop cancer later in life.

The Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have issued the warnings because diesel fumes have been reclassified as a “grade 1 carcinogen”, meaning they are a “definite cause of cancer”. As many as 500,000 UK jobs are affected.

The warning applies to a huge range of employees, including professional drivers, bus and railway station staff, rubbish collectors, garage mechanics and warehouse and construction workers.

The reclassification, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organisation, came after it found that people exposed to diesel fumes at work were up to 40% more likely to develop lung cancer.

“In Britain, over 650 people a year die of lung or bladder cancer as a result of being exposed to diesel exhaust fumes at work,” said the IOSH. “About 800 new cases of cancer linked to diesel exhaust exposure are registered each year.”

The HSE said diesel fumes’ status as a carcinogen meant they were covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. Employers must regularly assess dangers to staff and minimise exposure or face prosecution.

Researchers from Imperial College London say 500,000 UK workers are exposed to diesel.

Professional drivers are badly affected because air intakes suck in exhaust fumes from the vehicle in front.

Professor John Cherrie from the Institute of Occupational Medicine, who advises the IOSH, said that when a car fitted with monitors drove behind a diesel vehicle, particle concentrations shot up to two to four times the background level but sometimes much higher. “Some very high levels were measured behind buses with low-level exhausts,” he added.

Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at Kings College London, who chairs the government’s advisory committee on air pollution, said drivers should stay clear of diesels. “In slow-moving or stationary traffic drivers should keep at least a car-length from the vehicle in front, especially diesels.

“In queues or slow moving traffic keep your windows closed and your air-con on recirculation. Ideally you should also avoid driving at all in rush hour.”

Such practical advice may have to be issued formally to staff by many organisations, who must also monitor their employees’ health.

“In the UK, health surveillance is compulsory for workers exposed to carcinogens,” said the IOSH. “Surveillance should be carried out by an occupational health professional.”

Such obligations will raise costs for organisations such as construction and transport firms, garages and police forces. However, the IOSH said the savings in human health would be far greater.

Source: Firms could be sued over diesel cancer | News | The Times & The Sunday Times

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Largest pollution control op begins 

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Inspections have exposed violations by companies illegally discharging pollutants and falsifying monitoring data, despite emergency responses to the ongoing air pollution in northern regions, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Severe violations were exposed by the nation’s top environmental officials during random inspections in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the neighbouring provinces of Henan, Shanxi and Shandong, it said.

The ministry announced the launch of a yearlong intensified inspection programme in the area’s 28 major cities, starting yesterday. Up to 5,600 government workers will be transferred from across the nation to support the mission, making the campaign the largest-ever national operation in the field of environmental protection.

On Tuesday, Chen Jining, the minister of environmental protection, visited Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Co, a major petrochemical enterprise in Fangshan district, to inspect levels of discharged pollutants.

Chen said that after waiting for 20 minutes, he was unable to obtain records on the repairing of equipment related to emissions monitoring.

It showed the company failed to operate as required in controlling and reducing emissions of air pollutants, and it has been required to correct its problems, Chen said.

In addition to poor management, Zhao Yingmin, the vice-minister of environmental protection, exposed severe violations by a new material production company in Anyang, Henan province, which was found to have falsified monitoring data to make sulfur dioxide emission levels show a negative reading.

As of Monday, inspectors in seven cities in northern regions had exposed 200 pollution problems, including excessive emissions, falsified monitoring data and weak implementation of laws by local governments, according to the ministry.

The ministry said on Wednesday that blue-sky days in the 28 major cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and neighbouring provinces of Henan, Shanxi and Shandong accounted for 60.9% of the month, an increase of 20.6% year-on-year.

Beijing started to see the air quality improve by 5pm on Wednesday, but it is forecast to worsen again, becoming severe, the second-highest level in the six-tier quality system, according to the China National Envi­ronmental Monitoring Center.

At least 13 cities, including Beijing, had issued orange alerts, the second-highest emergency response level, as of Wednesday.

“It’s essential to implement the restriction efforts fully, and tighten the controls on construction sites and dust caused by vehicles,” Chen said.

Source: Largest pollution control op begins – Regional | The Star Online

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Living in an area with high air pollution may impact women’s breast density

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

A study of nearly 280,000 women in the United States has found that living in areas with a high level of fine particles from air pollution may increase a woman’s chance of having dense breasts – a well-established risk factor for breast cancer – according to a new study published in the open access journal Breast Cancer Research.

The study, the largest of its kind to investigate the association of air pollution with breast density, found that for every one unit increase in fine particle concentration (PM2.5), a woman’s chance of having dense breasts was increased by 4%. Women with dense breasts were around 20% more likely to have been exposed to higher concentrations of PM2.5. Conversely, women with less dense, or breasts with more fatty tissue, were 12% less likely to have been exposed to high concentrations of PM2.5.

Breast density is measured by mammography and reflects the relative amounts of different tissue types in the breast. Breasts with a majority of fatty tissue are easier to interpret by mammography and so abnormalities become easier to spot. Dense breasts contain a higher percentage of fibroglandular tissue which obscures mammography and makes it difficult to identity abnormalities such as a breast tumour.

Dr Lusine Yaghjyan, lead author from the University of Florida, said: “Our findings suggest that previously reported geographic variation in breast density could, in part, be explained by different air pollution patterns in urban and rural areas. Breast density is a well-established and strong breast cancer risk factor so future studies are warranted to determine if the observed associations are causal, which if confirmed may have implications for risk prevention.”

The researchers also looked at the association between ozone exposure and breast density among the 280,000 women included in the study. They found that every one unit increase in ozone concentration was associated with a 3% lower chance of having dense breasts.

Dr Yaghjyan explained: “We found a positive association between fine particle concentration exposure and breast density but an inverse association between ozone exposure and breast density. This is an intriguing result that warrants further investigation to unpick any possible biological mechanism that might cause ozone exposure to reduce a woman’s chance of having dense breasts.”

Chemical constituents of PM2.5 air pollution are known to include pollutants that have endocrine disrupting properties. According to the researchers, although causation cannot be established in this observational study, due to uncontrolled factors, these pollutants could potentially influence breast density by interfering with growth of cells in the breast and increasing the relative amount of fibroglandular tissue.

Women for this study were selected from the Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium, a population-based cohort of women undergoing mammographic screening across the United States. Mammographic data, including breast density, was included from women who were screened between 2001 and 2009. Breast density was measured using the BI-RADS system, a method developed by the American College of Radiology to standardise beast density measurements. Air pollution data corresponding to the areas where the women lived before or around the time of their mammogram was obtained from the United States Environment Protection Agency.

Source: Living in an area with high air pollution may impact women’s breast density

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EU Court Reprimands Bulgaria Over Air Pollution

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Europe’s highest court on Wednesday said Bulgaria had breached limits for hazardous air pollutants, a ruling environmental groups said would help in their efforts to force countries to take action over poor air quality.

The European Court of Justice said higher concentrations of particulate matter — small dust particles blamed for breathing problems and heart disease — recorded at several sites in Bulgaria from 2007 to 2014 showed severe breaches of EU clean air quality rules.

There were no fines attached to the ruling.

Bulgaria’s Environment Ministry said in a statement the use of wood and coal for heating as well as the large number of old cars caused the air pollution in the EU’s poorest member state and said it was working with institutions to improve the situation.

“It is necessary to mobilize the efforts of all parties concerned and the active support of the people,” it said.

Apart from Bulgaria, the European Union executive has begun legal action against 15 countries over breaches of air quality standards, including particulate matter. The ECJ is currently reviewing a case against Poland.

The ruling, the first time the court has endorsed EU air pollution rules, was seized upon by campaigners as a precedent for other cases.

“The Court of Justice has opened the door for major progress in Europe’s fight for clean air and clarified that people’s health comes first,” said Ugo Taddei, a lawyer for ClientEarth.

The European Commission has estimated premature deaths attributable to air pollution in 2013 at 13,700 in Bulgaria and around 400,000 in the EU as a whole.

Source: EU Court Reprimands Bulgaria Over Air Pollution

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‘The car is ingrained into people here’: West Midlands faces air pollution crisis 

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Region contains five of top 10 hotspots outside London for dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution

The West Midlands is one of the worst hit areas outside the capital for illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution but many don’t seem to realise they and their children are breathing some of the UK’s most polluted air.

The region is criss-crossed with motorways and dual carriageways churning out NO2 from hundreds of thousands of diesel vehicles. The government’s own figures show air pollution is responsible for almost 3,000 deaths a year in the West Midlands and in 2015 Birmingham was one of five cities – alongside Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton – ordered to introduce a clean air zone by 2020.

Today’s study shows that the region contains five of the top 10 pollution hotspots outside the capital in relation to the exposure of nursery children to NO2.

But despite this bleak picture there appears to be a lack of awareness among many of those living and working in some of the worst hit areas.

In Birmingham there are 38 nurseries and 30 schools within 150 metres of a road where emissions of NO2 are above the legal limit. Of the 10 worst affected nurseries none were aware it was a problem when contacted by the Guardian. Proprietors and managers of the nurseries said air pollution was not something that they – or the parents – were aware of or discussed.

James Burn, the Green party candidate for West Midlands mayor, said a lack of investment in public transport had resulted in “terrible, hidden consequences” across the region – with the young and poor suffering the most.

“The West Midlands is facing an air pollution crisis – the shocking truth is that 3,000 people a year here die prematurely from breathing our dirty air,” said Burn.

He said the area had been the “poor relation” in terms of investment in public transport for decades.

“For us to tackle this problem we need a huge investment from government to enable us to build a world-class public transport system that gets people from A to B without contributing to air pollution and congestion. Until that happens, we’ll continue to see cars choking up our roads and our most vulnerable citizens choking on filthy air.”

Anne Shaw, Birmingham council’s lead officer on air quality, is one of those tasked with tackling the problem. She said a lot of work was underway, but admitted it was a challenge to change people’s attitudes to driving in a city that “grew up on the car industry”.

According to the council’s own figures 900 people die from poor air quality in the city each year, compared to 30 from road accidents.

“The car is ingrained into the people that live here and it is a challenge to change that.”

However she said the council had a range of measures, from encouraging low emission vehicles to a revamped cycle network to help tackle the issue.

“We are not anti-car, the car is still here, but there are 200,000 journeys of under a mile in this city each day – it is about removing some of those trips.”

Source: ‘The car is ingrained into people here’: West Midlands faces air pollution crisis | Environment | The Guardian

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Thousands of British children exposed to illegal levels of air pollution 

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

More than 2,000 schools and nurseries close to roads with damaging levels of diesel fumes, joint investigation by Guardian and Greenpeace reveals

Hundreds of thousands of children are being exposed to illegal levels of damaging air pollution from diesel vehicles at schools and nurseries across England and Wales, a joint investigation by the Guardian and Greenpeace’s investigations unit has revealed.

The analysis of the most recent government data exposes how dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution from diesel traffic are not limited to large metropolitan centres, but threaten the health of children and young people in towns and cities from Newcastle to Plymouth.

The research shows more than 1,000 nurseries which look after 47,000 babies and children are in close proximity to roads where the level of nitrogen dioxide from diesel traffic exceeds the legal limit of 40µg/m3, (micrograms per cubic metre of air).

The findings come as the government is under pressure to dramatically improve its strategy to clean up the nation’s air, after the high court said its plans to reduce illegal levels of harmful emissions were so poor as to be unlawful. Ministers have to produce new draft measures to tackle air pollution by 24 April.

Chris Griffiths, professor of primary care and public health at Bart’s and the London School of Medicine, said the findings were very important and called for a dramatic change in attitudes within society and from government.

“The research on exposure to traffic fumes and children’s lung growth is pretty consistent. It shows that such exposure reduces lung growth, produces long term ill health and can cause premature death. We should be outraged that we are exposing our developing children to these obvious problems.”

Griffiths said while 40µg/m3 was the legal limit in Europe, there was no safe level of exposure to diesel fumes and that areas which did not show up in the analysis could not be complacent.

“Why should we tolerate this?” said Griffiths. “It is a relatively simple thing to try and solve. It is a choice we have to make. Rather than telling people to take their inhaler, stay indoors and reduce exercise when there are high pollution levels, attitudes need to change and we need to make the polluter pay.”

The investigation used the government’s own pollution modelling from 2015 to identify all schools and nurseries – whether private, academy or state maintained – which are within 150 metres of a road where emissions of NO2 are above the legal limit. Figures for Wales do not include private nurseries.

It found:

  • 2,091 schools, nurseries, further education centres and after school clubs are within 150 metres of a road emitting illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide.
  • There are 1,013 nurseries looking after children from six months to five years old within 150m of illegal NO2 levels.
  • Five of the 10 areas with the worst exposed nurseries outside London were in the West Midlands.
  • Towns as far afield as Plymouth, Poole and Hull all had nurseries and schools in areas above legal NO2 limits.
  • 15 London boroughs had at least a quarter of nurseries in an illegal N02 hotspot
  • The highest pollution pocket of 118.19µg/m3 – more than four times the legal limit – was at a nursery in Tower Hamlets, east London.

The scale of the exposure of young children to dangerous diesel emissions is likely to be an underestimate as it is based on government modelling which has been criticised by judges as overly optimistic. Ministers will have to come up with more sensitive analysis in their draft air quality plan this month which is likely to reveal that many more children are being exposed to dirty air from diesel traffic.

Anna Jones, clean air campaigner at Greenpeace, said there was a need to raise awareness around the country about dangerous levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution. She called for urgent government action with car companies to get polluting vehicles off the streets.

“Most people don’t realise that all across the country toddlers are being exposed to invisible air pollution caused by diesel vehicles,” said Jones.

“We were told diesel vehicles were the cleaner choice but car makers lied about the toxic pollution they emit. The only way to make our communities safer is to tackle air pollution head on. To fix this problem we need wholesale transformation on our roads away from diesel towards hybrid and electric vehicles. Both the government and the car companies need to work urgently to fix this.”

Birmingham was the worst area outside London for children’s exposure to diesel traffic fumes; 38 nurseries and 30 schools in the city are within 150m of a road where emissions of nitrogen dioxide exceed the legal limit.

But the analysis shows smaller towns and cities – including Poole and Oxford – also suffer diesel traffic pollution problems. In the south-west coastal city of Plymouth nearly 10% of nurseries are within 150m of illegal levels of NO2 emissions from roads.

In Nottingham 11% of nurseries are within 150m of an illegally polluting road. The school in the highest pollution pocket outside London is Widnes Academy primary school in the north-west, and the pottery town of Stoke on Trent has five nurseries and four schools close to damaging levels of air pollution.

Andy Burnham, Labour’s candidate for mayor of Greater Manchester, where 20 nurseries, schools and after school clubs are close to dangerous levels of NO2 emissions, said he has visited one school where pollution levels are almost three times the legal limit. “I have urged the government to give the mayor of Greater Manchester powers to introduce a clean air zone so we can protect children and those most vulnerable from the high polluting vehicles. We also need a broader plan to reduce congestion, increase cycling and make public transport a clean, reliable and affordable alternative to the car.”

Some nursery providers and headteachers had no idea their schools were in pollution hotspots.

Sandra Nelson, manager of Step by Step Nursery in Bridge Avenue, Hammersmith, where road emissions levels are 107.47µg/m3 said: “It’s never been brought to my attention. If the level here is higher than what it should be I think it needs to be addressed by the local authority and the government.”

Marg Randles, managing director of Busy Bees Childcare, which has eight nurseries close to illegally polluting roads, said she supported attempts to improve UK air quality.

“Air quality is a concern for many communities in the UK. Undoubtedly the levels of pollution across many parts of the country have reached unacceptable levels and we understand that everyone is affected by high levels of nitrogen dioxide. Reducing the levels of pollution especially around homes, schools, hospitals and nurseries where levels are high is hugely important.”

Nitrogen dioxide emissions from diesel traffic cause 23,500 of the 40,000 premature deaths from air pollution each year, according to figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In April last year MPs said air pollution was a public health emergency.

A government spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to improving the UK’s air quality and cutting harmful emissions. That’s why we have committed more than £2bn since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emissions vehicles, support greener transport schemes and set out how we will improve air quality through a new programme of Clean Air Zones.

“In addition, in the autumn statement, we announced a further £290m to support electric vehicles, low emission buses and taxis, and alternative fuels. We will update our air quality plans shortly to further improve the nation’s air quality.”

Source: Thousands of British children exposed to illegal levels of air pollution | Environment | The Guardian

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Cibubur has worst air pollution in Greater Jakarta 

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Despite lots of vegetation, Cibubur in East Jakarta is the area with the most polluted air in Greater Jakarta, new data reveal.

Greenpeace Indonesia’s climate and energy campaigner, Bondan Andriyanu, said that the fine particulate matter air pollutant, better known as PM 2.5, polluted the air in Greater Jakarta to a much higher level than is considered safe by the World Health Organization at 25 microgram per cubic meter.

“Unfortunately, PM 2.5 does not vanish, as it has a persistant quality. Vegetation can only absorb gas pollutants, like carbon dioxide,” he said.

Greenpeace Indonesia assessed Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi in February and March to monitor the level of PM 2.5.

According to the data, the most-polluted air was found in Cibubur, with the PM 2.5 level reaching 103.2 microgram per cubic meter. Compared to other areas of the capital, Cibubur has ample vegetation, but that would hardly help against PM 2.5, Bondan said.

He added that unlike carbon dioxide, which comes in the form of gas, PM 2.5 is tiny carcinogenic particles that are small enough to enter the bloodstream and, hence, cause various diseases, including heart illness. “The only way to reduce PM 2.5 is by controlling the pollutant sources.”

PM 2.5 in Greater Jakarta, he said, was the result of vehicle emissions, in addition to factory emissions from the surrounding area.

Source: Cibubur has worst air pollution in Greater Jakarta – City – The Jakarta Post

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