Oxford city centre zero emissions zone study launched 

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

A study looking into banning all petrol and diesel vehicles from the centre of Oxford has been launched.

The city and county councils have jointly commissioned the £30,000 study in a bid to reduce air pollution.

If agreed, the zone could be introduced from 2020, starting small and expanding as technology develops.

The city centre has been a low emission zone since 2014, requiring all local bus services to use low-emitting vehicles.

City council board member John Tanner previously branded the idea “ridiculous”, but now says he is “thrilled” the study is taking place.

‘Unworkable’

He added: “Air pollution has a significant impact on the health of residents and visitors to Oxford.

“Our vision is to create a city centre that people can live and work in without worrying about how vehicle emissions will impact on their health.”

But speaking in 2015 he said the city council would not support “a blanket ban” because “ordinary” cars were not responsible for pollution.

The Road Haulage Association also called the proposals “unworkable”.

A spokesman for the county council said the ban would initially only apply on a small number of roads, and the timescales would change if technology was not advanced enough.

Last year, Oxford was featured in a report by the World Health Organisation as one of 10 cities with unacceptable levels of pollution.

And European Union targets for air pollution are currently being breached at 32% of 75 locations monitored across Oxford.

Source: Oxford city centre zero emissions zone study launched – BBC News

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Air pollution killing 14,300 Kenyans annually: report 

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

The World Health Organization (WHO) report released on Monday revealed that a quarter of all global deaths of children under five are caused by dirty and polluted environments including dirty water and air, second-hand smoke and a lack of adequate hygiene.

In Kenya, according to a United Nations report of 2016 titled “Actions on Air Quality”, at least 14,300 Kenyans die every year from health conditions which can be traced back to indoor air pollution with pneumonia cited as one of the biggest killers associated with air pollution.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that lack of clean air and water can lead to fatal cases of diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia. This also exposes children to harmful chemicals through food, water, air and products around them.

“A polluted environment is a deadly one, particularly for young children. Their developing organs and immune systems and smaller bodies and airways, make them especially vulnerable to dirty air and water,” said Ms Chan.

In the report, “Inheriting a sustainable world: Atlas on children’s health and the environment”, the WHO said harmful exposure can start in the womb, and then continue if infants and toddlers are exposed to indoor and outdoor air pollution and second-hand smoke.

This increases their childhood risk of pneumonia as well as their lifelong risk of chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma.

Air pollution also increases the lifelong risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer, the report said.

The report also noted that in households without access to safe water and sanitation, or that are polluted with smoke from unclean fuels such as coal or dung for cooking and heating, children are at higher risk of diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Interestingly, air quality monitoring in Kenya is practically non-existent, although a few cases of monitoring have happened after complaints from the public, only to be abandoned later on.

Source: Air pollution killing 14,300 Kenyans annually: report – Daily Nation

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Use buggy covers to combat air pollution danger, parents warned

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Parents should protect their infants by using covers on pushchairs during the school run, particularly in the morning, according to experts

Parents should use covers on their pushchairs during the school run to protect their infants from air pollution, experts have warned.

Scientists tested the pollution levels inside prams to assess the exposure of infants taken on the school run with older siblings. The researchers found that the fine particle pollution from vehicle exhausts, which is particularly harmful, was higher during the morning journey.

“Young children are far more susceptible to pollution than adults, due to their immature and developing systems and lower body weight,” said Dr Prashant Kumar, at the University of Surrey and who led the new research. “These findings provide an insight for families who walk to and from nursery and primary schools with young children. Essentially, children could be at risk of breathing in some nasty and harmful chemical species.”

“One of the simplest ways to combat this is to use a barrier between the in-pram children and the exhaust emissions, especially at pollution hotspots such as traffic intersections, so parents should use pram covers if at all possible,” he said.

The new study, published in the journal Environmental Pollution, placed detectors for particulate pollution in pushchairs and made 64 journeys to and from schools in Guildford at drop-off and pick-up times. They found that air pollution spiked at road junctions and by bus stands, and that fine particle pollution was higher in the mornings, when the roads are busiest.

“Fine particles show larger health impacts compared to their larger counterparts and at the young age children are more susceptible to particulate pollution, suggesting a clear need for precautionary measures to limit their exposure during their transport along the busy roadsides,” the researchers concluded.

Previous work on whether adults are exposed to less pollution than children, who are closer to the level of exhaust pipes, has produced conflicting results. One study showed children were exposed to twice as much particle pollution, while another found children in buggies were exposed to lower levels of fine particles. The new work found no significant differences.

Levels of particulate pollution in the UK are generally below legal limits, but 40 of the 51 air quality zones in the UK exceed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guideline limits for fine particulate matter, and the WHO has urged the UK to do more to cut pollution. Earlier this week, the WHO revealed that around the world 560,000 children under five years old die each year as a result of air pollution.

Particulate pollution is estimated to cause a total of 29,000 early deaths in adults each year in the UK. Levels of another key pollutant – nitrogen dioxide – are above legal levels in much of the UK. A recent study commissioned by the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, showed over 800 schools, nurseries and colleges in the capital alone are in areas with illegally high NO2 levels.

On Thursday, Khan announced the first of 12 “low emission bus zones”, where only the cleanest buses will be allowed to run. The first is along Putney High Street, a notorious pollution blackspot, with others to follow including in Brixton.

Khan, who said the zones represent the most extensive network of clean buses of any major world city, commented: “London’s toxic air is an outrage. [This] will make a big difference to the pollution caused by our public transport system.”

Research published by Kumar’s team in February showed that drivers in London are the commuters least exposed to harmful particulate pollution, when compared with those taking the underground or the bus. “There is definitely an element of environmental injustice among those commuting in London, with those who create the most pollution having the least exposure to it,” he said.

Source: Use buggy covers to combat air pollution danger, parents warned | Environment | The Guardian

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The Smoky City: Air Pollution in Reykjavík Soars

Posted on March 9, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Early risers may have noticed that Reykjavík looks a little more sulphuric than normal recently. Yesterday morning, as city-dwellers rushed to work, smog blanketed the capital in a yellowish film.

Reykjavík—whose name means “Bay of Smokes” in Icelandic, reportedly because the first Viking settlers saw steam from geothermal vents when they first landed in Iceland—is now living up to its name in a new way.

“The pollution comes from traffic. The reason we can see it so clearly is the weather—there have been many days in a row with almost no wind,” said Svava S. Steinarsdóttir, health officer at the Reykjavík Health Board.

“The pollution does not get [dispersed] as it usually [does]; it gathers on the horizon and you see this yellowish tint,” she continued. “It’s been rather high for the past week or so.”

Levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) along Grensásvegur in the eastern part of the city surged to 122 grams per cubic metre (g/m3) yesterday, according to Reykjavík air monitoring data. Any measurement above 100 is enough to change local air quality designations from “good” to “moderate.” Such a designation means that individuals with sensitive health issues—such as asthma—can be affected.

NO2 is a prominent air pollutant in urban areas and is linked to respiratory difficulties, but levels were not high enough to breach the city’s pollution limits.

“If we think it’s going to be a health concern, then the public health authority will issue a warning,” said Svava. “[Smog] is usually tied to the morning traffic and afternoon traffic.”

Those individuals desiring a breath of clean air may have to wait for the winds to pick back up—or for Reykjavik to hop on the electric car bandwagon.

In the meantime, live pollution levels in Reykjavík are available at http://testapi.rvk.is/#/stodvar.

Source: The Smoky City: Air Pollution in Reykjavík Soars – The Reykjavik Grapevine

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Barcelona to ban old cars from roads to tackle air pollution 

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Motorists will be prohibited from driving vehicles older than 20 years on weekdays from 2019 in effort to cut emissions

Barcelona will ban cars that are older than 20 years from the roads during the week to cut traffic emissions by 30% over 15 years.

The measure – a joint initiative between the city council, the Catalan government and other metropolitan bodies – will come into force on 1 January 2019 and will cover Barcelona and the 39 surrounding municipalities.

Under the terms of the agreement, it will be prohibited to drive private cars registered before January 1997 and vans registered before October 1994 on working days.

Although the ban does not come into force for two years, those vehicles will already be banned from the roads during periods of high pollution from 1 December this year.

According to the city council, the move is likely to affect about 106,000 cars – 7% of the total in the area – and 22,000 vans (16% of the total).

“[The aim] is to reduce emissions by 10% over the next five years to gradually reach the levels recommended by the World Health Organisation and accelerate the adoption of more intensive local measures in order to reach the levels set by the EU before 2020,” the city council said on Monday.

Janet Sanz, the city’s deputy mayor for the environment, urban planning and transport, said the authorities were showing a united front to tackle the problem. Barcelona’s poor air quality is thought to cause about 3,500 premature deaths a year.

Sanz said: “The people of Barcelona have told us clearly in surveys that they want to fight against air pollution because it is a health problem of the first order.”

The city hopes to win people over by offering free public transport to those who give up their vehicles.

At the end of last year, the mayors of Madrid, Paris, Mexico City and Athens vowed to fight air pollution by banning diesel cars and vans from the centres of their cities by 2025.

This week, the WHO said pollution was responsible for one in four deaths among under fives , with the leading causes being toxic air, unsafe water and a lack of sanitation.

Source: Barcelona to ban old cars from roads to tackle air pollution | World news | The Guardian

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‘No way’ of monitoring Southampton docks air pollution 

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Southampton, the biggest cruise port in Britain, has no way of monitoring air pollution generated by emissions from the largest ships in the world.

A BBC investigation reveals Southampton docks does not monitor its air pollution rates, despite the city being among the most polluted in the UK.

Southampton City Council estimates the port contributes up to 23 per cent of air pollution in the city.

Ships can use a “plug-in” system to reduce emissions but not in the UK.

It comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) called Southampton one of the most polluted cities in the UK.

The city’s port welcomes thousands of ships a year, including some of the biggest cruise liners and container ships in the world.

The vessels leave their engines running while docked to power their electrics, but elsewhere in the world ships use a shore-based electricity supply, virtually eliminating their emissions.

Cargo and cruise ships, including the Queen Mary 2 and Britannia which regularly dock in Southampton, use the method – just not when visiting the British port.

Port Director Alastair Welch from ABP said: “The challenge has been in particular there is no one standard for shore power. I’d like it in place as soon as possible.

“I should emphasise shore power is not the only answer and that’s why we’re working with solar power and hybrid ships now, because all of them have a part to play for the future.”

A review of Air Quality in Southampton in 2015 by the local authority showed the port is believed to contribute between seven and 23 per cent of the air pollution, while cars contribute 18 per cent and HGVs 12 per cent.

The government has since told Southampton to implement clean air zones by 2020 and the council is implementing a Clean Air Strategy to meet national goals.

Source: ‘No way’ of monitoring Southampton docks air pollution – BBC News

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Asian smog pollutes the United States, study finds 

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Despite a decrease in US air pollution production, smog levels are still on the rise in the western part of the country, and now new research has found that an influx of impurities originating from Asia has been making its way across the Pacific Ocean and might be to blame.

The study, which was led by scientists from Princeton University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration‘s Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and published last week in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, found that Asian air pollution contributed up to two-thirds of increasing western ozone in recent years, according to NPR reports.

Lead author Meiyun Lin, a scientist at GFDL and a research scholar at Princeton’s atmospheric and oceanic sciences department, and her colleagues found that ozone levels measured in rural areas of the west have increased over the past 25 years, even though there has been a 50 percent reduction in local production of smog-forming chemicals such as nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Further analysis traced the increase in ozone in the western US to pollution from China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, India and other South Asian nations. Collectively, NOx emissions in this region have more than tripled since 1990, the study authors explained in a statement.

“Increasing background ozone from rising Asian emissions leaves less room for local production of ozone before the federal standard is violated,” said Lin. She and her colleagues noted that their study underscores the importance of continuing domestic policies governing emissions given off by motor vehicles and power plants while also taking a globalized approach to air quality.

Eastern US ozone expected to worsen due to climate change

Lin’s team discovered the decrease in pollution in the western US and the increases from Asian sources while analyzing the sources of smog, also known as ground-level ozone, from the 1980s through 2014. Their findings explain why springtime ozone levels in Yellowstone National Park and other nearby parks have increased over the past 25 years, they said.

In fact, their study found a “significant” increase in springtime ozone levels of 5 to 10 parts per billion. Since smog is hazardous to human health, especially for those with asthma or other types of respiratory problems, and can harm some trees and crops, federal regulations require that these emissions be capped at 70 ppb. Increases in Asian pollution could make that difficult.

“Twenty years ago scientists first speculated that rising Asian emissions would one day offset some of the United States’ domestic ozone reductions,” said Owen Cooper, a senior researcher at the University of Colorado and the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory who was familiar with the study but was not one of its authors. “This study takes advantage of more than 25 years of observations… to comprehensively demonstrate that these early predictions were right.”

The study also found that while smog levels in the eastern US had fallen over the past quarter-century, ozone levels in this part of the country can rise during increasingly common heat waves. However, since periods of extreme heat and drought can trap pollution, and because these events are expected to become more common, the study predicts that smog in the eastern US will likely worsen in the near future.

Source: Asian smog pollutes the United States, study finds – Redorbit

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How bad is air pollution? 

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is in the news, and the government must devise a new plan to clean the air after losing two court cases. But how bad is Britain’s air? Who is most to blame? And what should be done?

How bad is UK air pollution?

Air pollution is a major contributor to ill health in the UK, but it’s hard to say exactly by how much.

Dirty air doesn’t directly kill people. But it’s estimated in the UK to contribute to the shortening of the lives of around 40,000 people a year, principally by undermining the health of people with heart or lung problems.

How accurate are media headlines about 40,000 deaths?

Headlines claiming that pollution kills 40,000 are just wrong – it’s more subtle than that. It’s also wrong to say pollution in the UK is rising.

The 40,000 pollution-related deaths figure is not a count of actual deaths – it’s a statistical construct, with a lot of uncertainty involved.

Government advisers say the 40,000 number might be a sixth as big – or twice as big.

Pollution clearly IS a problem, though. And, remember, it doesn’t just contribute to early deaths, it also compromises the health of people suffering from ailments like asthma and hay fever.

Is pollution increasing?

In cities globally, pollution is increasing.

In the UK, air pollution nationally has been generally dropping (except from ammonia from farming).

But despite the overall fall, in many big UK cities safe limits on harmful particulates and oxides of nitrogen – NOx – are still regularly breached. And in London, NOx levels at the roadside have barely dropped at all.

Why is there so much concern at the moment?

Experts in air pollution argue that it has been under-reported for decades, but the issue has been thrust into the news because the UK government lost court cases over illegally dirty air, and because car makers were found to be cheating tests on car emissions.

Scientists are also more confident now about the ways that air pollution harms people. It has even recently been linked with dementia, although that link remains debatable.

Diesel cars seem to be portrayed as the main villains. Is that fair?

Yes and no. Diesel cars manufacturers drew fire by cheating emissions tests. Diesels are much more polluting than petrol cars on a local scale, and the biggest proportion of pollution in UK cities does come from road transport in general.

But if you look at Greater London (London stats are the most detailed) you see that private diesel cars contribute 11% of NOx – less than you might have thought. Lorries – with far fewer numbers on the roads – produce the same amount.

Zoom into Central London, and just 5% of NOx comes from private diesel cars. That is dwarfed by 38% from gas for heating homes and offices.

There are many other sources of pollution, including buses, taxis, industry and other machinery, such as on building sites. So it’s a many-sided problem.

 

What should we do?

Solving air pollution needs a many-sided approach. The best value for money comes from targeting the really big individual polluters – that’s old buses and lorries in cities. Most big cities are already doing that, although critics say not fast enough.

Insulating homes so they don’t burn as much gas, would save pollution, cash and carbon emissions in the long term – but critics say the government appears to have no strategy for this.

Stopping the spread of wood-burning stoves in cities might help a bit. Cutting pollution from ships would be good in port cities. Reducing use of some chemicals in the home would help a little.

What about taxing diesel cars more?

A previous government encouraged drivers to buy diesel vehicles because they produced fewer emissions of greenhouse gases. Incentives for diesel were removed in 1999.

Petrol cars are now almost as efficient and are much less polluting locally, so scientists say it makes sense to tax diesel cars extra.

Politicians are nervous upsetting drivers, and we shall have to wait to the Budget to see how they respond. Ministers are also under pressure to offer a £3,500 incentive for drivers to scrap old diesel cars.

Source: How bad is air pollution? – BBC News

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