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

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

‘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

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

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

Posted in Air Quality, Asia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, USA, USA & Canada | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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

All of That Pollution In Asia Turns Into Smog In the U.S.

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

New research has found that the United States’ reductions in air pollution have been stymied by the exponential increase of pollutants coming from Asia. As long as you don’t like breathing, that’ll be no big deal.

The smog in Los Angeles tends to produce beautiful sunsets as opposed to the grey, apocalyptic photos that routinely come from China. But that doesn’t mean it’s any less bad for you. The nitrogen oxide emissions that are largely produced by manufacturing is broken down by sunlight into ozone. Among the many problems associated with ground level ozone, respiratory problems can be aggravated, the cells that line our lungs can be damaged and crops can be harmed. As far as air pollution in general goes, it’s been found to leave toxic magnetic waste in human brains and causes 5.5 million premature deaths each year.

According to a new paper published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, the United States has cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 50 percent. But those same emissions have tripled in Asian countries since 1990 and those gases circulate to the western United States.

NPR reports:

The study looked at levels of ground-level ozone (the key component in smog) from 1980 to 2014. To determine U.S. trends, pollution levels in cities, rural areas and national parks were collated. Scientist Meiyun Lin of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration led the work, along with others from her agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.

They concluded that the spike in man-made emissions in Asia “is the major driver” of the rise in ozone levels in the western U.S. for both spring and summer in recent decades. The researchers cited data that ranges from Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California to observations in Denver, Colo., and the eastern U.S.

Globalization and rising economies are cited as the problem. China and India, where manufacturing is king are considered the biggest culprits. So, before you start feeling like the U.S. is doing its part, consider where the device you’re reading this article on actually came from.

The good news is that China appears to understand the gravity of the issue. It has recently announced initiatives to increase the prevalence of electric cars and it’s cutting steel and coal production. Just this week, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged to accelerate reductions in pollution as unrest among the population grows. And China’s leadership has insisted it will stick to its agreement in the Paris Climate Accords, while the world nervously waits for the Trump administration to make a decision on the United States continued participation in the agreement.

“A global perspective is necessary when designing a strategy to meet US O3 air quality objectives,” the authors of the study wrote. Indeed, if the United States hopes to protect our environment and curb climate change, it will have to accept that this will take a global effort. Even amidst political chaos and stagnation, the new administration has managed to tear through regulations at a brisk pace. And we’re just getting started.

Source: All of That Pollution In Asia Turns Into Smog In the U.S.

Posted in Air Quality, USA & Canada | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Lampang at risk from forest fire haze 

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Residents of Muang district in Lampang have been urged to wear face masks to protect themselves against haze pollution as authorities step up efforts to stop forest fires near Doi Phra Bath.

Healthcare workers are advising people on how to deal with air pollution to reduce health impacts as levels of harmful air particles exceeds the safety limit due to a forest fire.

They urged them to avoid outdoor activities and to wear face masks.

Anyone who has respiratory problems, or has symptoms of red eyes or a cough, should consult a doctor, experts said. According to the Air Quality and Noise Management Control Bureau, the level of air particles in tambon Bandong, Mae Mo district was 168 microgrammes per cubic metre (u/cg) and 144u/cg in tambon Phra Baht, Muang district Sunday which exceeds the safety limit of 120u/cg which poses a health risk.

It was reported that a combined team of military officers and local officials were making haste to put out a forest fire near Doi Phra Baht in tambon Phra Baht.

The fire reportedly broke out at an area near Doi Phra Bath two days ago.

Source: Lampang at risk from forest fire haze | Bangkok Post: news

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

Omega-3 oils could tackle damage caused by air pollution, research shows 

Posted on March 4, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

New research indicates the benefits of eating omega-3 fatty acids, but also that pollution particles can penetrate the lungs into many organs, including testicles

Supplements of healthy fats could be an immediate way of cutting the harm caused to billions around the world by air pollution, according to emerging research.

However, the research also shows air pollution particles can penetrate through the lungs of lab animals into many major organs, including the brain and testicles. This raises the possibility that the health damage caused by toxic air is even greater than currently known.

The new research on mice showed that omega-3 fatty acids (OFAs), found in flax, hemp and fish oils, can both prevent and treat the inflammation and oxidative stress caused by air pollution, with the OFAs delivering a 30-50% reduction in harm.

Air pollution around the world is rising at an alarming rate, according to the World Health Organization, with virtually all cities in poorer nations blighted by unhealthy air and more than half of those in richer countries also suffering.

Low air quality has long been linked to lung and heart disease and strokes, but scientists are now uncovering links to brain problems such as dementia, mental illness and reduced intelligence, as well as diabetes, kidney disease and premature births.

Dr Jing Kang, at Massachusetts General Hospital, part of Harvard Medical School in the US, who led the research said: “These pathological changes are very important because they are the fundamental mechanisms for the common chronic diseases we have today.

“I can anticipate the same things [that happen in mice] would happen in humans, because many other inflammatory diseases in humans can be treated with OFAs. We feel very confident OFAs can do something very good.”

“I would definitely recommend taking OFAs to counter air pollution problems,” he said. “OFAs are well known to have many other healthy benefits and the key thing is they are not like a drug, but a nutrient with so many benefits.”

Kang said two to four grammes per day would be the equivalent dose in humans to that given to the mice. A small human trial in 2012 also indicated OFAs offered protection against the adverse effects of air pollution and the US Environmental Protection Agency has now begun a larger trial. There is also supporting evidence from work on human cells in the lab.

Two to four grammes of OFAs would be roughly equivalent to two 85g portions a day of salmon or herring, but the NHS recommends no more than one such portion a day and significantly less for children and pregnant women due to the risks of mercury and other pollutants in fish. Flax oil is about 50% OFA and OFA capsules are also widely available but the NHS says people should get medical advice before taking them.

Dr Richard Russell, a consultant respiratory physician in the NHS and medical adviser to the British Lung Foundation (BLF), said the new research from Kang’s team is “a thorough piece of work and the science is good”. But he added: “The findings need to be interpreted with some caution, given that responses in mice are quite different to humans.” He also noted the level of air pollution the mice were exposed to was high.

Nonetheless, Russell said: “There is an increasing amount of evidence showing that these fatty acids do have significant anti-inflammatory effects. Can they be recommended as a healthy thing to be supplementing the diet of us all? Yes, probably. They do not do harm and may well do good.”

Cutting air pollution at source is the ultimate solution to the problem, said Kang: “Pollution is a very critical issue for human health, but we cannot change the environment right away.” His team concluded that OFAs present “an immediate, practical solution for reducing the disease burden of air pollution”.

In September, a new inhaler that could protect the lungs was revealed, and the BLF recommends avoiding hotspots such as busy road junctions when pollution levels are high and reducing strenuous outdoor exercise.

In the experiments, Kang’s team exposed the mice to fluorescent particles of similar size to the tiny specks that form dangerous PM2.5 air pollution. This made it easier to track the progress of the particles through the bodies of the mice.

“Fine fluorescent particles were observed not only in the lungs but also in other organs, including the brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, and testes,” the researchers reported. “These results demonstrate that fine particles can penetrate the [lung] barrier and travel to other organs, potentially inducing systemic illnesses.”

The discovery of particles in the testes “is a concern for fertility and reproduction”, said Kang. Further research is needed to investigate whether this also occurs in men and the risk posed, but he said: “At least we know the particles can harbour in that type of tissue.”

Previous work in rats has found that nanoparticles are able to pass through the lungs into internal organs, but the particles used in Kang’s work are about 200 times larger. The discovery of “abundant” toxic nanoparticles from air pollution in human brains was revealed in September.

How much omega-3 fatty acids could protect against air pollution?

The research is at an early stage but the doctor leading the latest study, conducted in mice, said 2-4g of omega-3 fatty acids (O3FAs) would be the equivalent human dose. A small human trial found benefits from 3g of fish oil per day, though only some of which will be O3FAs.

Does this mean we should eat fish every day?

Two portions (85g) a day of salmon or herring would give roughly 3g of O3FAs a day, but the NHS recommends not more than one such portion a day and just three a week for pregnant women due to the risks of mercury and other pollutants in fish.

How else can you consume these fats?

Both flax and hemp seed oils are rich in O3FAs, with the former containing about 50%. Supplement capsules of O3FAs are also available and, while the fats are widely thought to the beneficial to health, the NHS says people should get medical advice before taking supplements.

Is food a better way to consume O3FAs than supplements?

A balanced and healthy diet is the best way to get the nutrients the body needs and there is some evidence that supplements do not provide the same benefits as O3FAs obtained from food.

What other measures can you take to protect against air pollution?

When air pollution is high, the British Lung Foundation advises avoiding hotspots such as main roads and strenuous outdoor exercise. If in a vehicle, the BLF says keep the windows closed and recycle the air. It says there is little evidence to recommend the use of face masks.

Can planting more trees and plants help cut air pollution?

Trees do reduce pollution, by 7-24% according to one recent study. But poorly planned trees could actually make things worse. If they are too close together along a street they can form a tunnel that traps traffic pollution and prevents the wind from dispersing it. Hedges and plants can help form physical barriers that protect gardens and playgrounds.

Source: Omega-3 oils could tackle damage caused by air pollution, research shows | Environment | The Guardian

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

Air pollution leads to more drug resistant bacteria, study finds  

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Research shows how black carbon affects the nose, throat and lungs of humans, possible beating the immune system

Black carbon found in air pollution can increase the resistance of bacteria that cause respiratory disease, research has found.

The discover could lead to a greater understanding of the effects of air pollution on human health, according to the lead scientist of the University of Leicester study.

The four-year investigation focused on how pollution in the air, which is thought to be responsible for millions of deaths each year, affects bacteria in the nose, throat and lungs of humans.

It found black carbon, produced when diesel, biomass and biofuels are burned, changes the way bacteria grow, possibly affecting their ability to survive and beat human immune systems.

The study concluded that the resistance of communities of Streptococcus pneumoniae – a major cause of respiratory diseases – to penicillin was increased by black carbon. It also caused this pathogen to spread from the nose down the respiratory tract, allowing disease to develop.

Dr Julie Morrissey, the lead author of the paper, said: “This work increases our understanding of how air pollution affects human health. It shows that the bacteria which cause respiratory infections are affected by air pollution, possibly increasing the risk of infection and the effectiveness of antibiotic treatment of these illnesses.

“Our research could initiate an entirely new understanding of how air pollution affects human health. It will lead to enhancement of research to understand how air pollution leads to severe respiratory problems and perturbs the environmental cycles essential for life.”

The university’s Prof Paul Monks, a leading expert on air pollution, said: “The lead investigators have brought together their expertise in genetics, microbiology and air pollution chemistry to provide truly multidisciplinary, ground-breaking insights.

“This research has significant potential to initiate a global research effort to understand a hitherto unknown effect of air pollution and provide significant additional impetus to the control of pollution.”

Source: Air pollution leads to more drug resistant bacteria, study finds | Environment | The Guardian

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