There’s no safe level of air pollution

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Emissions that meet air-quality standards still cause illness and early death. Planning decisions need to help drive down exposure.

It might seem reasonable to think air pollution is only a problem when the sky is thick with brown smog. But a new study is further proof the problem starts much earlier and well below the minimum air-quality standards.

Worse, the research shows the negative effects increase most rapidly at lower levels of exposure. And they hit poorer people hardest.

The policy implications of these findings are critical: there is no safe amount of air pollution. Treating reference standards as a licence to pollute up to those concentrations and a free pass to allow continued emissions below those concentrations cannot be accepted based on the current evidence.

Air-pollution regulations, such as those in the United States, do not provide enough protection from worsening symptoms of asthma, according to a 2022 US study on the relationship between pollution levels and asthma-related hospitalisations for people on Medicaid. Described by the study’s researchers as the most disadvantaged population in the United States, Medicaid recipients include people on very low incomes, people with disabilities and people aged over 65.

The study investigated the exposureresponse relationship between exposure to pollutants and people’s health response. It found increased concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter were associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation for asthma over the following six days after exposure.

Importantly, the study showed that the increased risk of hospitalisation for each unit increase in pollutant exposure was greatest for those people whose exposure levels were well below the existing US minimum air-quality standard. In general, the effect was the same regardless of differences in individual characteristics, except it was stronger in people who had only had a single admission to hospital than in those with multiple previous admissions.

Some characteristics of communities made them more susceptible to the negative effects of both pollutants: low population density, higher average body mass index, greater distance to the nearest hospital, and greater neighbourhood disadvantage.

The study has two important implications. First and perhaps surprisingly the slope of the exposureresponse relationship is steeper at lower degrees of exposure. The response is strongest at lower levels of exposure. Second, in policy terms there are substantial benefits in reducing exposure to air pollution, and in preventing increases in exposure, even at concentrations well below reference standards or proposed thresholds.

The present study joins several others that did not find a concentration below which negative health effects from air pollution do not occur. Steeper slopes at lower concentrations of fine particulates have also been demonstrated for daily mortality and for cardiovascular hospitalisations.

A link between the risk of death from all causes and long-term exposure to both fine particulates and nitrogen dioxide has been demonstrated in places such as Australia that have relatively low-range exposure without evidence of a safe’ lower threshold and with evidence of a steeper slope at lower concentrations. Both lifetime cumulative exposure and current exposure to nitrogen dioxide that are well below usual reference standards affect Australian primary-school children’s risk of having asthma.

The finding that those living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods were at greatest risk of experiencing more asthma hospitalisations when exposed to higher amounts of air pollution is important. It supports evidence of a similar interaction in relation to the negative impact of air pollution on risk of stroke and represents an effect that is over and above the association between disadvantage and the risk of higher air-pollutant exposures. Researchers are still working to pinpoint the mechanism that drives this association, but the link is clear.

Transport, industry and planning decisions need to consider the importance of minimising exposure to pollutants and the need to avoid any increases in these emissions, particularly where vulnerable populations may be exposed. Concern about vulnerable populations, particularly those who are disadvantaged, but also the very young and the very old and those with preexisting health conditions, has important implications for decisions on the location of sensitive facilities such as schools, aged-care facilities and hospitals.

This is an immense challenge. Human-made emissions of fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide exist in just about every part of the world, with transport, agriculture, energy, mining and construction sectors all playing a role. The good news is the actions to reduce carbon pollution (to combat global warming) and those required to ensure clean, safe air share benefits. As a global community, we need to do all we can to achieve these benefits. 

There’s no safe level of air pollution – The Week
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Heatwaves and wildfires to worsen air pollution: UN

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

More frequent and intense heatwaves and wildfires driven by climate change are expected to worsen the quality of the air we breathe, harming human health and ecosystems, the UN warned Wednesday.

A new report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) cautioned that the interaction between pollution and climate change would impact hundreds of millions of people over the coming century, and urged action to rein in the harm.

The WMO’s annual Air Quality and Climate Bulletin examined the impacts of large wildfires across Siberia and western North America in 2021, finding that they produced widespread increases in health hazards, with concentrations in eastern Siberia reaching “levels not observed before”.

Tiny particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) are considered particularly harmful since they can penetrate deep into the lungs or cardiovascular system.

“As the globe warms, wildfires and associated air pollution are expected to increase, even under a low emissions scenario,” WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in a statement.

“In addition to human health impacts, this will also affect ecosystems as air pollutants settle from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface.”

‘Foretaste of the future’

At the global scale, there has been a reduction over the past two decades in the total burned area, as a result of decreasing numbers of fires in savannas and grasslands.

But WMO said that some regions like western North America, the Amazon and Australia were seeing far more fires.

Even beyond wildfires, a hotter climate can drive up pollution and worsen air quality.

Taalas pointed out that severe heatwaves in Europe and China this year, coupled with stable high atmospheric conditions, sunlight and low wind speeds, had been “conducive to high pollution levels,” warning that “this is a foretaste of the future.”

“We expect a further increase in the frequency, intensity and duration of heatwaves, which could lead to even worse air quality,” he said.

This phenomenon is known as the “climate penalty”, which refers to how climate change amplifies ground-level ozone production, which negatively impacts air quality.

In the stratosphere, ozone provides important protection from cancer-causing ultraviolet rays, but closer to the ground it is very hazardous for human health.

If emission levels remain high, this climate penalty is expected to account for “a fifth of all surface ozone concentration increase,” WMO scientific officer Lorenzo Labrador told reporters.

He warned that most of that increase will happen over Asia, “and there you have about one quarter of the entire world population.”

The WMO called for action, stressing that “a worldwide carbon neutrality emissions scenario would limit the future occurrence of extreme ozone air pollution episodes.”

The report points out that air quality and climate are interconnected, since chemicals that worsen air quality are normally co-emitted with greenhouse gases.

“Changes in one inevitably cause changes in the other,” it said.

Heatwaves and wildfires to worsen air pollution: UN
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Simple measures can go a long way to combating air pollution in schools

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Most UK primary schools experience levels of pollution which exceed the safe levels set out by the World Health Organization, yet simple measures can cut outdoor and indoor exposure of toxins by almost half, according to a new study from the University of Surrey.

Working with a select number of London schools, researchers from Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) investigated whether putting up a green screen along the perimeter fence of a school, installing air purifiers in classrooms, and organising school street initiatives during pick-up and drop-off hours, improved air quality of classrooms and playgrounds. These initiatives were funded by Impact on Urban Health.

The researchers found that air purifiers in classrooms reduced indoor pollution concentrations by up to 57%, and the School Streets initiative, which stops motor vehicles driving past schools at the start and end of school days, reduced particle concentrations by up to 36%. Green screens at the school boundary reduced some of the most dangerous outdoor particle levels coming from roads by up to 44%, depending on wind conditions.

Prashant Kumar, founding Director of the Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) at the University of Surrey, said:

“Everybody, especially our children, deserves to live and work where the air is as clean and safe as possible. Unfortunately, the reality is far from ideal, with many of our schools unwittingly exposing children to harmful pollutants. The problem is particularly bad at schools near busy roads.”

Our research offers hope to many who care about this issue, as the results show that taking reasonable action can make a positive difference.”

Ten million students worldwide spend 30% of their daily lives at school, with 70% of this time being spent indoors. Currently, 7,000 UK schools breach the World Health Organization’s air quality limits, leaving children vulnerable to respiratory diseases, affected lung and brain health, behavioural problems, and increased risk of cancer.

Kate Langford, Programme Director of the Health Effects of Air pollution programme at Impact on Urban Health, funders of the research, said:

“Every child has the right to learn in an environment that keeps them safe and healthy. But, every day, children are exposed to dangerously high levels of air pollution in and around schools.

“Our partnership with Arup, Global Action Plan and the University of Surrey has shown there are practical ways that we can protect children in and around schools and can help guide schools to implement these solutions.

“These measures now need to be combined with efforts from local authorities at regional and national levels to improve air quality and create healthier places for children to live, learn and play.”

Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air at Global Action Plan, said:

“Schools should be safe places of learning, not places where students are at risk of health hazards. There is no safe level of air pollution, but children are particularly vulnerable to its impacts including the development of organs and their ability to learn. Services like the London Schools Pollution Helpdesk ensure that schools have access to advice on what they can do to reduce exposure to air pollution, including the measures tested in this research. But this needs to be rolled out nationally — all children must be protected from the health effects of air pollution in their everyday lives.”

Professor Prashant Kumar concluded:

“My simple plea to decision-makers in the UK is this: simple actions speak louder than words. By giving every school resources to implement one of the measures detailed in our research, they could make a world of difference to tens of thousands of children in this country.”

The study was co-designed by Global Action Plan and Arup and supported by Impact on Urban Health.

The research was published in the journal Atmospheric Environment. Schools looking to implement changes can use a toolkit for guidance and should seek advice from an air quality specialist.

Story Source:Materials provided by University of Surrey. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Simple measures can go a long way to combating air pollution in schools — ScienceDaily
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Toxic air ‘is linked to a new illness every year’ expert warns

Posted on September 1, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

AIR pollution will put health and social systems in the UK under increasing strain, an expert warns. Professor Frank Kelly said filthy air is linked to new illnesses every year, and not just associated with the lungs.

A government research group last month found pollution is likely to increase the risk of dementia. And even small amounts can increase the risk of death, a study released this week discovered.

Professor Kelly, from the school of public health at Imperial College London, said: “Over the last 10 to 15 years, research has shown that the effects go way beyond the lungs.

“Every year there’s something new linked to it. Some researchers suggest it’s linked to poorer skin conditions, others have linked it to obesity, and even childhood obesity.

“It affects metabolism and upsets some of the hormonal balance. This leads to changes which we just associated with overeating. But it’s more complicated than that.

“We used to think air pollution was bad for your lungs. We worried about asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

Prof Kelly warned people to be aware of exposure within their homes. He said if people cook with gas or fry a lot of food, they produce significant levels of pollution indoors.

He added: “Increasingly, we’re aware you get exposed to a lot of pollution in your home, just through lifestyle. We’ve changed the way we clean our homes enormously.

“Our parents would probably have used vinegar and water for cleaning.

“Now we’ve got these complex cleaning agents, which have a whole range of pretty toxic chemicals in them – that’s why they’re so good at removing biological contaminants.

“But, on the other hand, residual chemicals end up in our home and we’re breathing them in.”

Toxic air ‘is linked to a new illness every year’ expert warns | UK | News | Express.co.uk
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Human Rights Watch: Air Pollution Killing Thousands in Bosnia

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Watchdog organisation says Bosnia’s dependency on coal and wood for heat and electricity generation kills thousands of people each year.

Human Rights Watch has again drawn attention to the problem of air pollution in Bosnian cities. “Nine per cent of the country’s deaths are due to air pollution and an estimated 3,300 people die prematurely every year as a result of exposure to ambient PM2.5 air pollution,” an HRW report published on Monday says. 

Bosnia and Herzegovina produces electricity by burning lignite, a low-quality type of coal found in abundance in the country, in outdated coal plants.

However, Bosnia’s complex governance system creates extra difficulties in tackling air pollution as there is no national environment body and almost no coordination between different levels of government. 

“Despite the health and climate impacts, the government has remained steadfastly committed to use of coal, particularly for electricity,” HRW notes. 

It says the state government also does not take adequate steps to inform citizens about the health risks of air pollution, or how to mitigate those risks. 

“Air pollution affects everyone but there is a disproportionate impact on older people, children, and those with preexisting respiratory or cardiovascular problems,” the watchdog organisation continues. 

It estimates that air pollution reduces the country’s GDP by as much as 21.5 per cent through lost work and school days, and healthcare and fuel costs.  

Beside burning wood and coal for heating and electricity, “low fuel quality standards, aging industrial plants, lack of effective public transportation and older diesel vehicles” also contribute to air pollution, HRW adds. 

Because air pollutants easily travel across borders, the impact of the country’s polluted air extends into the EU. A 2019 study using 2016 data recorded 3,000 premature deaths in the EU from air pollution in the Western Balkans, and it is estimated to cost the EU between 3.1 and 5.8 billion euros each year.

The WHO, HRW says, has identified air pollution as the “single biggest environmental threat to human health,” with estimates of over seven million people dying prematurely from it annually, including 4.2 million from outdoor (or ambient) air pollution.

Human Rights Watch: Air Pollution Killing Thousands in Bosnia | Balkan Insight
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July heatwave triggers air pollution in UK

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Ozone levels increased significantly and exceeded World Health Organisation recommendations, the researchers found after drawing on a national network of air pollution monitoring sites

Extreme temperatures experienced by the United Kingdom have altered the levels of harmful pollutants in the atmosphere, according to researchers from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS).

July heatwave has added dangerously high levels of ozone and Particulate matter to the atmosphere. The UK experienced temperatures above 40°C in mid-July for the first time in its recorded history.

The country’s Met Office had issued a ‘red warning’ for central, northern, eastern and southeastern England from July 18 to July 19, 2022.

Researchers at NCAS analysed air pollution data between July 18 and July 19.

The ozone levels increased significantly and exceeded World Health Organisation recommendations, the researchers found after drawing on a national network of air pollution monitoring sites.

The highest levels of ozone were recorded July 19 at observation posts in Sibton, St Osyth and Weybourne.

Unlike many other pollutants, ozone is not frequently released directly by human activity. Instead, it is created as a result of atmospheric reactions. Heatwaves are known to trigger ozone pollution.

Sunlight combines with pollutants already present in the air, such as oxides of nitrogen from car exhausts and volatile organic compounds, to form ground-layer ozone.

During hot spells, slow air movement and rapid evaporation can accumulate pollutants and boost the rate of emissions of volatile organic compounds.Higher ozone concentrations were observed in rural areas compared to urban areas.

“Although both nitrogen dioxide and volatile organic compounds are more common in urban areas, they take a long time to react to form ozone. By the time the reaction takes place, the air has already moven to a different area,” explained Professor Lee from NCAS.

Ground level ozone can worsen asthma attacks and increase our vulnerability to respiratory infections.

“Due to the effects of climate change, we can expect heatwaves more often in the future, leading to a higher frequency of dangerous ozone pollution events across the UK,” said Grant Forster from Weybourne Atmospheric Observatory, the UK.

The scientists also discovered that the bulk of small particulate matter was formed from organic material, which may be more harmful than non-organic ones.

“The small pollution particles we saw were almost all organic material and black carbon, which is surprising,” said James Allan from NCAS.

Allan suspects wildfires and heatwaves to be the reason behind this.

“It’s possible that continental wildfires were contributing burnt materials; the sun’s heat is also likely to have been triggering chemical reactions in the atmosphere, leading to new organic particle formation,” he added.

Weather and air quality are tightly correlated. Hot spells frequently coincide with poor air quality as the heat intensifies the reactivity of airborne chemicals, the researchers concluded.

July heatwave triggers air pollution in UK
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Air pollution is associated with heart attacks in non-smokers

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Environmental and Occupational Aspects of Heart DiseaseRisk Factors and PreventionBarcelona, Spain – 23 Aug 2022: Research presented at ESC Congress 2022 supports a causal relationship between air pollution and heart attacks since smokers, who already inhale smoke, were unaffected by dirty air.

Study author Dr. Insa de Buhr-Stockburger of Berlin Brandenburg Myocardial Infarction Registry (B2HIR), Germany said: “The correlation between air pollution and heart attacks in our study was absent in smokers. This may indicate that bad air can actually cause heart attacks since smokers, who are continuously self-intoxicating with air pollutants, seem less affected by additional external pollutants.”

This study investigated the associations of nitric oxide, particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 µm (PM10), and weather with the incidence of myocardial infarction in Berlin. Nitric oxide originates from combustion at high temperatures, in particular from diesel vehicles. Combustion is also a source of PM10, along with abrasion from brakes and tyres, and dust.

The study included 17,873 patients with a myocardial infarction between 2008 and 2014 enrolled in the B2HIR.2 Daily numbers of acute myocardial infarction were extracted from the B2HIR database along with baseline patient characteristics including sex, age, smoking status, and diabetes. Daily PM10 and nitric oxide concentrations throughout the city were obtained from the Senate of Berlin. Information on sunshine duration, minimum and maximum temperature, and precipitation were retrieved from the Berlin Tempelhof weather station and merged with the data on myocardial infarction incidence and air pollution.

The researchers analysed the associations between the incidence of acute myocardial and average pollutant concentrations on the same day, previous day, and an average of the three preceding days among all patients and according to baseline characteristics. Associations between the incidence of acute myocardial and weather parameters were also analysed.

Regarding pollution, myocardial infarction was significantly more common on days with high nitric oxide concentrations, with a 1% higher incidence for every 10 µg/m3 increase. Myocardial infarction was also more common when there was a high average PM10 concentration over the three preceding days, with a 4% higher incidence for every 10 µg/m3 increase. The incidence of myocardial infarction in smokers was unaffected by nitric oxide and PM10 concentrations.

Regarding weather, the incidence of myocardial infarction was significantly related to the maximum temperature, with a 6% lower incidence for every 10°C rise in temperature. No associations with sunshine duration or precipitation were detected.

Dr. de Buhr-Stockburger said: ”The study indicates that dirty air is a risk factor for acute myocardial infarction and more efforts are needed to lower pollution from traffic and combustion. Causation cannot be established by an observational study. It is plausible that air pollution is a contributing cause of myocardial infarction, given that nitric oxide and PM10 promote inflammation, atherosclerosis is partly caused by inflammatory processes, and no associations were found in smokers.” 

Air pollution is associated with heart attacks in non-smokers
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Second-hand smoke 10th biggest risk factor for cancer: Lancet study

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Second-hand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, like cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, or pipes.

People living in close proximity to those who smoke tobacco may have a higher risk of cancer as a new study published in The Lancet journal has found that second-hand smoking is the tenth biggest risk factor for the disease.

Using results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) 2019 study, the researchers investigated how 34 behavioural, metabolic, environmental, and occupational risk factors contributed to deaths and ill health due to 23 cancer types in 2019.

Changes in cancer burden between 2010 and 2019 due to risk factors were also assessed. Estimates of cancer burden were based on mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), a measure of years of life lost to death and years lived with disability.

The researchers at the University of Washington, US assumed that all persons living with a daily smoker are exposed to tobacco smoke. They used surveys to estimate the proportion of individuals exposed to secondhand smoke at work.

The study found that smoking, alcohol use, and high body mass index (BMI), were the top three risk factors for cancer. These were followed by unsafe sex, high fasting blood glucose, particle air pollution, asbestos exposure, diets low in whole grains and milk, and second-hand smoking.

These factors accounted for 3.7 million deaths and 87.8 million DALYs in 2019, the researchers said.

“This study illustrates that the burden of cancer remains an important public health challenge that is growing in magnitude around the world,” said Christopher Murray, Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.

“Smoking continues to be the leading risk factor for cancer globally, with other substantial contributors to cancer burden varying,” said Murray, a co-senior author of the study.

Second-hand smoke is smoke from burning tobacco products, like cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, or pipes. Secondhand smoke also is smoke that has been exhaled, or breathed out, by the person smoking.

People may also be exposed to secondhand smoke in public places like bars, restaurants, and casinos, as well as in vehicles.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are more than 7,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including hundreds of chemicals that are toxic and about 70 that can cause cancer.

Secondhand smoke can cause health problems in children and adults, and can even be deadly. Since 1964, about 2,500,000 people who do not smoke have died from health problems caused by secondhand smoke exposure, the CDC states.

Second-hand smoke 10th biggest risk factor for cancer: Lancet study
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