How European cities are trying to cut deadly air pollution 

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

As Paris steps up its crackdown on the city’s worst-polluting vehicles (in French), Euronews looks at what other European cities are doing to tackle the deadly problem.

From today (Monday, January 16), the French capital will begin enforcing a scheme to restrict what vehicles can enter the city’s limits.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) said 85 percent of those living in urban areas in the EU were exposed to levels of particulate matter (PM 2.5) considered harmful by the World Health Organisation.

The EEA says in Europe PM 2.5 was responsible for 467,000 premature deaths and nitrogen oxides 71,000 in 2013, the latest year for which data was available.

Transport, in particular diesel vehicles, is one of the biggest contributors to nitrogen oxide emissions, whereas PM 2.5 comes from several different areas, including household heating, coal-fired power plants, vehicles and agriculture.

One of the most popular ways (see below) of controlling air pollution, is to only allow vehicles with certain emission standards to drive in city centres.

But environmental groups say the standards – which have come under scrutiny after Volkswagen admitted cheating emission tests in the US – have failed to cut air pollution levels.

“Euro standards have failed to successfully reduce real-world NOx emissions from diesel vehicles,” said Udo Taddei, a lawyer at ClientEarth. “Diesel vehicles emit on the road on average five or six times the legal limit.”

London

– London’s congestion charge, which sees drivers pay to enter the city centre, was the first such scheme in a major European city when it was introduced in 2003.

– Lorries, buses and coaches over a certain weight – and large vans – have had to meet certain emissions standards to be allowed into the city, since 2012. This will be extended to all other vehicles by 2020.

– One of the city’s main shopping areas, Oxford Street, has recorded some of the highest nitrogen dioxide levels in the world. Putney High Street, in south-west London, broke its annual emission limits just eight days into 2016.

– The UK government’s Department for Environment was ordered to come up with a better set of proposals to tackle air pollution by July 2017, by the High Court.

Oslo

– The city is planning to ban private vehicles from the city centre by 2019 and has reportedly already begun removing parking spaces as it begins making the shift.

– There is already a charge for entering the city centre, which costs around 3.40 euros, 6h-18h, Monday to Friday.

– During periods of high pollution, the city can either temporarily ban the use of diesel vehicles that do not meet certain pollution standards, or, like Paris, allow vehicles with odd-numbered registration plates to circulate one day, but not the next, alternating with even-numbered vehicles.

– A zone that only allows vehicles that meet certain emissions standards to enter, is planned for spring 2017.

– Zero-emission cars made up 17.1 percent of new car registrations in Norway in 2015, the highest market share for clean vehicles in the world.

Milan

– There is a charge for entering the city centre, five euros, or two euros if you are a Milan resident.

– From February 13, 2017, stricter limits will be imposed on vehicles allowed into central Milan, although some less environmentally-friendly vehicles will have 40 free tickets to enter the city’s low emissions zone up until October 2017.

– There is also a low emissions zone covering the province of Milan.

screen-shot-2017-01-17-at-11-59-41

This shows nitrogen oxide levels recorded in European cities, set against premature deaths linked to the pollutant in the wider country. The annual EU limit for nitrogen oxide is 40 µg/m3. Source: European Environment Agency.

Paris

– All vehicles, from Monday, January 16, have to display a sticker attesting to how polluting they are, with some cars, such as those put on the roads before 1997, banned altogether. A similar scheme will be introduced in Grenoble from April 2017.

– A ban on lorries and heavy goods vehicles entering the city at certain times, such as Monday mornings or Friday afternoons.

– During past pollution peaks, the city has bid to tackle the problem by only allowing vehicles with even-numbered registration plates one day, and odd the next. The city also makes public transport free during these periods to encourage people to leave their vehicles at home.

– From July 2017, diesel vehicles will have to meet certain emission standards (Euro 3) to be allowed on Paris’ streets.

– The regular closure of some of the worst-polluted streets. For example the Champs Elysées is shut on the first Sunday of each month.

– Paris is one of four cities worldwide to commit to banning diesel vehicles altogether by 2025.

Munich

– Munich, like scores of other German cities, has restrictions on what vehicles can drive on the city’s streets. Vehicles have to meet certain standards (Euro 4, 5 and 6 for diesel vehicles in Munich) to be allowed to circulate. All vehicles have to put a sticker in the windscreen to indicate how polluting it is considered.

– A ban on trucks weighing more than 3.5 tonnes passing through the city centre.

– There has long been debate about whether to introduce blue badges for vehicles, aimed at tackling nitrogen oxide levels. Their introduction was rejected at a meeting of federal transport ministers in Stuttgart in October 2016, because it would ban older diesel cars from the roads. Ecologist Winfried Hermann, transport minister for the Baden-Württemberg region, said the idea was still on the political agenda, however.

– In July 2016 the Bavarian Administrative Court ordered the state, which includes the city of Munich, to bring nitrogen oxide levels down within a year, or face a fine.

– Meanwhile in Stuttgart there is a pollution alert system in place, which is triggered when weather conditions are expected to be conducive to allowing fine dust to collect in the atmosphere around the city. When the alert is sounded, city residents are called on to leave their cars at home and not to light fires unless they are an essential part of heating the house.

Source: How European cities are trying to cut deadly air pollution | Euronews

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Air pollution on Scots streets ‘causing public health crisis’ 

Posted on January 16, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is causing a public health crisis in Scotland, environmental campaigners have said with five new “pollutions zones” declared over the last year.

Friends of the Earth Scotland analysed data which it said looked at the country’s dirtiest streets.

Official figures for two toxic pollutants reveal air quality safety standards are regularly broken, the campaign group said.

In 2016 new official pollution zones were declared in Linlithgow and Newton in West Lothian, Johnstone and Renfrew in Renfrewshire, and with Edinburgh’s Salamander Street coming into force later this month, taking the number up to 38 across the country.

Friends of the Earth Scotland looked at figures for two key pollutants, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and “particulate matter”.

The most polluted streets with nitrogen dioxide last year were Glasgow’s Hope Street with 65 microgrammes per cubic metre, St John’s Road in Edinburgh on 49, Wellington Road in Aberdeen with 46, Dundee’s Seagate on 46 and Cambuslang Main Street with 45.

Other streets breaking the European directive of 40 microgrammes per cubic metre were Union Street in Aberdeen, Queensferry Road in Edinburgh, Glasgow’s Dumbarton Road and Atholl Street in Perth.

Streets breaking the Scottish air quality objective of 18 microgrammes per cubic metre of particulate matter were Atholl Street, Queensferry Road, Salamander Street, Aberdeen’s King Street, Crieff High Street, Falkirk’s West Bridge Street and Glasgow Road in Edinburgh.

Friends of the Earth Scotland said the Scottish Government needs to take the issue more seriously.

Air pollution campaigner Emilia Hanna said: “Air pollution from traffic is a public health crisis, claiming thousands of lives each year and particularly harmful for small children, pregnant women and people living in poverty.

“For people living in an official pollution zone or near traffic-choked streets, breathing in toxic air is an inescapable fact of life. It should not be this way, we have the right to breathe clean air just as we have the right to drink clean water.

“The Scottish Government and local authorities are not tackling this public health crisis with the seriousness and urgency required.

“We now have a staggering 38 official pollution zones across Scotland, up from 33 last year. This means that many more people are living with illegal levels of air pollution than previously recognised.

“The Scottish Government has promised a ‘plan’ for Low Emission Zones by 2018 but needs to make a public commitment that it will provide significant funding, so that local councils can get on with making serious plans to clean up the air in their area.”

Jean Nelson, 59, from Glasgow, believes pollution has contributed to her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

She said: “I live at a junction where the traffic is nose to tail almost every minute of the day, and I feel like I’m choking on fumes on a daily basis.

“Air pollution makes it hard for me to breathe and on bad days, I can barely walk. I do not own a car and often have to take the bus from Hope Street. I can see black smoke coming out of the buses and sometimes am forced to take a taxi just to escape the fumes.

“We need less traffic on our roads if air pollution is going to improve. There are thousands more cars on the roads every year and the problem is only getting worse.”

Source: Air pollution on Scots streets ‘causing public health crisis’ – The Scotsman

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Air quality over Delhi continues to remain ‘very poor’, says city’s traffic police

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

New Delhi [India]: Delhi and the National Capital Region’s air quality continue to remain ‘very poor’, as the level of prominent pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 is above normal at many places, the Delhi Traffic Police reported on Thursday.

In Anand Vihar, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was pegged at 585, in R K Puram at 382, in Mandir Marg at 326 and in Gurugram at 316 (AQICN).

Delhi leads the list of most polluted cities in the country followed by several in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana and Bihar, a report by Greenpeace India has revealed.

The report is based on information obtained through online reports and Right to Information applications from state pollution control boards across India, and assessments of air quality performed in 168 cities across 24 states and union territories. It claims that none of the 168 cities assessed complies with air quality standards prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain recently reviewed the ambient air quality position with scientists and engineers of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee and senior officials of the Department of Environment.

He also reviewed implementation of the directions issued by different agencies and courts in recent past to curb air pollution.

Source: Air quality over Delhi continues to remain ‘very poor’, says city’s traffic police | The Siasat Daily

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Mongolian air pollution kills 120 children annually 

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

A new report by the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences has revealed some disturbing figures about the impact of Ulaanbaatar’s killer smog, reports news.mn.

The writers state that 120 children and 1200-1300 people in Mongolia are dying every year due to illnesses and disease caused by or exacerbated by air pollution.

MNUMS researched air pollution effects on health in cooperation with the University of California and Seoul National University. The report shows that children under the age of five are at greater risk than adults; air pollution can severely damage the development of a child’s body.

Based on the WHO studies in 2009, over seven thousand deaths occur annually in Mongolia; 10% of them are associated with air pollution. However, the number of deaths increased to 20% in 2014.

Currently the coldest winter in a decade has led to the increase in the burning of cheap fuel in the capital’s ‘ger district’ shanty towns, which has resulted in more intense pollution.

Source: Mongolian air pollution kills 120 children annually – report – AKIpress News Agency

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Beijing’s latest air pollution episode is the longest this century 

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

The thick smog that has blanketed Northern China over the first week of the new year is the longest heavy pollution episode seen in Beijing this century, according to an analysis of government data by Greenpeace East Asia.

This record episode follows a resurgence of heavy industry last year, which triggered the return of pollution to the capital after a period of steady improvement in air quality.

The analysis examined 16 years of official air pollution data in Beijing – beginning in 2001 – and found that for nine days straight between December 30 and January 7, concentrations of the particulate PM2.5 breached 200 on the Air Quality Index (AQI). At this level conditions are considered to be an emergency and too dangerous for outdoor exertion. Seven-day episodes occurred in 2015, 2007 and 2005.

While pollution levels remain dangerously high, Beijing has seen impressive and continuous improvements in average pollution levels over the past 16 years, as the government has implemented strong emissions standards, improved enforcement and set absolute targets for limiting coal consumption to clean up the problem.

But the new analysis suggests that the intense smog episodes that plague the city – most often in winter – are lasting for longer periods of time.

The episode ending on January 7 was even more prolonged than one earlier in December that triggered the first smog “red alert” for a year, and saw factory and power plant output cut back, schools shut down and an alternate-day system used to limit vehicles on the roads.

Neighbouring provincial capitals also experienced some of the longest smog episodes on record. In Tianjin the episode lasted six days, making it the city’s longest since 2001. Jinan, the capital of the industrial powerhouse Shandong, experienced seven days of heavy pollution, which is tied with a 2015 episode for the longest on record.

The smog periods frequently last longer in the rustbelt itself, but only get reported in the media if the pollution gets blown into Beijing by unfavorable wind patterns. The analysis found that in the capital of the steel province Hebei, the recent episode saw a full 11 consecutive days of heavy pollution, while the longest episode on record lasted 27 days.

More frequently occurring unfavorable weather conditions – sustained, slow winds from the south – form part of the explanation. However, these kinds of episodes would not be happening if Hebei and other industrial rustbelt provinces to the south of Beijing had tackled their massive industrial emissions with the same determination as Beijing has tackled its own emissions.

Satellite-based NO2 levels during the December red alert show that the region remained the largest hotspot of pollution emissions in the world – despite improvements in pollution controls and reductions in coal-burning in the previous years, and the emergency measures implemented during the red alert.

How the analysis was done

Since Ministry of Environmental Protection official daily air quality data is currently only available from the beginning of 2014, we relied on two earlier official data sources for the analysis. For 2013, hourly PM2.5 monitoring data was available in real time and was saved from ministry website. For 2001 to 2012, the Ministry of Environmental Protection Air Pollution Index data was used. The data is not online anymore but we downloaded it in early 2013.

In order to combine the data reported under the two different reporting systems, some analysis was needed. The old Air Pollution Index system, used until the beginning of 2013, used PM10 measurements, along with other key pollutants such as NO2 and ozone, to calculate the API, but lacked PM2.5 data. For all high pollution days API was determined by PM10, so the values could be converted directly back to daily average PM10 level.

To establish a relationship between the earlier API system PM10 readings and new PM2.5 readings, we used the U.S. Embassy PM2.5 measurement data which provides a continuous record over the transition from the old system to the new. We calculated the average ratio of MEP PM10 to Embassy PM2.5 during “heavy pollution” days over the 3.5-year period when the two records overlap (2009 to 2012), and the ratio of Embassy PM2.5 to MEP PM2.5 measurements during heavy pollution days over the four-year period from 2013 to 2016. This enabled the conversion of the PM10 values from 2001-2012 into corresponding PM2.5 levels and further into the new AQI.

For data since Jan 11, 2013, we used the daily AQI data published by the MEP. Again, PM2.5 was the main pollutant for essentially all high pollution days so we could convert the AQI reading to the corresponding PM2.5 reading.

Source: Beijing’s latest air pollution episode is the longest this century – Energydesk

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UK military mask-maker aims for smog-hit northern China 

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

People in China’s smog-hit northern cities are buying an unprecedented number of air-pollution-blocking masks and a British-made product is becoming a hit among well-informed buyers.

UK military mask-maker aims for smog-hit northern China
A cyclist wears a Respro® face mask. [China Daily]

A massive number of face masks are available in the nation, including basic surgical masks, industrial face masks and reusable masks. However, critics point out that not all of them are effective in blocking out harmful particles.

Respro®, a British-made brand, is among companies that are making a name for themselves in China because of their filter quality, functionality, style and originality.

The Respro® mask was first sold in China about 10 years ago, primarily targeting expatriates living in the country. However, the company’s sales rocketed in 2013 when the air quality index went well above 500 PM2.5 in some parts of the country.

Respro® recorded a 500 percent rise in revenue that year and has since enjoyed a steady growth in sales of around 10 percent a year.

Lukas Thibaut, a Brit who has been living in Beijing for more than four years, said he started using Respro® masks because they performed well in tests.

“I wanted a face mask that would be suitable for doing outdoor sports, so I ordered the ResproSportsta, which has extra-large valves to improve exhalation,” he said.

Occasionally, Thibaut also uses the white, industrial face masks, which can be easily found in most convenience stores and are much cheaper, but he finds them uncomfortable to wear.

“They also don’t look as cool as my Respro® Sportsta™,” he said.

Henry Cole, chief executive of Respro®, said the material in most Respro® masks was first produced by the UK defense establishment in the 1980s and was used to protect troops under the threat of nuclear and biological warfare.

Gary Fuller, senior lecturer in air quality measurement at King’s College London, told China Daily: “Tests conducted in Beijing in 2009 found that the high-quality masks that are used to protect people working in factories can also help to reduce exposure to ambient air pollution.”

Fan Chung, professor of respiratory medicine in Imperial College London, believes that the most effective masks available to reduce particle exposure are those that are labeled N95. They are able to filter 95 percent of airborne particles of greater than 0.3 micron, including the PM2.5 particles prevalent in the smog in China that are small enough to penetrate the lungs.

He said: “More expensive mask will have an exhaust valve to improve comfort while wearing the masks. Inexpensive cloth masks can be used but these are much less efficient in getting rid of small particles.”

Chung said the long-term solution to the problem of environmental pollution is to reduce and suppress the sources of pollution, but this will take time to achieve, even with the best efforts available at all levels.

Source: UK military mask-maker aims for smog-hit northern China – EUROPE – Chinadaily.com.cn

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Polish cities offer free transport to fight smog

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

The Polish capital offered free public transport on Monday to encourage residents to leave their cars at home and stop contributing to the world’s worst smog.

The cities of Krakow and Kielce also announced similar incentives amid stifling pollution, reported Radio Poland.

Warsaw readings for a pollutant known as small particulate matter exceeded Polish environmental norms fivefold on Sunday, forcing the government to advise the city’s nearly two million residents to stay indoors, reported Bloomberg.

According to monitoring site AirVisual, Warsaw was the most polluted major city in the world on Monday. Poland’s systemic smog problem intensifies during cold spells, when in addition to its coal-based power industry, millions of households are heated by furnaces that are all too often fed by burning the cheapest available materials.

Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, herself a coal miner’s daughter, supports the use of the dirty fossil fuel because it ensures energy security and provides jobs.

The government is working on ways to reduce the smog, she said on her Twitter account on Monday, without giving details.

“The free transport initiative has a great educational value, but I doubt it will have any lasting impact,” Mr Piotr Siergiej, a spokesman for Polish Smog Alarm, a not-for-profit organisation, said by phone. “Household furnaces are responsible for 53 per cent of the emissions in Poland and I really don’t understand why we still don’t have any norms for them. It’s as if we weren’t really fighting the air pollution.”

AirVisual listed Warsaw’s air quality index at 231 on Monday, meaning worse smog than in the Indian city of Kolkata (224), Dhaka in Bangladesh (220) and Beijing (197).

Poland is the European Union’s biggest per capita polluter, with more than 80 per cent of its electricity generation coming from coal.

According to the World Health Organisation, Poland is home to 33 of 50 of the EU’s most polluted cities.

Source: Polish cities offer free transport to fight smog, Europe News & Top Stories – The Straits Times

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Sydney air pollution alert issued as temperature heads to 38C 

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Respro® UK Ltd

High ozone levels trigger air quality alert with health department warning asthma sufferers to be prepared and limit exposure

An air pollution alert has been issued for Sydney residents due to a high level of ozone, already exceeding government standards for the entire year.

The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage put the air-quality forecast for Sydney’s metropolitan area on Tuesday as “poor”, denoting a score of 100-149 on the Air Quality Index (AQI). “Hazardous” is classified as 200 and above.

Ozone is an irritant secondary pollutant formed by chemical reactions between atmospheric gases and nitrogen oxides from car-vehicle exhausts on sunny days. The problem is exacerbated by lack of wind.

As temperatures increase, so does ozone production, meaning it forms more readily in summer and reaches its highest concentrations in the afternoon or early evening.

Matthew Riley, the director of climate and atmospheric science at OEH, said higher levels of ozone were not unusual in Sydney over December and January.

The national standards allowed for one day above the accepted ozone levels per year, to account for extreme events such as bushfires that can increase production, said Riley.

Ozone levels exceeded that level in Richmond and St Marys in western Sydney late on Monday afternoon and could do so again on Tuesday or Wednesday, due to high temperatures and weak winds.

As well as worsening existing respiratory conditions such as asthma, breathing in too much ozone could cause eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, as well as coughing and shortness of breath.

NSW Health advised sufferers to use their medication when necessary and, if symptoms worsened, to seek medical advice. The department’s Dr Ben Scalley said parents should limit the time children with asthma play outside.

“Ozone levels reach their peak around 7pm in the evening and tend to be lowest in the morning, so it’s best to plan outdoor play in the morning when the day is cooler,” he said.

The alert coincides with a period of sweltering summer weather for Sydney and its surrounding regions. Temperatures were forecast to hit 31C in central Sydney on Tuesday. Residents of the western suburbs were expected to see a high of 37C.

The Bureau of Meteorology forecast a high of 38C in the city on Wednesday, cooling on Thursday, then rising again to temperatures in the early 30s on Friday and Saturday.

Richmond and Penrith were both forecast to reach 40C on Wednesday and 42C on Friday. Inland NSW would bear the brunt of the hot weather, with a heatwave at severe or extreme levels past 45C on Wednesday, the weather bureau said.

The NSW Rural Fire Service has warned of a heightened risk of bushfires this week, and urged farmers to protect their properties by putting in firebreaks around paddocks and other assets.

Source: Sydney air pollution alert issued as temperature heads to 38C | Weather | The Guardian

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