Air Pollution Linked to Higher Stroke Mortality

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

More evidence showing that living in areas with high levels of air pollution is linked to a higher stroke risk has come from two new studies.

Both studies are published online in the journal Stroke. The first, from the United Kingdom, shows a higher risk for death after a stroke in patients who live in areas of high air pollution, and the other, a Japanese study, suggests a higher risk for a new stroke the same day as exposure to high levels of air pollution.

“We have shown a significantly increased risk of death after stroke in patients who had long-term exposure to high levels air pollution before their stroke occurred,” senior author of the UK study, Charles Wolfe, MD, professor of health & social care at King’s College London, commented to Medscape Medical News. “This was particularly pronounced for high exposure to smaller particulate matter — particles below 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5) — which are found in high quantities in exhaust fumes.”

For the study, Professor Wolfe and colleagues analyzed data from the South London Stroke Register, a population-based register covering an urban, multiethnic population.

They linked mortality data from this registry with data on air pollution represented by averaged annual concentrations related to residential postcode before stroke.

In total, 1800 strokes were recorded between 2005 and 2012 (74.3% were ischemic, 14.5% were hemorrhagic, and 11.2% were of unknown type).

Results showed an increased risk for death up to 5 years after stroke in patients living in areas of high air pollution.

Hazard ratios (HRs) for death for a 1 interquartile range increase in PM2.5 were 1.28 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 – 1.53) for all strokes and 1.32 (95% CI, 1.08 – 1.62) for ischemic strokes.

Within ischemic subtypes, PM2.5 pollution was associated with a two-fold increase in mortality risk for total anterior circulation infarcts and a 78% increase for lacunar infarcts.

PM10 pollution was associated with 45% increased mortality risk for lacunar infarct strokes.

Separating PM2.5 and PM10 into exhaust and nonexhaust components did not show increased mortality.

“While this study adds to the evidence linking air pollution to cardiovascular disease, it cannot prove causality as it has an observational design,” Professor Wolfe commented. “And while we did control for socioeconomic status, other illnesses and age and sex, there will of course be other confounders that we won’t have accounted for — people who live in an area with high air pollution probably have other factors that may affect cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease as well.

“So it is difficult to say for certain that it is the air pollution that is responsible but there are many studies now that have shown similar associations,” he said.

He noted that the smaller particles (PM2.5) were associated with a worse effect on mortality and this correlated with biological studies that have shown a greater inflammatory effect of small particulate matter vs larger particulate matter on the vessel wall.

“Our study suggests that people who have previously had an ischemic stroke, but not a hemorrhagic stroke, may be more vulnerable and at a higher risk of death to chronic, long-term exposure of PM,” they conclude.

“By identifying the groups that are particularly vulnerable to air pollution–associated mortality (eg, survivors of ischemic stroke and, in particular, [total anterior circulation infarcts] and [lacunar infarcts]), our study may have implications for wider health policies.”

Acute Risk

The Japanese study, by lead author Ryu Matsuo, MD, PhD, Department of Health Care Administration and Management Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, and colleagues, looked at acute exposure to air pollution and shows a small increase in the risk of having a stroke within a day of high exposure to pollution.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on 6885 ischemic stroke patients from a multicenter hospital-based stroke registry in Japan who were previously independent and hospitalized within 24 hours of stroke onset. Time of symptom onset was confirmed. They also obtained hourly data on air pollutants from the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

A case-crossover analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of short-term exposure to particulate matter on ischemic stroke events, with 3 or 4 control periods from the same day of the week, month, and year as the case period.

Results showed that increased ambient PM2.5 concentrations within 1 day before stroke onset were associated with the occurrence of ischemic stroke: hazard ratio, 1.03 (95% CI, 1.00 – 1.06) per 10-μg/m3increase in PM2.5. This association was maintained after adjustment for other air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, photochemical oxidants, or sulfur dioxide) or influenza epidemics, and was evident in the cold season.

No significant association could be seen for days 2 to 6 before the stroke.

The researchers conclude: “Subjects with any risk factor should, thus, take care during exposure to high PM2.5 concentrations, particularly in winter. However, it remains unclear whether avoiding exposure to ambient PM2.5 or paying particular attention to health after exposure is actually beneficial.”

They also point out that this study was performed in a limited area of western Japan that is susceptible to transboundary air pollution, and further studies are needed to investigate the generalizability of the findings.

Professor Wolfe said his group have conducted a similar study looking at exposure of air pollution in the year before stroke, which showed a 23% increase in stroke risk in those exposed to higher levels of PM2.5.

The research by Dr Wolfe and colleagues was funded/supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust and King’s College London, and the NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South London at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The study by Dr Matsuo and colleagues was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI Grants from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. None of the authors have disclosed any relevant financial relationships.

Stroke. Published online November 3, 2016. UK study, Japanese study

Source: Air Pollution Linked to Higher Stroke Mortality

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Team cracks mystery of London’s ‘killer fog’ 

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

In 1952, a killer fog containing pollutants covered London for five days, causing breathing problems and killing thousands of residents. The exact cause and nature of the fog has remained mostly unknown for decades, but scientists now believe the mystery has been solved.

The same air chemistry also happens in China and other locales, they report.

In December of 1952, the fog enveloped all of London and residents at first gave it little notice because it appeared to be no different from the familiar natural fogs that have swept over Great Britain for thousands of years.

But over the next few days, conditions deteriorated, and the sky became dark. Visibility was reduced to only three feet in many parts of the city, all transportation shut down, and tens of thousands of people had trouble breathing. By the time the fog lifted on December 9, at least 4,000 people had died and more than 150,000 had been hospitalized. Thousands of animals in the area also died.

Recent British studies now say that the death count was likely far higher—more than 12,000 people of all ages died from the killer fog. It has long been known that many of those deaths were likely caused by emissions from coal burning, but the exact chemical processes that led to the deadly mix of fog and pollution have not been fully understood over the past 60 years.

The 1952 killer fog led to the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1956 by the British Parliament and is still considered the worst air pollution event in the European history.

Here’s how it happened

Through laboratory experiments and atmospheric measurements in China, the team has come up with the answers.

“People have known that sulfate was a big contributor to the fog, and sulfuric acid particles were formed from sulfur dioxide released by coal burning for residential use and power plants, and other means,” says Renyi Zhang, professor and chair of atmospheric sciences and professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University.

“But how sulfur dioxide was turned into sulfuric acid was unclear. Our results showed that this process was facilitated by nitrogen dioxide, another co-product of coal burning, and occurred initially on natural fog.

“Another key aspect in the conversion of sulfur dioxide to sulfate is that it produces acidic particles, which subsequently inhibits this process. Natural fog contained larger particles of several tens of micrometers in size, and the acid formed was sufficiently diluted. Evaporation of those fog particles then left smaller acidic haze particles that covered the city.”

China’s air pollution problem

The study shows that similar chemistry occurs frequently in China, which has battled air pollution for decades. Of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, China is home to 16 of them, and Beijing often exceeds by many times the acceptable air standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

“The difference in China is that the haze starts from much smaller nanoparticles, and the sulfate formation process is only possible with ammonia to neutralize the particles,” Zhang adds.

“In China, sulfur dioxide is mainly emitted by power plants, nitrogen dioxide is from power plants and automobiles, and ammonia comes from fertilizer use and automobiles. Again, the right chemical processes have to interplay for the deadly haze to occur in China. Interestingly, while the London fog was highly acidic, contemporary Chinese haze is basically neutral.”

Zhang says China has been working diligently over the past decade to lessen its air pollution problems, but persistent poor air quality often requires people to wear breathing masks during much of the day. China’s explosive industrial and manufacturing growth and urbanization over the past 25 years have contributed to the problem.

“A better understanding of the air chemistry holds the key for development of effective regulatory actions in China,” he adds.

“The government has pledged to do all it can to reduce emissions going forward, but it will take time,” he notes. “We think we have helped solve the 1952 London fog mystery and also have given China some ideas of how to improve its air quality. Reduction in emissions for nitrogen oxides and ammonia is likely effective in disrupting this sulfate formation process.”

The research appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Funding came from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, a US National Science Foundation Fellowship, a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, and a collaborative research grant between Texas A&M and China.

Source: Texas A&M University

Source: Team cracks mystery of London’s ‘killer fog’ – Futurity

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As a Noxious Smog Descends, Tehran Tries to Ignore It

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

This week, as a yellow blanket of smog settled in for what is typically a winter-long stay, Reza Shajiee, a prominent hipster socialite, posted a picture of himself on Instagram wearing a gas mask under his motorcycle helmet. The text reads, “My city is better than yours, its air is better than yours,” and is accompanied by an emoticon wearing a gas mask.

One of his followers, @j.barzegar, responded, “Tehran gas chamber, slow death.”

Mr. Shajiee said he posted the picture in protest, but he didn’t know against whom. “No one can solve this, and it’s only getting worse,” he said.

Schools were closed for a second day in Tehran on Tuesday, and many citizens stayed home as the capital was covered in an unusually noxious cloud for a fifth day.

Like many other metropolises in developing countries, including New Delhi and Beijing, Tehran and other Iranian cities regularly disappear under a thick blanket of smog. Every year in the autumn, the pollution gets trapped by the Alborz Mountains that hug the city like an overbearing mother. It happens so often that it is hardly news anymore.

For most Iranians, the pollution is the new normal, a problem so large and complex that it is better just to pretend that it is not there.

Of course, the consequences are undeniable. On Tuesday, a City Council member said that 412 people had died because of the pollution in recent days. Iranian officials estimate that the pollution causes the premature deaths of about 45,000 people nationwide each year.

Hospital wards are filled with coughing patients. Children are told to cover their mouths when they go outside. With the increase in air pollution over the past decade, cases of bone marrow and lung cancer related to high levels of lead in the air have exploded, health experts say.

Iranian officials are at loss. A Health Ministry official told the Asr-e Iran news site that people can shield themselves from the cancerous pollution by staying indoors and drinking lots of milk and eating fresh vegetables. “This will strengthen the body,” said the official, Khosrow Sadeghniyat.

The office of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious edict on Monday that said using cars during times of pollution without a good reason was religiously forbidden. A member of Parliament, Elias Hazrati, apologized to the nation on Tuesday, saying the conditions were “shameful.”

Mr. Shajiee, the socialite, said, “There are too many cars, too many people, the only solution is to stop everyone from going out, and everybody knows that will never happen.”

“I hate this city,” he added. “I’ll move out at the first opportunity.”

But he kept driving around on his chocolate-colored Vespa, churning out smoke. “What else to do?” he asked.

Under the city’s yellow blanket, most Tehranis go about their business as if the skies were blue and the air was clean. The traffic jams that define much of Tehran life are as insane as ever, despite emergency regulations aimed at keeping cars out of the center. Cafes and restaurants are full, and people even continue exercising in the city’s many parks.

“I can’t just sit at home,” said Pani Aghavan, 24, a musician. “I need to work and make money.” She wears a mask for protection, one of the few Tehranis to do so. “Most people simply don’t care; they prefer not to think of the pollution and the poison it is,” she said.

There has been pollution in Tehran for quite a while, but it picked up after the Iranian government was forced by sanctions to refine its own gasoline — a poisonous, high-octane brew. The sanctions were lifted after the nuclear agreement with world powers in January, but Iran continues to produce gasoline locally instead of sending its oil abroad for refining.

Many Iranians say that ignoring the problem is their only option. In a country where participation in politics is mostly limited to voting in elections, citizens simply learn to endure whatever comes their way.

“I work two jobs, have no money even to have a child and really don’t see how I can stop this pollution,” said Morteza Hosseinzadeh, who has a master’s degree in theater studies but sells fruit to survive. “Without hardship and taking risks I won’t get anywhere, so I can’t focus on solving such big problems.”

President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday called on citizens to help solve “national problems,” including pollution, an extreme water shortage and unemployment. Warning that there were several crises in the country, especially concerning the environment, Mr. Rouhani somewhat unhelpfully lauded the nuclear agreement for bringing “a breath of fresh air” to the country.

In response, the conservative Javan newspaper posted a picture of Tehran covered in smog with the headline: “Fresh air; Gradual death of citizens.” Other newspapers pointed out that the government’s obsession with car manufacturing was taking a toll. Over the past year, Iranian state-owned car manufacturers have closed deals with the French automakers Renault and Peugeot, aiming to increase the production of cars to two million a year.

“Even one additional car is too many,” said Mojgan Faraji, a journalist who is normally supportive of the government. Auto policies should change, she said. “As long as our gasoline is substandard, every new car worsens the situation.”

Children, elderly people and those with weak lungs are most affected by the pollution, but the effects of the smog go beyond the lungs, health experts say.

“It makes people agitated, depressed and even aggressive,” said Parisa Pakdel, a psychoanalyst in Tehran. “Youths lose their ability to concentrate, become hyperactive and develop sleep disorders. It’s not a pretty picture.”

Source: As a Noxious Smog Descends, Tehran Tries to Ignore It – The New York Times

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China says air pollution worsens in October 

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air quality in China’s smog-hit northern regions, which include the capital Beijing, worsened in October despite overall improvements over the course of the year, the environment ministry said in a notice late on Monday.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection said concentrations of small breathable particles known as PM2.5, a key smog indicator, fell 12.5 percent to an average of 42 micrograms per cubic metre from January to October. World Health Organisation guidelines recommend an annual average of 10 micrograms.

But in October alone, smog concentrations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, a front line in China’s war on pollution, were worse than the same period last year, the ministry said.

The ministry said six of the worst performing cities over the first 10 months were located in the industrial province of Hebei, which surrounds Beijing. Xian, the location of China’s famous Terracotta Army, also appeared in the top 10 smoggiest cities over the period.

Smog normally worsens in winter as China’s largely coal-fired urban heating systems are activated in northern regions, but the ministry has warned that the situation could be more challenging this year as a result of unfavorable weather conditions.

During several recent smog build-ups, the ministry dispatched inspection teams to establish whether emergency smog alert systems in Beijing and Hebei were being implemented correctly. It found that local governments were not cracking down hard enough on firms that broke rules.

The alert systems allow authorities to limit traffic, suspend construction activities and force firms to cut production during heavy smog.

China’s capital Beijing has closed down dozens of industrial enterprises, shut down coal-fired power plants and replaced coal heating with natural gas in a bid to tackle smog. Cities in Hebei have also been under the pressure to cut coal consumption and impose tougher punishments on firms that exceed emission limits.

Environment group Greenpeace said in a research report published on Monday that Beijing’s efforts to cut coal burning has led to a 90.4 percent decline in arsenic concentration levels since 2013, meaning that the city now meets national standards.

Source: China says air pollution worsens in October | Reuters

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Schools shut in Tehran over air pollution

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Officials in the Iranian capital, Tehran, have ordered the closure of kindergartens and elementary schools for a second consecutive day as heavy pollution continues to blanket the city of some 12 million.

Members of Tehran’s Air Pollution Emergency Committee decided in a meeting on Monday to shut kindergartens and primary schools in all but three cities of Tehran Province, official news agency IRNA, said.

The decision came as the average level of PM2.5 particles in Tehran’s air hit 156, a little lower than what was recorded in the city’s pollutant measurement stations a day earlier, but it is still more than three times the level considered safe.

Some neighborhoods in Tehran, especially in the south, center and east of the city, reported PM2.5 levels up to 200 on Sunday.

The committee also extended restrictions on the movement of cars in Tehran, saying that only sanctioned cars could travel in the central parts of the city, while police will be allowed to stop old and high-emission vehicles on the roads.

Sand plants in the west of Tehran, where the winds normally start to enter the city, were also shuttered, while people were advised not to participate in group exercises in parks and green spaces.

Officials said the pollution was expected to stay above Tehran until Wednesday when winds are expected to move the stagnant air.

Spared pollution levels like the ones recorded in India and China, heavy congestion and cold weather normally cause brown-white smog in Tehran in autumn and winter days each year.

Many blame the quality of gasoline and substandard cars for the poor air quality in the sprawling city.

Iran’s Health Ministry estimated that about 80,000 people died due to pollution across the country in 2012. The ministry also said that pollution contributed to the premature deaths of 4,500 people in Tehran in the same year.

Source: PressTV-Schools shut in Tehran over air pollution

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An inconvenient truth about Bonfire Night pollution

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Pollutionwatch Substances released during Guy Fawkes celebrations are often the very pollutants that industry goes to great lengths to filter out

Guy Fawkes is often the most polluted evening of the year. Smoke from bonfires and fireworks can build up in our towns and cities. This smoke contains a unique mixture of metal particles that are used to propel and colour fireworks. These include red (strontium or lithium), blue (copper) and bright green and white (barium).

Lead, titanium and antimony produce crackles and sparkles, and potassium, aluminium and toxic organic compounds are used as rocket propellants. Ironically, these are many of the same pollutants that industry goes to great lengths to filter from the chimneys of waste incinerators and factories.

Last weekend, a steady wind dispersed the pollution quickly, avoiding the problems seen in 2014 when pollution in the West Midlands, Merseyside, Manchester and Yorkshire reached the top level of 10 on the UK air pollution index. This year, the maximum was measured in Swansea, which reached index level four. Even in Lewes, East Sussex, where Guy Fawkes is celebrated with great zeal, air pollution remained low this year.

It is unclear if Guy Fawkes pollution is mainly caused by fireworks or bonfires, or if they are both to blame. New Year and Diwali are celebrated with fireworks only, and do not normally lead to widespread pollution in the UK. However, this year Diwali triggered the start of a severe smog episode in Delhi that has extended into November.

In Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and parts of the Netherlands, Easter is marked by mass bonfire events but no fireworks. During 2014, smoke from these fires spread over a wide area including northern France.

Source: An inconvenient truth about Bonfire Night pollution | Life and style | The Guardian

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Gridlock in West Africa: Accra’s troubled attempts to tackle its traffic crisis 

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

In Ghana’s capital, cars, motorbikes and minibuses jostle for road space during a daily descent on the city centre. With air pollution killing thousands every year and Accra’s population set to double within 20 years, can the city find a solution?

very morning before the sun rises, Stella Ampofo, a 25-year-old single mother of two boys, frantically gathers her belongings and sets off for work to beat the morning traffic in Ghana’s capital, Accra. If she doesn’t leave before daybreak, congestion during rush hour could extend her 40-minute journey from Accra’s suburbs towards downtown to three or four hours.

“I’m in trouble if I leave my house around 6 or 6.30am,” Ampofo says. “I then won’t arrive at work until nine or 10am, and that creates a lot of problems with my manager because I’m supposed to get there by eight. If the government doesn’t do anything about the traffic, it’s not going to get any easier …”

To ensure a punctual arrival, Ampofo, a seamstress at a manufacturing centre that converts plastic waste into reusable products, leaves her home at 4am every day and begins work an hour later – just as the road traffic starts to build up, as roughly 2 million daily commuters converge on the central business district in downtown Accra.

Clouds of black exhaust fumes hover over the heads of impatient motorists. Cab drivers blast their horns, while pedestrians scurry on to rickety commercialised minibuses – referred to as “tro tros” by locals – that carry up to two-dozen passengers squeezed tightly together. Only motorcyclists who can skilfully manoeuvre between lanes are able to bypass the congestion.

Although gridlock typically costs European economies billions of dollars annually, insufficient data in developing countries makes it difficult to assess the economic impact on cities such as Accra. A recent report by the World Bankmeasuring the cost of air pollution globally, however, provides some insight into how congestion affects people’s health. Gridlock causes longer travel times, which increases fuel use and emissions. In 2013, a total of 17,524 Ghanaians died from air pollution, a 107% increase from 1990.

“Accra has struggled with the management of the mobility challenges and rising traffic congestion on almost all arterial routes to the central business district,” Lawrence Kumi, director of research, statistics and information management at Ghana’s Ministry of Transport, admits in an email. “The implementation of various remedial measures was on an ad-hoc basis and not well coordinated. There was the need for a holistic approach.”

In 2014, the government of Ghana began developing a plan to reduce congestion and overhaul the urban transportation system in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (Gama), which includes Accra and its outskirts. The plan was in collaboration with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), and supported by a $1.5m grant from the South Korean government.

Before the end of this year, the final transport master plan (TMP) is due to be presented to Ghana’s ministry of transport for implementation. The plan seeks to “bring together all modes of transport … not only by road” and “reduce traffic congestion and logistic costs” over the next 20 years.

Greater Accra’s current population of around 4.3 million is predicted to almost double by 2035 – likewise the number of vehicles on the roads. While increased congestion can reflect a city’s growing economic vitality, the potential negative effects – low worker productivity, hours-long delays, more dangerous roads, commuter stress, pressure on road infrastructure and an unhealthy intake of dirty fuel emissions – will place a serious strain on the city if it is not addressed soon.

Accra is not alone in facing transportation challenges. Nearby Lagos, the economic capital of Nigeria, is notorious for being one of the most gridlocked cities in the world. But its population is around five times Accra’s, and its economy greater than the whole of Ghana – so according to Kweku Amoasi, associate director for transport planning at the London-based engineering consultancy RSK, Accra should have no excuse when it comes to severe congestion.

“With a small population, Ghana should be able to manage traffic much better,” Amoasi says. “There’s just been a total lack of foresight. The planners should sit down and realise they’re not doing this for themselves; they’re doing it for the nation.”

Bernard Abeiku Arthur, a senior urban specialist with Belgium-based Cities Alliance, says it is this kind of regulatory neglect that has led to today’s unabating traffic troubles and dysfunctional transport system in Accra. “We knew the population was growing,” Arthur says. “We knew we were getting urbanised, but we ignored all the necessary ingredients and elements for planning our urban space properly.”

Arthur says the new TMP is “very fanciful” on paper, but also too limiting geographically – excluding regions beyond Greater Accra from which much of the traffic originates. “The urban area is impacted by the fringes,” Arthur said. “So if you’re doing your calculation and you cut out the fringes, you might not be doing a very good calculation.”

Francis Akakpo, programme officer at Koica in Ghana, says the planners were unable to conduct research on areas beyond the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area because of “limited time and resources”.

Ghana’s first mass transit bus system, Omnibus Services Authority, was established in 1927 during the British colonial period. After independence, public transportation remained largely state-owned until the late 1980s and early 90s, when the government divested itself of assets amid financial mismanagement. This was when the privately run buses appeared to fill the gap: the tro tro, a significant contributor to congestion, has been the most common mode of mass transportation ever since.

In September, however, the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive launched a pilot run of a new Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) system, unleashing city buses across several major routes throughout Greater Accra. In defiance of Ghana president John Mahama’s claims that this marked “the beginning of a new modern public transport network” for the city, tro tro operators and other commercial drivers threatened to strike over fears the new buses would force them out of operation.

The final TMP proposes building on the city’s new bus network by replacing thousands of tro tros with high-capacity buses that promise to be safer, faster and more comfortable – a move that looks set to increase tensions with the existing transport providers. These buses will only be released “on a gradual, incremental basis, to make room for adoption and acceptance”, says Koica’s Francis Akakpo.

But according to Abeiku from Cities Alliance, even a successful implementation of the public bus system will only provide minimal relief to congestion. For sustainable long-term improvements, he says, planners must commit to focusing on rail, tram and subway developments so commuters like Stella Ampofo aren’t forced to upend their daily lives just to get to work.

“We have to envision what kind of city we want Accra to be,” Abeiku says. “Do we want a city that supports its economy, whose people feel free to move around? A city where public transportation is properly regulated? That is the kind of city I want.”

Source: Gridlock in West Africa: Accra’s troubled attempts to tackle its traffic crisis | Cities | The Guardian

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Delhi is a wakeup call for world on air pollution

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

But this is not just a challenge in Delhi. It is a growing challenge for many cities around the world. Air pollution levels in other Indian cities, such as Varanasi and Lucknow, have been equally extreme in recent days. And over the past year, air pollution levels in London, Beijing, Mexico City, Los Angeles and Manila have exceeded international guidelines – in some cases by considerable margin.

Delhi is a wake up call to the world on air pollution.  It is a wake up call to all countries and cities where air pollution levels have resulted in death and illness amongst children.  It is a wake up a call that very clearly tells us: unless decisive actions are taken to reduce air pollution, the events we are witnessing in Delhi over the past week are likely to be increasingly common.

Recent UNICEF analysis has shown that, globally, 300 million children live in areas with the most toxic levels of outdoor air pollution – exceeding six times international guidelines.

Air pollution is a major contributing factor to some of the most deadly diseases children face, such as pneumonia. It also affects their overall health – studies show it is linked with and can exacerbate asthma, bronchitis, airway inflammation, coughing and wheezing. Illness associated with air pollution can affect children’s ability to go to school. New research even points to the effects it can have on cognitive development amongst very young children.

Those without access to medical treatment, who are often the poorest, and those who have preexisting respiratory conditions, are at especially high risk.  Almost a  million children under-5 die from pneumonia per year – and about half of those cases are directly linked with air pollution.

However, there is much that can be done to improve the situation. We need stronger measures to cut back on the sources of air pollution. Air pollution moves across borders, both national ones as well as subnational ones, and so we will need coherent government policies to address these transboundary risks.

Providing children with access to good quality healthcare is a major part of protecting them from air pollution.  Treatment and prevention programmes for pneumonia, as well as other respiratory conditions, can significantly reduce the chance a child falls sick or dies.

At a global scale, we need better monitoring of air pollution. When a child, a mother, a father or caregiver know how bad the air is on a real-time basis, they can begin to take actions to reduce exposure. Pregnant mothers, and others who are at especially high risk, should do their best to avoid areas where air pollution is at its highest. Public knowledge on air pollution is a key first step to tackling it – it is key to supporting government policies to reduce it.

This week is also the first week of COP22, the UN Climate Change Conference. Actions that reduce air pollution can not only improve children’s health, but can also go a long way to also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As such, the argument for reducing air pollution could not be clearer. And because we can – we must.

Source: Delhi is a wakeup call for world on air pollution – UNICEF | Press centre | UNICEF

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