Cleveland ranks among nation’s worst metro areas for air pollution-related deaths, illnesses 

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

The Cleveland area leads the state in the number of deaths and serious health problems caused by air pollution, and ranks ninth worst in the country, according to a new report released today.

The Health of the Air report, compiled by the American Thoracic Society and New York University’s Marron Institute of Urban Management, found that air pollution causes as many as 9,320 deaths each year in metropolitan areas in the U.S.

The number of air pollution-related deaths are comparable to the 9,967 alcohol-related traffic deaths that occurred in the U.S. in 2014.

The Cleveland area suffered an estimated 196 deaths and 487 major health episodes from exceedingly high levels of two air pollutants – ozone and fine particulate matter – the report found.

Residents of the Cleveland area also experienced 231,859 days when air pollution sickened a person to the extent he or she could not go to work or school, or participate in other activities.

The Cleveland area’s ninth place ranking nationally for air pollution-related deaths and serious illnesses was just above the Cincinnati area, which ranked 10th. Four of the worst 10 cities are located in California, which ranked as the most-polluted state in the nation, followed by Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio.

The Health of the Air report does not include additional chronic health problems caused by air pollution such as cancer, new-onset asthma and diabetes. Deaths from those long-term, non-fatal chronic illnesses would add to the total health burden of air pollution outcomes, the report said.

“This previously unavailable information is designed to increase public awareness and better inform public decision making with regard to the management of outdoor air pollution,” said professor Kevin Cromar of the Marron Institute, the lead author of the study.

The Health of the Air report contains findings similar to the 2016 State of the Air report compiled by the American Lung Association and released in April. That report ranked the Cleveland area as the 11th most-polluted metropolitan area in the country.

Cleveland’s biggest problem is particulate matter, the microscopic pieces of soot, smoke, dirt, dust and liquid in the air that are byproducts of burning fossil fuels at factories, power plants and in automobiles. Particulates are considered the most harmful form of air pollution because they are able to bypass the body’s defenses and be inhaled into the lungs.

Cleveland ranked 34th in the nation for particle pollution, which earned it a D grade.

The Cleveland area experienced fewer unhealthy days of high ozone levels this year than last year, but still remained the 27th most ozone-polluted in the country, which earned it an F grade.

Significant contributors to ozone pollution in Ohio include emissions from cars, trucks, trains, boats, and lawn care equipment, plus coal-burning power plants. Ozone-polluted air is especially harmful to children and older adults with asthma and other lung diseases.

Nationwide, ozone pollution has decreased as major sources of ozone-creating emissions such as coal-fired power plants and vehicles are cleaned up. Cleveland was among 16 cities that reported their lowest levels ever of particle pollution.

Source: Cleveland ranks among nation’s worst metro areas for air pollution-related deaths, illnesses | cleveland.com

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Timaru’s air pollution standards breached for the twenty-third time 

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution standards were breached yet again in Timaru.

Timaru had its 23rd high population day on Wednesday – more than the number of breaches recorded by the same time last year and the first time air quality standards were breached this month.

The latest breach recorded by Environment Canterbury’s (ECan) monitoring station at Anzac Square showed the 24 hour average PM10 concentration for August 10 was 65 micrograms of suspended particulate per cubic metre of air.

PM10 refers to particulate matter in the air that is smaller than 10 micrometres in diameter. A reading more than 50 micrograms indicates “high” pollution under the national environmental standard.

Timaru had 15 high pollution days by July 4 last year. Since 2006, there have been anywhere between 27 and 37 days of high pollution by the same day.

So far this year, the Timaru station has recorded the most high pollution days of all centres monitored by the regional council.

Kaiapoi has had seven high pollution days, Rangiora has had six, Christchurch has had five, and Ashburton has had two. The Geraldine and Washdyke stations recorded one breach this year. Waimate has not had a high air pollution night so far this year.

All but two of Timaru’s breaches this year happened in June and July.

ECan’s Canterbury Air Regional Plan, which will become operative later this year, ultimately aims for Timaru to have fewer than three high pollution nights per year.

Timaru’s PM10 readings this year:

August 10: 65mcgs (9C, -6C)

July 27: 51mcgs (15C, -2C)

July 26: 56mcgs (11C, -3C)

July 22: 51mcgs (12C, -4C)

July 12: 69mcgs (10C, -4C)

July 11: 57mcgs (8C, 4C)

July 4: 60mcgs (19C, 2C)

July 3: 88mcgs (16C, 0C)

July 2: 62mcgs (11C, -5C)

July 1: 58mcgs (9C, -4C)

June 29: 57mcgs (12C, -1C)

June 22: 67mcgs (15C, 4C)

June 21: 56mcgs (10C, 5C)

June 18: 58mcgs (11C, 0C)

June 17: 74mcgs (17C, -3C)

June 16: 55mcgs (14C, -2C)

June 9: 70mcgs (16C, -2C)

June 8: 70mcgs (10C, -5C)

June 7: 73mcgs (11C, -3C)

June 6: 59mcgs (13C, -2C)

June 4: 51mcgs (15C, -2C)

May 2: 51mcgs

March 10: 55mcgs

(Sources: Environment Canterbury, Metservice)

Source: Timaru’s air pollution standards breached for the twenty-third time | Stuff.co.nz

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Report: London’s parks choked by potentially dangerous levels of air pollution

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Even London’s parks could be facing potentially dangerous levels of air pollution, according to new research that promises to provide Londoners with detailed information on the air quality of the capital’s green spaces.

Trees and open green spaces are often seen as a cost effective mechanism for improving air quality and curbing pollution levels. But new research by London-based data science company ASI, to be released later today, reveals nearly a quarter of London’s open green spaces have unsafe levels of pollution, breaching the EU’s recommended limit for Nitrogen Dioxide of 40 micrograms per cubic metre.

The park’s found to be in breach of the target include some of London’s best-known spaces, such as Green Park, St James’s Park, Hyde Park, Clapham Common, Kensington Palace Gardens and Regent’s Park.

The top five dirtiest green spaces were named as Whittington Garden, near Cannon Street station; the gardens at the rear of Langham Mansions, near West Brompton station; St Mary’s Square, near Edgware Road tube; Redbridge Roundabout; and the Royal Crescent Mews Amenity Area, near Shepherd’s Bush station.

The research brings together air quality data for 2013 from the Greater London Authority (GLA), geographical grid references, and readings from 100 sensors across the capital that were used to cross check the GLA data.

“Huge numbers of Londoners are unknowingly going for walks, playing with their children and having their lunchtime sandwich in open spaces with appalling air quality,” said ASI Data Science Fellow Pablo Mosteiro, who produced the research. “Our new website will allow them to see whether there are any better and cleaner alternatives nearby. This was only possible, though, through the continued efforts of the GLA and others to make data publicly available.”

Marc Warner, chief executive of ASI, urged Mayor Sadiq Khan to continue his air quality policy push in a bid to improve the air in the city’s parks.

“The city’s parks are often referred to as the ‘lungs of London’,” he said. “We now know that these lungs aren’t as healthy as we’d hoped. The new Mayor is going to have to prioritise clean air policies so that we can make our parks and open spaces the healthy places they’re meant to be.”

Khan has won plaudits from green groups during his first few months in office, after launching a wide-ranging package of proposals designed to improve London’s air quality, including the early introduction of an ultra low emission zone that would impose new charges on the dirtiest vehicles, new green bus routes, and additional funding for local projects designed to tackle air pollution.

The UK government is facing ongoing legal action over its failure to bring the country into line with EU air quality standards, with ministers under mounting pressure to deliver a more ambitious national plan for tackling air pollution.

Meanwhile, in related news a group of Dutch environmentalists announced earlier this month they would sue their government over the health impacts of air pollution.

 

Source: Report: London’s parks choked by potentially dangerous levels of air pollution

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Traffic-related air pollutants – priority carcinogens 

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Approximately one third of the Canadian population is exposed to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) where they live (defined as areas located 500m on either side of highways or 100m on either side of major urban roads).1 Concentrations of air pollution can vary widely within a geographical area, but people living near major roads and traffic corridors can be exposed to higher levels of TRAP.2 The main route of exposure to TRAP carcinogens is inhalation.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans, and exhaust from motor vehicles, or TRAP, is a major contributor to outdoor air pollution. Exhaust from gasoline and diesel engines is a complex mixture of substances that are formed as by-products of fuel combustion. This includes a number of known or suspected carcinogens, such as particulate matter (a mixture of a broad range of chemicals that vary in size), 1,3-butadiene, benzene, and formaldehyde, among others. TRAP also contains substances such as nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone, which are linked to other health effects. This summary will focus on agents associated with cancer only.

CAREX Canada classifies carcinogens based on evaluations made by IARC and assesses potential exposure in the Canadian setting. Our environmental estimates help identify the highest priority traffic-related air pollutants linked to cancer. These include diesel and gasoline engine exhaust, as well as individual components found within this exhaust. Note that estimates are not available for a few of the substances on this list because data is lacking (i.e. particulate air pollution) or IARC has classified it recently (i.e. gasoline engine exhaust).

 

 

A number of strategies may help reduce environmental exposure to TRAP, such as decreasing traffic, improving emissions standards, and implementing land-use planning policies (for example, incorporating a buffer zone between major roadways and buildings where people live and work).2 Visit our Exposure Reduction Resources webpage for more information.

References

  1. Brauer M, Reynolds C, Hystad P. Traffic-related air pollution and health in Canada. CMAJ. 2013; 185(18): 1557-1558.
  2. Public Health Ontario. Traffic-related air pollution: Avoiding the TRAP zone. Last updated March 15, 2016.

Source: Traffic-related air pollutants – priority carcinogens — CAREX Canada

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Air pollution tied to shorter survival with lung cancer 

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Exposure to air pollution has long been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, and a new study suggests it might also be tied to a faster death from the disease.

Researchers examined cancer registry data on more than 350,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer in California and found patients who lived in communities with higher than average levels of air pollution typically died sooner than their peers who lived in places with cleaner air.

Patients with lung cancer may be a new subgroup of people susceptible to the health impacts of air pollution, since exposures after diagnosis may impact how long they live, said lead study author Sandrah Eckel, a researcher at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Worldwide, lung malignancies kill about 1.6 million people a year, causing nearly one in five cancer deaths, Eckel and colleagues note in the journal Thorax.

To assess how air pollution may contribute to these deaths, researchers examined concentrations of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and so-called particulate matter.

Ozone is an unstable form of oxygen produced when various types of traffic and industrial pollution react with sunlight. Nitrogen dioxide is a byproduct of fossil fuel combustion that can contribute to smog. And so-called particulate matter is a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets that can include dust, dirt, soot and smoke.

All of these pollutants have been found to damage the lungs.

Almost half the patients in the current study lived at least 1,500 meters (almost one mile) away from a major interstate highway, while fewer than 10 percent lived with 300 meters (about one-fifth of a mile) of one. Air pollution is usually worse closer to these highways.

Researchers tracked health outcomes for patients diagnosed with lung cancer from 1988 to 2009 based on the level of air pollution near their homes.

Patients were 69 years old on average at the time of diagnosis.

More than half were diagnosed at an advanced stage when tumors had spread.

Overall, the average survival time was about 3.6 years for people diagnosed with early stage disease and about four months for those with advanced tumors that had spread beyond the lungs.

Air pollution appeared to have the greatest effect on survival for people diagnosed with early-stage adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer and the form that often afflicts non-smokers.

In particular, patients diagnosed with early-stage disease had average survival times of about 2.4 years with high exposure to fine particulate matter, compared with 5.7 years with low exposure, the researchers report.

For these early-stage patients, the risk of death from any cause during the study period was 30 percent greater with exposure to nitrogen dioxide, 26 percent higher with exposure to large particulate matter and 38 percent bigger with fine particulate matter, the study found.

One limitation of the study is that researchers focused on pollution near residential addresses, which doesn’t account for how much time patients spent outdoors breathing this air, the authors note.

Even so, the findings add to a small but growing body of evidence linking pollution to worse outcomes after a lung cancer diagnosis, Dr. Jaime Hart, a researcher at Brigham and Women’s and Harvard Medical School in Boston, noted in an accompanying editorial.

“Studies have shown that pollution increases inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which have been linked to increased mortality,” Hart said by email. “Those studies weren’t done in lung cancer patients, but it is reasonable to think that similar things may be occurring.”

Taken together, this emerging research suggests that patients with lung cancer should consider reducing pollution exposure along with other lifestyle changes aimed at boosting longevity such as smoking cessation or dietary changes, Hart said.

“There are a number of common-sense precautions that anyone can take to reduce their exposures to air pollution, including monitoring daily air pollution alerts and reducing outdoor activities – especially outdoor exercise – during high pollution periods, using air filtration systems while indoors, and using the recirculate setting of your car ventilation system while traveling in heavy traffic,” Eckel noted.

Source: Air pollution tied to shorter survival with lung cancer | Reuters

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Rio 2016 Olympics: Team GB stars told not to breathe polluted air through mouths 

Posted on August 8, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

TEAM GB stars are being told not to breathe in through their mouths because Rio’s air could give them cancer.

Experts have warned athletes to wear face masks when not competing and stay indoors as much as possible.

Local pollution could damage airways, spark heart attacks and cause cancer in the long term, says air purifier firm Blueair.

The advice came as tennis ace Andy Murray practised his Olympic flag-bearer duties – and nearly poked a shocked Princess Anne’s eye out.

Team GB’s patriotic opening ceremony outfits were also on display.

The Games headlines to date have been dominated by fears over the Zika virus, but now athletes are being warned to beware of the thick, polluted air.

Blueair founder Bengt Rittri also told spectators to “mask-up” if they want to protect their health.

He said: “Our advice to all athletes in Rio is to wear pollution face masks when ever possible. It is a city suffering from severe air pollution caused by unfettered traffic and industrial activities.”

 

Source: Rio Olympics: Team GB stars told not to breathe polluted air through mouths | Daily Star

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London Tube stations and bus stops to display toxic air warnings 

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Toxic air warnings will be displayed at hundreds of Tube stations and bus stops during pollution peaks in London.

Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that filthy air levels, and advice on how  to respond, will appear on a huge network of public signs across the  capital.

The alerts will be issued when air pollution reaches “high” or “very high”, which has happened four or five times a year recently. They will be shown on 2,500 bus countdown signs, electronic update signs in the entrances of all 270 Underground stations, 140 roadside message signs on the busiest main roads, and river pier signs.

The system will go live from Monday August 15. Mr Khan said: “Londoners have a right to know about the quality of the air that they breathe.

“These new alerts will allow them to take precautions and help them plan ahead to avoid the worst instances of air pollution.” Information on the signs will depend on the level of pollution and may include telling motorists to switch their engine off when stationary to cut emissions and advising people to walk, cycle or use public transport.

It could also include warnings to reduce strenuous activity if someone experiences symptoms or advising asthma sufferers and other vulnerable groups that they may need to use their reliever inhaler more often or take other precautionary measures.

Four out of five of nearly 15,000 people who responded to a public consultation on Mr Khan’s air quality master plan said they wanted to be told when pollution is high or very high so they can take action to protect their health and reduce its impact.

The warnings will be displayed on the day before forecast high and very high air pollution, as well as the day itself.

Leon Daniels, Transport for London’s managing director of surface transport, said: “We are working with the Mayor to deliver an ambitious and wide-ranging programme to improve air quality across the capital.

“An important part of this work is to raise awareness and provide advice to people on how they can personally contribute to this work.”

Londoners with particular health needs will continue to have access to the airTEXT service for regular air quality forecasts via text, voicemail, email, mobile app and online.

Mr Khan has also consulted on a new “T-charge” of £10 a day for the worst-polluting vehicles —broadly those registered before 2005 — to drive into central London from next year.

In addition, he has proposed introducing the central London Ultra Low Emission Zone one year earlier in 2019. Cars, vans and motorbikes not meeting set emission standards would have to pay £12.50 a day, and lorries, coaches and buses £100.

The ULEZ may also be extended London-wide for lorries, buses and coaches from 2020.

Source: London Tube stations and bus stops to display toxic air warnings | London | News | London Evening Standard

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Air Pollution Could Affect Survival in Lung Cancer

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Exposure to air pollution after a diagnosis of lung cancer can negatively affect survival, according to a new study published online August 4 in Thorax.

The effect was most pronounced for patients with early-stage disease, and in particular those with adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 80% of lung cancer cases.

In a population-based study of more than 352,000 patients with newly diagnosed lung cancer, higher exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter of less than 10 microns in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and less than 2.5 (PM2.5) was associated with shorter survival.

These observed associations were clinically significant, note the authors, led by Sandrah P. Eckel, PhD, assistant professor in the Division of Biostatistics at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

There was an increased risk for death (≤38%, dependent on cancer stage and pollutant), suggesting that “reductions in exposure have the potential to improve lung cancer survival,” they write.

Compelling Evidence

Speaking in a BMJ podcast interview, Jaime E. Hart, ScD, from the Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, noted that the findings from the study were “a little surprising.”

“Before this study, there was very little evidence of the impact of air pollution on survival in individuals with lung cancer,” said Dr Hart, who is also the author of an accompanying editorial published in the same issue.

“The most interesting findings were that the impacts of pollution were very different by stage and histology at diagnosis, and the impact was strongest among those who traditionally have the highest survival rate,” she said.

While the results of this study aren’t conclusive, Dr Hart pointed out that this paper suggests patients with lung cancer may be particularly affected by air pollution. “The effect size was higher than in the general population, so it suggests that they may be more susceptible,” she said.

However, this is the first study to show this effect, and so “we have to be a little cautious in interpreting it.” Ideally, the results should be replicated, and Dr Hart noted that she would like to see a study that included information about patient behavior patterns, which was impossible to tease out in the current paper because the information came from a database.

Despite its limitations, such as being unable to account for potential confounding by changes in lifestyle habits or subsequent treatments, the study provides “compelling evidence that air pollution may be a potential target for future prevention and intervention studies to increase cancer survival,” writes Dr Hart in her editorial.

Overall, this study adds to the immense weight that current levels of air pollution are affecting health, she added.

Early Stage Most Affected

Underlying the study is the authors’ hypothesis that, if ambient air pollution can influence the development of lung cancer, then inhaled pollutants may also drive tumor progression “through the same mechanistic pathways to shorten survival after diagnosis.”

To address that question, Dr Eckel and colleagues conducted a population-based cohort study that included 352,053 California residents who were newly diagnosed with lung cancer from 1988 to 2009.

They estimated the average residential exposures to air pollutants from diagnosis to the end of follow-up, and this information was applied to all-cause mortality and lung cancer–specific mortality by stage and tumor histology at the time of diagnosis.

More than half of lung cancers (53%) were diagnosed at an advanced stage, and 324,266 patients died (92.1%) during the study period.

The authors used four different air pollution measures (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, and ozone), which were calculated by using data from US Environmental Protection Agency air quality monitoring stations and then mapped to the residential addresses of each individual at the time of diagnosis.

They also calculated the distance to the nearest highways to account for exposures to local traffic, and they included area-level information on measures of urbanicity and socioeconomic status.

Just under half of the cohort (45.4%) lived more than 1500 meters away from a major interstate highway, and only 8.7% lived within a 300-meter radius of one.

There was a pattern of shorter median and 5-year survival for patients with local or regional-stage disease who had higher exposure to NO2, PM10, or PM2.5.

As an example, the median survival for patients with local disease was 2.4 years if they had high PM2.5exposures (≥16 μg/m3) and 5.7 years for low PM2.5 exposures (<10 μg/m3).

Across all types of pollutants, the authors observed larger hazard ratios for patients diagnosed at earlier stages, and the effects of the various pollutants seemed to be greater for patients with adenocarcinoma than patients with small-cell cancer at the same stage.

Survival for patients with distant stage at diagnosis was poor, regardless of exposure to air pollutants.

The study was supported by the Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center; the Hastings Foundation; the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Program of Cancer Registries. The study authors and editorialist have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Thorax. Published online August 4, 2016. Abstract Editorial

 

Source: Air Pollution Could Affect Survival in Lung Cancer

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