U.S. preterm births tied to air pollution cost $4 billion a year

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

U.S. premature births linked to air pollution cost more than $4 billion a year in medical care and lost economic opportunity, a new analysis estimates.

Almost 16,000 babies arrive early each year due at least in part to air pollution, according to researchers who analyzed air quality data and birth records.

Annual costs associated with these preemies include nearly $3.6 billion (about 3.2 billion euros) in lost wages and productivity due to physical and mental deficits tied to the early arrivals as well as $760 million (about 678 million euros) for extended hospitalizations and long-term use of medications, researchers calculated.

“Air pollution-associated preterm birth contributes direct medical costs in the first few years of life due to associated conditions, such as in the newborn intensive care unit, as well as lost economic productivity due to developmental disabilities and lost cognitive potential,” lead study author Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an environmental health researcher at New York University School of Medicine in New York City, said by email.

Pregnancy normally lasts about 40 weeks, and babies born after 37 weeks are considered full term.

In the weeks immediately after birth, premature infants often have difficulty breathing and digesting food. They can also encounter longer-term challenges such as impaired vision, hearing, and cognitive skills as well as social and behavioral problems.

The U.S. preterm birth rate declined to 11.4 percent in 2013 from a peak of 12.8 percent in 2006 but remains far higher than in other developed countries, Trasande and colleagues report in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Approximately 3 percent of preterm births in the U.S. can be attributed to air pollution, the researchers conclude, based on data from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Institute of Medicine.

Air pollution may contribute to the problem, because a buildup of toxic chemicals in the blood can cause immune system stress that weakens the placenta and shortens the amount of time the baby can remain in the womb.

Preterm births linked to air pollution were higher in urban counties, primarily in Southern California and the Eastern U.S., the analysis found.

One limitation of the study is that it can’t prove pollution causes preterm births, or why these two things may be connected, the authors note. The analysis also lacked data on individual exposure to air pollution that might influence how much toxins impacted pregnancy outcomes.

Previous research has linked air pollution to preterm births even after controlling for other factors that often coincide with living in areas with bad air, such as poverty or tobacco smoke exposure, noted Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a researcher at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia who wasn’t involved in the study. But toxic air is just one of many variables that can influence pregnancy outcomes.

“Preterm birth, as well as other diseases and disorders, are due to the cumulative impact of various risk factors and it isn’t constructive to continually pit one risk factor over another,” Lanphear added by email.

Limiting the effect of air pollution on preterm births requires improved air quality, which might be achieved through efforts such as cleaner energy technology, more public transportation, improved paths for cycling and walking, and positioning schools and daycare centers far from highways, Lanphear noted.

Women should also seek prenatal care early in pregnancy, particularly when they have had miscarriages or preterm births before, said Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, a researcher at Boston University School of Medicine who wasn’t involved in the study.

Social, economic, emotional and medical issues all may come into play with preterm births, particularly because women who live in areas with worse air may also be in communities where people have fewer financial resources or less access to quality medical care, Mahalingaiah said by email.

“Preterm birth is a multifactorial issue,” she said.

SOURCE: 1.usa.gov/1pHVqHq Environmental Health Perspectives, online March 29, 2016.

Source: U.S. preterm births tied to air pollution cost $4 billion a year | Reuters

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The area where London is a world-leader: its polluted air

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Across Europe, Britain’s capital leads the way for the wrong reason.

London has been voted the most desirable place to work in the world, it’s the second most visited city on the planet and was recently crowned the most innovative global city However, it now also wins the award for the most polluted street on earth. It only took until 4January 2016 for Oxford Street to exceed the legal level of air pollution for the whole of 2016.

London’s air pollution problem is dreadful. It is caused primarily by traffic and diesel fumes, which, in a city as big and bustling as our capital, are pretty significant. Roughly 50 per cent of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in the city are caused by traffic.

Air pollution really is a matter of life and death. It causes 9,500 early deaths in London every year. Scientists say it can exacerbate respiratory problems and has long terms effects on child development. A study has suggested that living near busy, polluted roads could be responsible for up to 30 per cent of new cases of asthma in children. Nearly one in four of our capital’s school children breathe air that breaches EU limits, with children in inner boroughs exposed to particularly harmful levels of pollution.

The health consequences are stark and the economic costs are not insignificant. The World Health Organisation estimates that the UK suffers just under £54 billion in economic costs associated with air pollution.  So for the health and prosperity of London, it is absolutely vital that we tackle air pollution as a matter of urgency. And with London’s election campaign getting into the full swing, the mayoral hopefuls need to show the capital they are up to the task.  But their challenge doesn’t stop there. This is a global problem and whoever leads London next must show global vision and global leadership. London can export its solutions too.

The solutions are available if leaders choose to prioritise combating air pollution. Spurred on by fines for consistently failing to meet EU regulations and by increasing pressure from campaigns on this issue, the current mayor, Boris Johnson, has taken action. He has forced older, more polluting cars off the road, made so- called Boris bikes available as a clean means of transport and will introduce the ultra low emissions zone in 2020. In June 2015 City Hall hosted the C40 global Clean Bus Summit, bringing together mayors from across the world to commit to greening their bus fleets. The world’s first fully electric-powered double decker bus will hit London’s roads in April 2016.

Just last week ClientEarth launched a new legal challenge against the UK government due to its repeated failure to tackle illegal levels of air pollution. If the case is won it would force the new mayor to take further action.

The two frontrunners in the upcoming mayoral election have both made commitments to tackle air pollution. Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith has said he will bring in tougher rules on HGVs in the city if elected, whilst Labour’s Sadiq Khan has stated that he wants to see the next generation of buses running on electricity.

But their ambition must be greater and much more must be done. The fact that diesel the biggest polluter necessitates a rapid and wholesale shift to low-emitting vehicles. But this alone is also insufficient  – we need to radically reduce the number of people using motor traffic in the city centre overall. This will mean switching to low carbon public transport and getting many more people using bikes and walking. We need better public information about the associated risks of air pollution, information that reaches vulnerable groups with advice on how to reduce their exposure. The coming election campaign will show whether the candidates are up to the scale of the challenge.

The size of the challenge should not deter us from making the commitment to a city with clean air and healthy citizens. London has faced similar challenges before and came through them. Sixty years ago London played its part in developing ground breaking environmental legislation in the form of the Clean Air Act following the Great Smog. This provided a gold standard for countries tackling similar problems. Under Ken Livingstone the city showed leadership on the environment with the introduction of the congestion charge. We need to show once again that London has the ambition and leadership to take this challenge on.

Once we have the intent and strategies to radically improve air quality here in London, the new mayor should use their status to drive these changes forward internationally. London is a leading global city, and air pollution is a truly global problem. The new mayor should see themselves as a leader in tackling this problem and taking the world with them.

While the solutions to reduce air pollution are clear and within reach, delivering meaningful change on this issue requires political prioritization. Currently, the issue simply doesn’t rank highly enough for global leaders and business to make the necessary changes. This is not the case in London, and the new mayor must make the case abroad.

With the issue so prominent in major cities internationally, and London being seen as a leader in so many ways – our response in the capital will be a test case for tackling the problem abroad. Following the compact of mayors in Paris last December, cities are increasingly seen as the means to accelerate a transition to a low carbon economy. London can and should accelerate this transition.

The issue has spurred innovative campaigns in cities like Delhi,where levels of air pollution can be 10 times higher than London. The “Help Delhi Breathe” campaign is seeking creative solutions to limit the number of cars accessing the city centre. Similar campaigns that are making a difference have started in Santiago and Mexico City.

The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group will be meeting in Mexico City for their bi-annual Mayors Summit in December 2016, one year on since nations agreed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This event will offer a unique opportunity for the new Mayor of London to showcase their ambition on tackling emissions, learn from what other cities are doing and to demonstrate the leadership on climate action that many in London want to see from their leader.

The challenge is clear, and inaction will have heavy human and economic costs. The solutions to this crisis are available but require the political will and leadership to make them happen. The incoming mayor should seek to define themselves internationally by solving the challenge of air pollution at home and sharing best practices with other cities across the world. London must play a leading role in solving this increasingly acute international crisis.

Source: The area where London is a world-leader: its polluted air

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Alarm sounded on Yangon air pollution 

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

A massive influx in imported vehicles in recent years has contributed to deteriorating air quality in Yangon but information about pollution levels is yet to be released.

Air pollution is becoming more noticeable in Yangon and its effects can be seen throughout the former capital.

In 2015, looking from Mahabandoola Bridge across the bustling downtown area, it was possible to have a sharp, clear view of the gleaming Shwedagon Pagoda.

These days the view of the city from bridge is not completely clear and the Shwedagon Pagoda is slightly obscured by the tiny particles that cause pollution.

Air pollution is a mixture of solid particles and gases in the atmosphere that can cause serious respiratory problems.

The minute particles in the air that contribute to pollution can include chemicals such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ammonia, methane, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and hydrochloride.

The particles are dangerous but are impossible to avoid in a polluted environment and because humans breathe about twenty thousand litres of air a day they often lead to health problems.

The short-term symptoms from exposure to air pollution include itchy eyes, nose and throat, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, headaches, nausea, and upper respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Other illnesses associated with air pollution include asthma and emphysema.

Long-term effects can include lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory illness, and allergies. The World Health Organization says air pollution is also associated with heart attacks and strokes.

The air in Yangon has been heavily polluted by the influx of vehicles in recent years, said Dr Kyaw Nyein Aye, an environmental specialist with the Ecological Laboratory (Eco-Lab), a group in Kamaryut Township that measures soil and water pollution for civil society groups.

“Everybody knows that Yangon’s pollution has reached levels not seen before,” Dr Kyaw Nyein Aye, toldFrontier.

“Too many cars being in Yangon use low quality engine oil, which is contributing to the air pollution,” he said. The number of vehicles in the country has soared since imports were liberalised in 2011. Yangon has an estimated 750,000 vehicles, triple the number since 2008.

A car emits four times the weight of the vehicle in carbon dioxide a year, said Yangon City Development Committee, that has been compiling data from three fixed locations and 64 mobile units to measure air pollution in the city. The results will not be released until the end of this month after approval is given by the city mayor, said U Hla Myint, an assistant officer at the YCDC’s Pollution Control and Cleansing Department.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has also been compiling air pollution data, said U Myo Lwin, a former senior official with the department.

“I heard it started measuring the [particulate] matter in the air using PM10 and PM2.5 but couldn’t release the data,” U Myo Lwin said, referring to the standards used to measure levels of particulate matter in the atmosphere.

Air quality in Yangon is affected by industrial pollution as well as vehicle emissions. There are 29 industrial zones in Yangon and although not all factories belch greenhouse gases many produce waste water.

Under the 2012 Environmental Protection Law, the Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry sets quality standards on factory emissions, effluents, solid waste, production procedures, processes and products.

Deforestation in Yangon Region has also had a negative effect on air quality.

“Yangon does not have many green places and forests,” U Tin Aye, secretary of the Myanmar Forestry Association, told Frontier. “Many of the forests and green spaces were destroyed in the last two decades by the wood industry, or used for coal or brick production, so carbon dioxide and other chemical compounds are increasing in the air,” he said.

The Yangon Region is almost completely deforested, said U Myo Lwin, the former Yangon Region director of the Department of Environmental Conservation, under MOECAF.

The department was established in 2012 by President U Thein Sein and five regional sub-offices were opened the following year, including in Yangon and Mandalay. In 2015, sub-offices were opened in all 14 states and regions.

In 2010 Yangon Region had almost 360,000 acres of forest cover, but it had fallen by more than half to 160,000 acres this year, show Forestry Department figures that put the deforestation rate at 11.2 percent a year.

“Too many forests were destroyed, that is clear,” said U Tin Aye.

“This is related to air pollution, water shortages and temperatures changing in the last five years in Myanmar. The reduction of forests also has an impact on air pollution because plants absorb carbon dioxide and other particles in the air,” he said.

City residents have noticed the change for the worse in air quality.

“I don’t know what air pollution is, but I know the sky is not clear this year,” said Ma Nyein Nyein, a teller at a private bank at Yuzana Garden City. “It is too hot, too dusty, too cloudy and there’s been too much rain and wind in the past two years. That is not only dangerous for people in Yangon, but people throughout Myanmar,” she said.

Source: Alarm sounded on Yangon air pollution | Frontier Myanmar

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Revealed: Millions of Londoners breathed in deadly smog this month 

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Millions of Londoners breathed air contaminated with record-breaking levels of a harmful pollutant for which there is no known safe exposure this month, the Standard has learned.

Every air quality monitoring site in the capital hit “high” or “very high” during the smog episode from Thursday March 10 to Sunday March 13.

The minute particles, known as PM2.5, are particularly dangerous because they can penetrate deep into lung tissue and are too small to be filtered out by the body’s normal defences.

The “spike” in smog was caused by dirty air from industrial areas of Germany, Holland and Poland — as well as from fertilisers being sprayed on farmland — drifting towards south-east England on an easterly air flow.

Once it reached London it was trapped by still anti-cyclonic conditions, and made even filthier by the usual daily emissions from London’s vehicles, particularly from diesel engines.

The peak day was the Saturday when 11 out of the 18 measuring sites in London hit “very high” with the rest on “high”.

These were the worst readings since PM2.5 started to be measured in 2012 because of growing concern about its impact on health.

The move followed a report from the Government’s Air Quality Expert Group that found spikes in PM2.5 levels were linked to “increases in hospital admissions and premature death of the old and sick due to diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems”.

Longer-term exposure is associated with lung cancer, and the report concluded “no wholly safe level has been identified”.

Professor Sir Malcolm Green, founder of the British Lung Foundation, has described breathing in high levels of PM2.5 as “like inhaling little particles of tar. They go right down into the lungs and can pass through the membrane into the bloodstream.”

Simon Birkett, founder of the Clean Air in London campaign, said: “It’s a national disgrace that it’s taken an investigation by the Evening Standard to unearth the worst air pollution episode in recent years.

“Worse, Sadiq Khan and Zac Goldsmith both refused to share our tweeted smog warnings at the time.”

Their Green rival mayoral candidate Sian Berry and Lib-Dem Caroline Pidgeon have both committed to introducing smog warnings for London if they are elected in May.

Source: Revealed: Millions of Londoners breathed in deadly smog this month | London | News | London Evening Standard

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Air pollution experts call for scrappage scheme for diesel cars and boilers 

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Report outlines moves that would cut pollution from road transport and gas combustion in London and increase life expectancy

Scrappage schemes for diesel cars and boilers, and allowing only the cleanest buses to drive on key polluted roads are among measures proposed by experts to cut pollution and help people live longer.

The moves to cut pollution from road transport and gas combustion in London could increase the average life expectancy of people born in the city in 2025 by more than a month, leading to economic benefits of £600m a year, they said.

A report by King’s College London and thinktank Policy Exchange said the capital faced a significant air pollution challenge 60 years on from the Clean Air Act and needed “an equally robust response” as that piece of groundbreaking legislation.

It calls on the next London mayor to champion a 10-point plan which includes measures to restrict the most polluting vehicles from entering the capital, cleaning up the taxi fleet and completing the rollout of low-emission buses across the city.

The most polluted roads such as Oxford Street should be declared “clean bus corridors”, using only the cleanest buses and rerouting some services, the report said.

The next mayor also needs to promote electric vehicles and car clubs, push for tighter emissions limits on diesel vehicles and back calls for an increase in taxes on new diesel vehicles and a diesel scrappage scheme to trade in old polluting cars and vans.

There is also a need to prevent decentralised power stations such as diesel, gas and biomass plants being built where they could affect London’s air quality, and to tackle emissions from household boilers by creating a cashback scheme to replace old polluting units.

The report, published ahead of the mayoral elections in May, suggests that the combination of policies would ensure legal targets for nitrogen dioxide pollution were met across almost all of the capital by 2025.

Professor Frank Kelly, director of the Environmental Research Group, King’s College London, said: “It is possible to bring the most polluted parts of London – such as Oxford Street – within legal air quality limits.

“However this will require a concerted effort both by City Hall and national government to reduce emissions from road transport and other sources of pollution.’

Richard Howard, head of environment and energy at Policy Exchange, said: “Londoners are becoming increasingly concerned about poor air quality. The time has come for action not words. The next Mayor of London needs to deliver an ambitious set of policies to clean up London’s air.’

The study comes after environmental lawyers ClientEarth announced they were taking the government back to court over a failure to take action to ensure legal air quality standards were met across the UK.

James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth, said: “This important report should be required reading for all of the mayoral candidates. This public health crisis will require strong action from the new mayor, who should adopt these policies as a minimum.

“London’s toxic air undermines its status as a world-class city. This report is a welcome attempt to change that and help Londoners breathe more easily.”

Source: Air pollution experts call for scrappage scheme for diesel cars and boilers | Environment | The Guardian

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How Prenatal Pollution Exposure Can Lead to Behavior Problems in Children 

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

The air that expecting moms breathe can have lasting effects on their children, and the latest study details how

It’s no secret that polluted air — from cigarette smoke, cars and burning heating oil — can have a negative impact on our health. But there’s even stronger evidence now about how that air pollution can affect even growing babies in the womb.

In a study published in theJournal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, researchers led by Amy Margolis at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health looked for connections between how much exposure an expectant mother has to levels of a primary air pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and measurements of children’s behavior and emotional states from age three to 11 years. In previous studies, the group showed that higher levels of maternal PAHs at birth were linked to higher rates of anxiety, depression and attention disorders in children at age six and seven years.

In the current study, which follows the same group of children until age 11, the researchers focused on finding an explanation for the connection between PAHs and behavioral issues. They evaluated the children on a standard test of emotional self regulation that captures aggression, impulsiveness, and intensity of emotions. Other studies have linked this ability to self regulate to social competence and the ability to interact with others, a fundamental aspect of many emotional and social behaviors.

Source: How Prenatal Pollution Exposure Can Lead to Behavior Problems in Children | TIME

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Dust sets off Timaru’s first high air pollution night for 2016 

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Dust – not smoke – appears to have triggered Timaru’s first high air pollution night in 2016.

The city recorded its first high air pollution night on March 10, with a PM10 concentration of 55 recorded at Anzac Square.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) measures dirty air in PM10, particulate matter less than 10 micrometres in diameter. Readings higher than 50 are considered to be high pollution levels.

ECan principal strategy advisor Cat White said the concentrations recorded in Timaru were mostly made up of coarse particles and were “very unlikely” to be from burnoffs or home heating.

“We can’t say for certain what the source was, but it’s most likely to be dust picked up by strong winds,” White said.

“This happens outside winter when there is a strong northwest wind. Most high pollution nights are in winter from home heating.”

Timaru’s first high air pollution night comes six months before the target for high pollution nights is reduced.

White said the target for three high air pollution nights a year would begin after winter 2016.

“Under the Government’s National Environmental Standards targets, Timaru’s target for three high pollution nights a year begins after this winter – from September this year.”

While stubble-burning and outdoor burning of green waste in rural areas had been allowed under the existing Canterbury Air Plan, stricter rules around these activities were proposed under the Proposed Air Plan.

The Proposed Air Plan which becomes operative later this year will introduce new conditions to meet when burning green waste in rural areas.

It also proposes the requirement of a resource consent for stubble-burning inside buffer zones around the towns of Timaru and Ashburton.

Other rules will include requiring farmers to have a Smoke Management Plan for stubble-burning taking place outside of buffer zones, and for any other large scale burn which lasts for more than three days.

ECan is also working closely with woodburner owners in Timaru to show people how to burn better and encourage them to get better burners which are clean-burning.

“We have made some progress in the last year, reducing the number of high-pollution nights from 41 in 2014 to 26 last year, and we know there is a lot more to do to reduce the number down further.

“As part of our summer air programme, we have, since the beginning of summer, been visiting users/owners of wood burners and open fires and talking about how they can achieve a brighter burning fire.”

All open fires are prohibited in Timaru.

Compliant woodburners can still be used until they are 15 years old.

If a compliant burner reaches 15 years of age before 2019, it can be replaced with another compliant woodburner, but after 2019 it will have to be replaced with an ultra low emission woodburner.

Source: Dust sets off Timaru’s first high air pollution night for 2016 | Stuff.co.nz

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London parents see toxic air as ‘the biggest health threat to their children’ 

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Respro® UK Ltd

Mothers revealed their fear over toxic air in London today with seven out of 10 admitting they worry about its impact on their children.

A YouGov poll found that parents in the capital now see air pollution as the biggest health threat.

The stark findings are published as the Standard launches Clean London — a series of hard-hitting reports on dirty air and ways to tackle it.

Experts now blame air pollution for a death toll of more than 9,000 a year in the capital.

The survey, commissioned by environmental lawyers ClientEarth, shows 68 per cent of London parents are worried about their children breathing in dirty air.

More women than men highlighted their fears — 71 per cent against 64 per cent. Mothers have told of their concern that as they push buggies along the street, their young children are sitting at the same level as filthy fumes being spewed out by many diesel cars and other vehicles.

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 09.16.32

Scientists have also warned that the lungs of some children are being damaged by air pollution — which in the capital is in breach of EU rules.

In inner London, where pollution peaks are at times among the worst in Europe, 32 per cent of parents are “very worried” about their children breathing dirty air and 43 per cent “fairly worried”.

In the outer city, 25 per cent are “very worried” and 40 per cent “fairly worried”.

ClientEarth has won a Supreme Court battle forcing ministers to redraw plans to cut air pollution.

Screen Shot 2016-03-22 at 09.17.23

Its chief executive, James Thornton, said it was “no surprise” that parents were so concerned given the health impacts on children living in the capital and going to schools near main roads.

“They have to endure the terrible effects of air pollution across the city year after year, with woeful action from the Government,” he added. The survey also found that 43 per cent of parents rank air pollution as one of the two biggest health threat facing the capital today.

This was followed by stress (29 per cent), poor diet (23) and not doing enough exercise (21).

Drug use came next, on 17 per cent, then alcohol (16), smoking (13) and unprotected sex (four). Wealthier people and those living in inner London were more likely to put air pollution at the top of their public health risks.

Green Party mayoral candidate Sian Berry said that Londoners’ “trust is running out”, with many mothers of young children now “worried sick”, as more information has been revealed about filthy air.

“It’s a terrifying problem, because unlike the deadly smogs that came from coal fires and power stations until the Clean Air Act banished them, we can’t see this modern pollution,” she added.

Labour claims 500,000 people have died due to the failure to meet EU air quality regulations. Sadiq Khan, the party’s candidate for mayor, blamed his adult-onset asthma on dirty air. “I worry about the impact on my daughters’ health,” he added.

His Tory mayoral rival Zac Goldsmith called for the whole of Greater London to be made a pollution-free area, stressing: “We have the technology and most of the tools to achieve that.”

Liberal Democrat candidate Caroline Pidgeon said: “The time for excuses for a lack of real action on air pollution has long passed. Children’s lives are at stake.”

Boris Johnson has taken a series of steps to tackle air pollution, including getting the dirtiest buses and taxis off the road and promising to implement an ultra-low emission zone by 2020.

A City Hall spokeswoman added: “Air quality in London is improving but more needs to be done and this is why we need to see more of the bold measures implemented by the Mayor.”

A spokesman for the Department for Environment said: “Our plans clearly set out how we will improve the UK’s air quality through a new programme of clean air zones, which alongside national action and continued investment in clean technologies will create cleaner, healthier air for all.”

YouGov polled 1,015 parents of children aged 18 and under between March 7 and 14.

Source: London parents see toxic air as ‘the biggest health threat to their children’ | London | News | London Evening Standard

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