Mapping the invisible scourge

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

A new study suggests that air pollution is even worse than thought

THE capital’s “airpocalypse”, the choking smog that descended on Beijing in the winter of 2012-13, galvanised public opinion and spooked the government. The strange thing is, though, that information about air pollution—how extensive it is, how much damage it does—has long been sketchy, based mostly on satellite data or computer models. Until now.

Responding to the outcry, the government set up a national air-reporting system which now has almost 1,000 monitoring stations, pumping out hourly reports on six pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, ozone and (the main culprit) particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter, or PM2.5. These are tiny particles which lodge in the lungs and cause respiratory disease. The six are the main cause of local pollution but have little to do with climate change, since they do not include carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. Scientists from Berkeley Earth, a not-for-profit foundation in America, have trawled through this recent cloud of data for the four months to early August 2014, sieved out the bits that are manifestly wrong (readings where the dial seems to be stuck, for instance) and emerged with the most detailed and up-to-date picture of Chinese air pollution so far.

 

Pollution is sky-high everywhere in China. Some 83% of Chinese are exposed to air that, in America, would be deemed by the Environmental Protection Agency either to be unhealthy or unhealthy for sensitive groups. Almost half the population of China experiences levels of PM2.5 that are above America’s highest threshold. That is even worse than the satellite data had suggested.

Berkeley Earth’s scientific director, Richard Muller, says breathing Beijing’s air is the equivalent of smoking almost 40 cigarettes a day and calculates that air pollution causes 1.6m deaths a year in China, or 17% of the total. A previous estimate, based on a study of pollution in the Huai river basin (which lies between the Yellow and Yangzi rivers), put the toll at 1.2m deaths a year—still high.

The sliver of good news is that pollution levels are better in some places than in others. They are worst in the corridor between Beijing and Shanghai and least bad in the south (see map—the study covers China east of 95ºE, accounting for 97% of China’s population), probably because that area was washed by monsoon rains during the period of the study. More importantly, levels of PM2.5 in large western cities such as Chongqing and Chengdu are about half the national average. Figuring out what they are doing right would be a first step towards reducing the smog elsewhere.

via Mapping the invisible scourge | The Economist.

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NO2 air pollution increases allergenicity in ragweed pollen

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

HELMHOLTZ ZENTRUM MÜNCHEN – GERMAN RESEARCH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Together with the Research Unit Protein Science and the Institute for Environmental Medicine of Technische Universität München as well as the research consortium UNIKA-T and the Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education, researchers of the Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology (BIOP) studied how nitrogen oxides affect the pollen of the plant. Specifically, they fumigated the plants with various concentrations of NO2, which e.g. is generated during combustion processes of fuel. “Our data showed that the stress on the plant caused by NO2 modulated the protein composition of the pollen,” said first author Dr. Feng Zhao. “Different isoforms of the known allergen Amb a 1 were significantly elevated.” In addition, the scientists observed that the pollen from NO2 treated plants have a significantly increased binding capacity to specific IgE antibodies* of individuals allergic to Ambrosia. This is often the beginning of an allergic reaction in humans.

Previously unknown allergen in Ambrosia

The plant researchers made another striking discovery in the pollen of the fumigated plants: During their investigations they identified a protein that was present in particular when NO2 levels were elevated. This protein was not previously known to be an allergen in Ambrosia, and it has a strong similarity with a protein from a rubber tree. In this context, it was previously described as an allergen whose effect was also known in fungi and other plants. Further experiments related to this topic are currently being planned.

Stress makes pollen aggressive

“Ultimately, it can be expected that the already aggressive Ambrosia pollen will become even more allergenic in the future due to air pollution,” said study leader Dr. Ulrike Frank, summarizing the results. She and her team at BIOP have long been conducting research on the plant, which probably once came to Europe in imported birdseed. Now it is widely dispersed here due to climate change. Ragweed pollen is very aggressive; in the U.S. it is now the main cause of hay fever and other allergies. Since Ambrosia does not bloom until late summer, it thus lengthens the “season” for allergy sufferers. “After studies have already shown that Ambrosia growing along highways is clearly more allergenic than Ambrosia plants growing away from road traffic, we could provide a reason for this,” said Frank. “Since in nature and along roads hundreds of parameters could play a role, until now the situation was not entirely clear.” In future studies in collaboration with UNIKA-T and the Christine Kühne – Center for Allergy Research and Education, the scientists want to show that pollen only treated with NO2 can also elicit stronger in vivo reactions.

###

Further Information

Background:

IgE (Immunglobulin E) is the term referring to a class of antibodies which are considered to be the main cause of allergic reactions in the body. If an IgE molecule binds to an allergen, it can induce so-called mast cells to release histamine, which ultimately triggers the allergic reaction. The actual task of IgE is the defense against parasites and worms.

Original Publication:

Zhao, F. et al. (2015). Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.): Allergenicity and molecular characterisation of pollen after plant exposure to elevated NO2. Plant, Cell & Environment, DOI: 10.1111/pce.12601

Link to the Publication

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26177592

As German Research Center for Environmental Health, Helmholtz Zentrum München pursues the goal of developing personalized medical approaches for the prevention and therapy of major common diseases such as diabetes mellitus and lung diseases. To achieve this, it investigates the interaction of genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle. The Helmholtz Zentrum München has about 2,300 staff members and is headquartered in Neuherberg in the north of Munich. Helmholtz Zentrum München is a member of the Helmholtz Association, a community of 18 scientific-technical and medical-biological research centers with a total of about 37,000 staff members.

The focal point of the research work carried out by the Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology is the examination of molecular mechanisms that plants use to adapt to their environment. These include genetic and biochemical processes which control the growth, physiological state and defence mechanisms of the plants. The aim of the research is to better understand the fundamental principles and mechanisms of the interaction between plants and their environment and to develop sustainable strategies for the cultivation and use of plants to protect natural resources.

via NO2 air pollution increases allergenicity in ragweed pollen | EurekAlert! Science News.

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Heavy Smog in New York Prompts Air Quality Health Advisory

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

On Tuesday, for the second day in a row, an “air quality health advisory” was issued for the New York City metro area by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the State Department of Health (DOH).

The advisory comes in response to higher-than-usual levels of ozone detected in the air in NYC and the Lower Hudson Valley.

The most familiar form of ozone is the ozone that forms a layer way up in the Earth’s atmosphere, protecting us from ultraviolet rays. But when ozone forms at ground level, it’s considered a major air pollutant — and a health hazard, if levels exceed an Air Quality Index of 100. (As they did on Monday, and are expected to do on Tuesday.)

“Summer heat can lead to the formation of ground level ozone, a major component of photochemical smog,” says the DEC in a statement. “Automobile exhaust and out-of-state emission sources are the primary sources of ground level ozone and are the most serious air pollution problems in the northeast.”

The health advisory will be in effect through 11 p.m. on Tuesday night.

During this time, the DEC recommends that:

People, especially young children, those who exercise outdoors, those involved in vigorous outdoor work and those who have respiratory disease (such as asthma) should consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity when ozone levels are the highest (generally afternoon to early evening). When outdoor levels of ozone are elevated, going indoors will usually reduce your exposure. Individuals experiencing symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or coughing should consider consulting their doctor.

For more information, New Yorkers can call the toll-free Air Quality Hotline (1-800-535-1345) or check the ozone fact sheet on the DOH website.

via Heavy Smog in New York Prompts Air Quality Health Advisory | Bed-Stuy, NY Patch.

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City grime ‘breathes back out’ polluting nitrogen gases

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Scientists say the grime which clings to urban surfaces “breathes out” nitrogen gases when hit by sunlight.

The dark muck was known to absorb such gases from the air, but it appears the nitrogen does not stay locked away.

In rooftop experiments in Germany, the researchers tracked the content of grime in both sunshine and shade.

They say sunlit grime releases nitrogen in two forms: the toxic pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2), plus nitrous acid – a key driver of smog formation.

The findings, presented at a conference of the American Chemical Society in Boston, were welcomed by pollution experts – and may explain a “missing” source of smog-producing gas in the skies of London.

Grime and the city

“Rather than being a permanent sink for nitrogen oxide gases… grime exposed to sunlight can re-release some of these gases back into the urban atmosphere,” said James Donaldson, a chemistry professor at the University of Toronto in Canada who led the research.

Some of Prof Donaldson’s previous work had already shown that in a laboratory, artificial sunlight can strip the nitrogen component from grime – which is essentially a cocktail of chemicals belched into city air by exhaust pipes and chimneys.

In the latest experiments he worked with colleagues in Leipzig, Germany, to shift the work outside.

On a tower above the city they set up two large shelves filled with beads of window glass.

Both sets of beads received the same air flow – and got thoroughly grimy – but only one was in the sun.

“The ones which were exposed to sunlight showed 10% less nitrate than the ones which were shaded, suggesting that there is a photochemical loss [of nitrogen] consistent with what we saw in the lab,” Prof Donaldson told journalists at the conference.

That 10% drop may seem like a small effect, but it reflects a “steady state” difference: as the sunshine eats away at the grime’s nitrogen content, fresh nitrogen-rich grime is constantly being deposited.

“In our lab experiments, what we did was take a full bathtub and pull out the plug,” Prof Donaldson explained. “In the field experiment, we opened the plug but left the water running.”

Back in Toronto, he and his team measured exactly where the nitrogen goes when grime is exposed to sunlight. Two gases emerged, and neither of them were good news.

“What we have seen in the lab is that [what comes out] is likely a combination of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and nitrous acid (HONO or HNO2),” Prof Donaldson told the BBC.

This is important because while NO2 is toxic, HONO can drive the production of ozone – the gas which causes photochemical smog in cities.

Smog accounting
Dr James Lee, from the Wolfson Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratory at the University of York, said this production of HONO was the most significant aspect of the findings.

“The amount of nitrogen oxides (NOx) given off by exhausts in the centre of a city will probably be much higher than what grime can take up and then give back off again,” he explained.

“But if some of it is transformed into HONO, then that really is important.”

Why? In part, because it might explain a puzzling gap in Dr Lee’s own observations of polluted London air.

“If you put into a model all the known sources of HONO, from my work in London there’s about 30% missing compared to the quantity of HONO that you can measure directly,” he explained, adding that this missing source is “very significant” for predicting ozone quantities – which the Met Office does as part of air quality forecasts.

Simon Birkett, of the campaign group Clean Air in London, described the study as “a really worthwhile piece of research”, noting that the sheer quantity of grime in London could make it “a big potential source of pollution”.

Mr Birkett pointed out that NO2 and ozone are the two gases that are currently regulated for health purposes.

“If grime is contributing, then we need scientists to tell us how much [gas] is coming off and what health effects it has.”

via City grime ‘breathes back out’ polluting nitrogen gases – BBC News.

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Indonesia air pollution: Tens of thousands of lives at risk from new coal plants

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

The Indonesian government’s plan to build 117 new coal-fired power plants could cause tens of thousands of premature deaths, according to a new analysis.

Harvard University researchers say pollution from those coal power plants in the pipeline will put 21,200 lives at risk — and that’s on top of the 6,500 premature deaths caused in the country by the existing 42 coal plants.

Add to that the 600 people killed outside the country by Indonesian coal pollution and it’s a grand total of 28,300 coal-fired deaths a year.

Each large new coal power plant (1000MW capacity) is expected to kill around 600 Indonesians a year.

Indonesia’s Energy Ministry is also considering how to fulfill a new ambitious plan to add 35GW of new power capacity by 2019.

If they opt for coal – as looks to be the case – Havard will probably have to revise up that 28,000 premature deaths figure.

The thing that’s killing them all is the pollution particulate PM2.5 which is so small it can get into the lungs and bloodstream and cause all kinds of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

PM2.5 is made up of mix of pollutants like nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) which coal-fired power plants emit.

indopm

The human cost of coal

The Harvard research is basis of a Greenpeace report called The Human Cost of Coal Power, in which a detailed breakdown of the projected deaths is provided.

With all those currently under construction coal plants, the number dying inside Indonesia and out from heart disease, lung cancer, and strokes will triple, with obstructive pulmonary disease claiming nearly four time as many lives.

Acute respiratory infections are expected to kill around 400 young children a year.

currentimpacts

And Indonesia is planning on massively increasing its coal capacity further, though the report hasn’t got any concrete figures on this latest expansion.

President Jokowi is planning for 35GW of new power plants by 2019, 22 of which will probably be coal-fired (62%).

indolimits

(Credit: Greenpeace)

Coal accounts for around 50% of Indonesia’s energy-related SO2 emissions, 30% of PM10 emissions, and 28% of NOx emissions, according to 2008 data.

Those figures are probably much higher now since coal use doubled from 2008 to 2014, and its share in the energy mix increased from 24% to 35%.

And, as the graph above illustrates, Indonesia has incredibly lax air pollution standards — a very weak 150μg/m3 daily ceiling for PM10 and no limit at all for PM2.5.

Smog-stricken China has standards that far outstrip Indoensia’s. Plus there’s almost no air quality monitoring.

Less coal going to China

Indonesia’s doubling down on coal comes as its exports have fallen 18% so far this year as best customer China begins to wean itself off the dirty fossil fuel — shipments to China have fallen by 49%

Instead the historically coal-exporting country will use the fossil to fuel its own power sector, the capacity of which grew 78% from 1993 to 2003 — and nearly half of that came from coal.

via Indonesia air pollution: Tens of thousands of lives at risk from new coal plants – Energydesk.

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Could controlling fire emissions in industrial plantations be key to improving air quality in Equatorial Asia?

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Researchers have combined satellite observations with atmospheric modelling to calculate how fires associated with industrial concessions in the Sumatra and Kalimantan regions of Indonesia affect air quality across Equatorial Asia.

Researchers have combined satellite observations with atmospheric modelling to calculate how fires associated with industrial concessions in the Sumatra and Kalimantan regions of Indonesia affect air quality across Equatorial Asia.

The findings, published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, show that these industrial plantation-related fires make up almost half of the total fire emissions in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The researchers, based at Columbia University, USA, and Harvard University, USA, studied the oil palm, logging, and timber (for wood pulp and paper) industries, and demonstrated that fires located in timber and oil palm concessions in Sumatra and Kalimantan, respectively, make the biggest contributions to air pollution.

“Our results show the importance in limiting the use of fire by these industries,” explains Dr Miriam Marlier, of Columbia University, a lead author on the paper. “Especially in areas of land particularly susceptible to burning, such as degraded peatlands and deforested areas.”

Air quality in Indonesia is an important topic, with the country ranking 112 of 178 in the 2014 Environmental Performance Index1, and the country being the 3rd highest producer of greenhouse gases in the world2.

Proximity to the polluting areas plays an important role — the lower emissions from Sumatra had a greater effect on Singapore air quality than the higher emission levels observed in Kalimantan.

“Limiting the use of fires by these industries — particularly the palm oil and timber concessions — will obviously improve things.” continues Dr Marlier. “Failing this, limiting the re-classification of logging concessions, where we observed low fire activity, to oil palm and timber concessions will limit the public health impacts of these emissions.”

Dr Marlier and her colleagues next plan is to see how these results are effected by yearly climate variations, and estimate the public health costs of air quality degradation caused by these industries.

via Could controlling fire emissions in industrial plantations be key to improving air quality in Equatorial Asia? — ScienceDaily.

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Caring for the Air – Forest Fires, Air Quality Advisories, and Why Fraser Valley Smog is Worse in the Summer

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Forest fires outside our region are having an impact on air quality in the Lower Fraser Valley this summer. Elevated concentrations of fine particulate matter from those fires resulted in an air quality advisory being issued for the eastern parts of the Fraser Valley from Aug. 12 to Aug 13. During this type of advisory it is recommended that people with chronic underlying medical conditions avoid strenuous activities.  Advisories also offer tips for individuals to reduce their own health risks and help improve the quality of our air. But even without forest fires, air quality in the Lower Mainland can deteriorate in the summer. Here’s why sunlight and heat can equal smog in our region, especially in the Lower Fraser Valley.​

Metro Vancouver is part of the Lower Fraser Valley, an area of land located between the Coast Mountains to the north and the Cascades to the south. Ground-level ozone can form in this valley when nitrogen oxides react with volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Since sunlight and heat are important ingredients in this reaction, smog can become an issue during the summer on hot, sunny days with stagnant weather.

Sources of Smog

In the presence of sunlight, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react together and produce ground-level ozone, one of the main components of smog. The primary sources of NOx are cars, trucks, buses, ships and other non-road equipment, and heating of buildings, while the main human-caused sources of VOCs are personal care and cleaning products, solvents, paints, non-road equipment, cars, trucks and vehicle refuelling at service stations.

Due to warmer temperatures and restricted air circulation, summertime ground-level ozone tends to be higher in the eastern portions of Metro Vancouver, such as Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and Langley, as well as the Fraser Valley Regional District.

Reducing VOC  Emissions

Scientists have confirmed that VOC are the critical limiting factor to suppress ground-level ozone formation in Metro Vancouver, so Metro Vancouver is working to develop policy and program options to reduce VOC emissions. In the meantime, these are some steps you can take to go VOC-free or low-VOC in your daily life:

  • Switch to a low-VOC option: Where possible, look for the low-VOC option for household products. Paints are an example of a product where low-VOC latex-based options are readily available substitutes. For other products, such as nail polish remover, low-VOC options are available, but will require some sleuthing to find.
  • Avoid the aerosol: The propellant used in aerosol cooking sprays, hairsprays, deodorants, and other household products are VOC – typically propane, n-butane, and isobutene. This means that in addition to the VOC in the product itself, additional VOC are required to create the spray mist. Opt for hand pump or compressed-air based sprays; or switch to direct application versions, such as roll-on perfumes and deodorants.
  • Store smart: When storing products that contain VOC, do so in tightly-sealed, original containers. For gasoline, replace your old gas cans with cans that comply with emission and spill control standards. Or better yet, buy small amounts as you need it, so you don’t have to store these products!
  • Recycle: Properly dispose of products containing VOC. Many of these products are considered household hazardous wastes and should be disposed of at special facilities. For more information, see http://www. metrovancouverrecycles.org to find out where to dispose of various products.
  • Say goodbye to gas: Your gasoline vehicle is likely your most significant source of VOC in your home. Do away with gasoline altogether, by switching to electricity for your lawn and garden equipment and your vehicle.  Or go manual and get exercise too!

Learn more about Ozone and Smog

You can learn more about the interrelationships between VOC, nitrogen oxide, smog, and ground level ozone by downloading the 2015 Caring for the Air report (FOCUS on VOC – page 12).

Track The Current Air Quality in Your Neighbourhood

This web-app AirMap displays air quality and weather data from the Lower Fraser Valley Air Quality Monitoring Network in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Metro Vancouver operates this network in cooperation with the Fraser Valley Regional District, Environment Canada and other partners.

airmap-screengrab

Air quality advisory information and real-time air quality readings for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley communities, along with potential health impacts can be found at:
http://www.metrovancouver.org/services/air-quality/emissions-monitoring/monitoring/current/Pages/default.aspx

via http://metrovancouverblog.org/2015/08/14/caring-for-the-air-forest-fires-air-quality-advisories-and-why-fraser-valley-smog-is-worse-in-the-summer/

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Air pollution ‘much worse than thought’ with toddlers hit hardest

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution in Hammersmith & Fulham could be far worse than previously thought, a new study has revealed.

And the results of tests carried out by hfcyclists – a branch of the London Cycling Campaign based in and focused on Hammersmith & Fulham – show babies and toddlers could be hit hardest by poisonous traffic fumes.

The community group carried out tests at two of the borough’s traffic hot spots, the Hammersmith Gyratory and Shepherd’s Bush Green, and found air pollution was up to 30% higher at pushchair-height raising concern about the health impact on young children.

Currently, the council measures air pollution through diversion tubes placed at a height of 3m to help prevent tampering.

But concerns that current measurements might be underestimating the severity of the situation appear to have been proved correct by hfcyclists, who suspected concentration levels of pollution would have decreased from that height, meaning measurements at 3m would give lower concentrations levels of air pollution than actually experienced by people.

Overall around Hammersmith Broadway and Shepherd’s Bush Green, the group found most nitrogen dioxide levels at 3m to be more than twice the legal limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre (40µg/m3).

But diffusion tubes placed at different heights revealed showed different results. Testers placed 50cm high, similar to a simple pushchair, measured nitrogen dioxide levels about 30% higher than at 3m.

And at 80cms, the height of a taller buggy or young child, nitrogen dioxide levels were found to be about 25% higher than at three metres.

Group chairman John Griffiths said he was concerned at the damage being caused to health of children: “We knew that air pollution around the Hammersmith Gyratory and Shepherd’s Bush was bad but we are alarmed by just how bad it is. It’s worrying to think how this might be affecting children whose lungs are developing and particular susceptible to permanent damage.

“Our experiment highlights that urgent action is needed to reduce air pollution and in particular get more people walking and cycling instead of driving.”

He urged Transport for London, which is planning to make changes to the gyratory, to create more lanes for cyclists at the expense of polluting traffic.

Andrea Lee, Healthy Air London coordinator at ClientEarth, which carried out the work with hfcyclists, said: “A recent study from the Mayor of London has revealed that almost 10,000 early deaths each year in London are caused by air pollution.

“Air pollution affects us all but some members of society, such as young children, older people and people with heart and respiratory conditions, are more vulnerable to the impacts. The Mayor, councils and the UK Government need to do more to protect people from illegal levels of air pollution.”

via Air pollution ‘much worse than thought’ with toddlers hit hardest – Get West London.

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