Delhi loses 80 lives to air pollution every day, says study

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

A new study has revealed that that air pollution in Delhi is responsible for approximately 20,000 to 30,000 annual deaths in the city. This means the capital city loses 80 lives every day to pollution from PM2.5.

The study also mentions that the deaths are mostly from heart attacks and strokes, rather than from respiratory disorders. Leading researchers of the study include Joshua Apte from University of Texas, Julian Marshall from University of Minnesota, Michael Brauer from University of British Columbia and Dr Aaron Cohen from Health Effects Institute.

Previously, the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had issued a public interest advertisement in The Times of India, saying “51,779 dead by Breathing”. This was also reported in some other media publications across the country under the headline “Air pollution in Delhi has claimed more victims than the terrorists’ guns in India”.

With the recent study concluding that Delhi loses 80 deaths per day to air pollution or three deaths per hour, the figure is now three times higher than CSE’s calculation for 1997. If no action is taken, these deaths could rise by 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

Outdoor air pollution is the fifth largest killer in India. Till now, various studies have highlighted the issue. Global Burden of Disease study in 2013 had estimated approximately 627,000 premature deaths in India for 2010 due to PM 2.5 with ischemic heart diseases claiming more lives than respiratory diseases. It also estimated that air pollution from PM2.5 in the world claims as many as 3.2 million deaths per annum.  In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) had named Delhi as the most polluted city in the world, with 13 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world hailing from India. PM2.5 was again cited as the biggest source of air pollution in Delhi.

Not a mission impossible

The recent study has mentioned that 45 per cent of Delhi’s premature deaths could be controlled if the city took preventive measures to control its problem of air pollution and meet its national ambient air quality standards. The safe standard for PM2.5 in India is 60 microgram per cubic metre (24-hour standard), four times higher than the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard (25 microgram/cubic metre). If Delhi could meet the standard laid out by the WHO, then 85 per cent of premature deaths could be avoided. The study has also used a global model to estimate the number of deaths that can be avoided in future by controlling this air pollution. Across India, four lakh premature deaths per year could be avoided if we managed to meet the WHO standards. Almost 1.4 million premature deaths can be prevented in India.

Failed measures

In December 2015, CSE had classified the air in Delhi as “severely polluted” for over 65 per cent days. This would mean extreme health disorders for a healthy human being also. The release of national air quality index in India has not been very useful since the local air quality monitoring stations fail to generate data and there is little being done to monitor the situation. Due to insufficient air quality data, air quality index cannot be calculated in a number of cities for most of the days.

As per the Air Quality Index bulletin issued by the government, the air quality as of June 17, 2015 is “poor” in Delhi and Faridabad and “very poor” in Lucknow. However, there is no news or health advisory issued by the government on this.  Moreover, in cities without an air quality index, there is even lesser awareness on the issue.

via Delhi loses 80 lives to air pollution every day, says study | Down To Earth.

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PN blasts ‘failure’ of traffic roadmap as air pollution increases

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Marthese Portelli warns that CO2 emissions in Malta increased by 2.5% last year, compared with an average 5% decline across the EU

The Nationalist Party has hit out at the government for “failing” to stick to its roadmap to reduce traffic on the roads.

“Traffic has now become the public’s biggest headache,” shadow transport minister Marthese Portelli said in a statement. “The government should implement its famous roadmap to reduce traffic, or at least to stop it increasing.”

Recent Eurostat statistics show that carbon dioxide emissions increased by 2.5% in Malta last year when compared with 2013, behind only Bulgaria (+7.1%) and Cyprus (+3.5%). On average, carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 5% across the EU.

Portelli linked this emission increase to the increase in traffic on the roads.

“This is a consequence of the increase in traffic,” Portelli said.

via PN blasts ‘failure’ of traffic roadmap as air pollution increases – MaltaToday.com.mt.

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Air pollution kills 20,000 people a year in Mexico, report says

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution kills more than 20,000 people each year in Mexico and can trigger asthma attacks, especially in urban áreas like Mexico City, one of the world’s largest metropolitan areas, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, or INEGI, said in a report.

The report, titled “National Report on Air Quality in Mexico, 2013,” estimated that air pollution caused around 20,500 deaths in Mexico in 2010, with obstructive pulmonary chronic diseases, or OPCDs, ranking as the No. 8 cause of death.

In addition, between 10 percent and 20 percent of deaths from respiratory conditions and cancer are directly associated with air pollution, Justino Regalado, deputy medical director at the National Institute for Respiratory Diseases, told Efe.

“These are people who have never been exposed directly to known carcinogenic compounds, like tobacco smoke. Therefore, the only explanation for their illnesses is their continued residence in large cities,” Regalado said.

Mexicans living in large cities, such as the capital, which, along with its suburbs is home to more than 20 million people, are exposed daily to multiple toxic particles, like ozone, sulfur dioxide, ammonium dioxide and other nitrogen oxides, suspended in the air.

These compounds are derived from fossil fuels burned mostly by motor vehicles and “including some metals and sulfur” from industrial emissions, as well as ground particles, such as aluminum and silicates, National Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM, Center for Atmospheric Sciences researcher Gerardo Ruiz told Efe.

In addition to aggravating serious respiratory conditions like OPCDs and causing the development of related tumors, direct exposure to the airborne compounds causes inflammation of tissues in airways and irritation of the eyes, and some particles have “a high cardiovascular impact,” Regalado said.

Higher levels of such compounds in the atmosphere is directly associated with the incidence of asthma attacks, pharyngitis and rhinitis, Regalado said.

The figures are worrisome, Regalado said, adding that not all urban areas dealt with the problem with the same effort.

“A serious problem is that monitoring systems outside the metropolitan area in the Valley of Mexico yield results that cannot be trusted much,” Regalado said, noting nearby urban centers like Puebla, the capital of Toluca state, and Cuernavaca and Pachuca.

Some progress has been made in Mexico City, the urban area most affected by air pollution, thanks to measures taken by officials, such as regulating the use of automobiles, but the “results have stagnated” in recent years, Regalado said.

via Air pollution kills 20,000 people a year in Mexico, report says | Fox News Latino.

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Air pollution may damage brain

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Long-term exposure to air pollution may lead to loss of white matter in the brain, a research has found.

White matter in the brain is made of axon cells, which enable the nerves to communicate.

In a new study, older women who lived in places with higher air pollution had significantly reduced white matter in the brain.

“Investigating the impact of air pollution on the human brain is a new area of environmental neurosciences,” said lead author of the study Jiu-Chiuan Chen from Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California in the US.

“Our study provides the convincing evidence that several parts of the ageing brain, especially the white matter, are an important target of neurotoxic effects induced by long-term exposure to fine particles in the ambient air.” For the study, the researchers took brain scans of 1403 women who were 71 to 89 years old and used residential histories and air monitoring data to estimate their exposure to air pollution in the previous six to seven years.

The results suggest that ambient particulate air pollutants may have a deleterious effect on brain ageing.

The study was published in the journal Annals of Neurology.

via Air pollution may damage brain.

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Green spaces improve schoolchildren’s mental development, study finds

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Green spaces within and around city schools improve the mental development of young children, a study has found. The findings may partly be explained by reduced exposure to traffic pollution, experts believe. Other influences could include the psychological effect of having views of fields and trees rather than roads and buildings.

The Spanish researchers found that each degree of increase in surrounding greenness led to a 5% improvement in the development of short-term, or working, memory over a period of one year. It also improved the progress of “superior working memory” – the ability to update memories with changing information – by 6%, and reduced inattentiveness. Computer analysis suggested that carbon from traffic fumes might account for up to 65% of the trend.

The researchers carried out mental performance tests on 2,593 children aged seven to 10 attending 36 primary schools in Barcelona every three months for a year. At this age, children’s brains are rapidly developing and their mental abilities improving. Over the study period, participants’ overall working memory increased by an average of 22.8%, and superior working memory by 15.2%, while inattentiveness decreased by 18.9%.

Exposure to green spaces was assessed with the help of satellite images. The scientists applied a measurement called Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) based on the reflective properties of land surfaces. The results are reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Led by Dr Payam Dadvand, from the Centre for Research and Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, the researchers wrote: “Approximately one half of the world population lives in cities, and it is projected that by 2030, three of every five persons will live in urban areas worldwide.

“Urban areas are characterised by a network of non-natural built-up infrastructures with increased pollutant levels and less green environments. Children’s exposure to these pollutants such as air pollution and noise has been associated with detrimental impacts on their cognitive development.

“Our findings suggest a beneficial impact of green space exposure on cognitive development, with part of this effect resulting from buffering against such urban environmental pollutants.”

Schools that increased greenness within their boundaries by the amounts observed in the study could reduce the proportion of children with impaired superior working memory development by nearly 9%, said the researchers.

British experts said the study was interesting, but pointed out some limitations. Professor Andy Jones, from Norwich medical school at the University of East Anglia, said: “The measure of green space used was the amount of vegetation in the neighbourhoods of the children and their schools derived from satellite images. It was not a direct measure of usable green spaces, like public parks, although they will be included.

“The researchers know the amount of vegetation in the vicinity of the children, but not if the children actually came into contact with it. The only thing the researchers considered about the family was the level of education the mother had obtained. It might be that unmeasured family characteristics could at least partially explain the associations they observed.”

Dr Ross Cameron, senior lecturer in landscape management, ecology and design at the University of Sheffield, said: “The authors suggest a causal link between air quality and green space: poor air quality reducing attentiveness and cognitive function, green space tending to improve local air quality. They admit however that this factor only seems to explain part of their correlations.

“Socioeconomic factors are catered for, but there may be more subtle additional effects missing from the analyses and the authors acknowledge mental health of parents was not considered. For example, poorer areas tend to be less green, but also have higher incidences of health problems. Such impacts on parents may also affect their children in terms of educational performance.”

via Green spaces improve schoolchildren’s mental development, study finds | Environment | The Guardian.

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Air pollution kills more than Aids and malaria COMBINED each year

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

  • Air pollution results on around 3.2 million early deaths each year
  • From conditions including heart attack, stroke and lung cancer
  • That’s more than early deaths from HIV-Aids and malaria combined
  • Meeting air quality guidelines could prevent 2.1 million early deaths a year

Air pollution kills more people every year than Aids and malaria combined, warns new research.

Scientists say meeting global air quality guidelines could prevent 2.1 million deaths per year.

They developed a global model of how changes in outdoor air pollution could reduce health problems, including heart attack, stroke and lung cancer.

And their findings reveal outdoor particulate air pollution results in 3.2 million premature deaths each year – more than the combined impact of HIV-Aids and malaria.

By meeting the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) particulate air quality guidelines, the team of environmental engineering and public health researchers estimate 2.1 million early deaths could be prevented.

The new study is the first detailed analysis of how improvements in particulate air pollution worldwide would yield improvement in health, and where those improvements would occur.

The researchers looked at outdoor air pollution from particulate matter (PM) smaller than 2.5 microns which can enter deep into the lungs.

Breathing PM is associated with increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular disease; respiratory illnesses such as emphysema; and cancer.

PM pollution comes from fires, coal power plants, cars and lorries, plus agricultural and industrial emissions.

via Air pollution kills more than Aids and malaria COMBINED each year | Daily Mail Online.

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Respro® Masks FAQ: How do the Sportsta™ and City™ filters differ?

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

How do the Sportsta™ and City™ filters differ?

Each filters type has a primary use in a specific environment.

1. The City filter uses Dynamic Activated Charcoal Cloth (DACC) a 95% pure charcoal weave, originally developed by the U.K. Ministry of Defence for use in the protection against chemical and bacteria warfare situations. We use DACC to effectively filter out Primary pollutants associated with vehicle exhaust emissions. The DACC is laminated with medical grade non woven polypropylene material which filters particulates from the air and helps prevent them from entering the respiratory system.

The City™ filter offers protection against: – Hydrocarbons. e.g. Benzene; Pyrene; 1,3 Butadiene. – Acid gases. e.g. Nitrogen dioxide; Sulphur dioxide. – Photo-chemical pollutants. e.g. Low level Ozone – Particulates. e.g. Black smoke; Pollen; Lead oxide. For a more comprehensive list of all the chemicals that have tested with DACC, please go to the Industrial section of the website.

2. The Sportsta™ filter uses electrostatically charged fibres to attract airborne particulates down to 0.3 microns in size. 1 Micron = 1/1000mm. Unlike most particle filters which rely on mechanical retention, which inherently results in high inhalation resistance or very large cumbersome filters, the Sportsta™ filter offers extremely low inhalation resistance, by like comparison. The Sportsta™ filter offers protection against: – Pollen dust; Building dust; Clay dust; Grain dust; Soya dust; Carbon dust; House dust; Cigarette smoke. – PM10’s. e.g. Diesel smoke. – Lead & Tar.

For more Frequently Asked Questions,  see Respro® Mask FAQ

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MERS: South Korea Tightens Quarantines to Prevent Spread

Posted on June 16, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

When death came for one of South Korea’s sufferers of a rare viral outbreak, there was no family farewell.

Strict hospital quarantine rules prevented the four children of a suspected Middle East Respiratory Syndrome patient in Daejeon, central South Korea, from visiting their father. The 82-year-old man died on June 3, while his wife was in a nearby hospital ward under observation for a suspected MERS infection, according to local media reports.

Her condition, the health ministry said last week, has since become critical after it was confirmed she had the virus. The ministry is now declining to discuss individual MERS cases, citing privacy concerns.

“The most important thing for us is to have mother back at home in full health. When she comes home, we will bow to our father’s portrait,” one of the family’s three sons told the Yonhap News Agency. The family and the hospital couldn’t be reached for comment.

As South Korea seeks to prevent spread of the virus, it has tightened quarantines that were initially blamed for being too lax and allowing MERS to spread. The nation’s first outbreak of the virus began when a man returned from the Middle East on May 20 and visited several hospitals seeking medical help before being diagnosed and quarantined.

World Health Organization officials say the virus appears to be contained within medical facilities, but on Sundaywarned that more cases were likely. On Monday, health authorities reported the 16th death of a MERS patient and five new cases, taking the total to 150. The latest fatality was of a 58-year-old man who had diabetes.

Most deaths have been in older people with other illnesses. The 82-year-old man in Daejeon, who hasn’t been named, suffered from asthma and high blood pressure.

One of the new cases announced Monday is a 39-year-old female hospital worker who treated the man on June 3. The health ministry said Monday it was closing parts of the hospital after the woman’s diagnosis in a further effort to prevent the virus’s spread. Several other hospitals that treated MERS sufferers have been partially or completely closed.

More than 5,000 people are under MERS quarantine. On Friday, one patient at a hospital in Seoul broke a door lock while waiting for a MERS test and returned home, according to local reports. He went to a different hospital the following day and was admitted after confirmation he had MERS. Health officials have since been trying to determine who he came into contact with after fleeing the first facility.

The elderly man in Daejeon is suspected of contracting the virus after sharing a hospital room with a MERS carrier, according to the health ministry. It isn’t clear how his wife, 83, caught the virus, but WHO officials say that South Korea’s tradition of families providing care for members who are hospitalized may have contributed. Some of the man’s children are now under house quarantine.

While South Korea tries to prevent the spread of MERS in local communities, thousands of schools that closed because of fears of MERS reopened on Monday following an advisory from the WHO saying the measure was no longer necessary.

via MERS: South Korea Tightens Quarantines to Prevent Spread.

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