Joggers told to avoid certain London City streets due to air pollution

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

The City of London have issued a new alert system to warn joggers to exercising in areas where air levels are unsafe.

Due to potentially toxic levels of air pollution in several areas around the city, joggers are being warned to avoid several main intersections when pollution levels are high. The streets to be avoided include:

Bank Junction

Bishopsgate into Gracechurch Street

Upper into Lower Thames Street

Farringdon Street into New Bridge Street.

Jon Averns, Public Protection Director at the City of London Corporation, said the routes did not have to be avoided every day, but central London was vulnerable to summer smog air pollution, and people should take precautions over the next few months.

This type of smog can cause high pollution episodes, which are bad for everyone, but particularly dangerous for people with existing respiratory, heart or lung problems. During very bad pollution episodes, even a normally fit and healthy person can experience issues. Strenuous exercise means deeper breathing and more particles inhaled into the lungs, so we are calling on Londoners to plan their travel routes and avoid jogging through pollution hot spots.

– JON AVERNS, PUBLIC PROTECTION DIRECTOR, CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION

The City of London has launched a free phone app to alert people of potentially harmful levels of pollution – as they change and increase throughout the summer.

The app – ‘City Air’ – alerts users to periods of high pollution, and shows levels of all currently measured types of pollution – nitrogen dioxide, small particiles, PM10 and PM2.5 and ozone – across the capital.

It also generates the best routes in order to avoid toxic levels of air pollution – for joggers, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. Ruth Calderwood, Environmental Policy Officer at City of London Corporation said it was vital that Londoners could act to to protect themselves from the invisible threat posed by toxic air.
Modern day pollution is invisible, but the ground-breaking augmented reality 3D view of air pollution across London really helps users see their city in a new way. We want to alert Londoners to the problem areas so they can take action themselves, and manage their own behaviour – even if it’s just to go jogging in the evening rather than the morning, or avoid more polluted areas.

via Joggers told to avoid certain London City streets due to air pollution | London – ITV News.

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California air quality rules to tighten after cancer risk estimate triples

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Factories and oil refineries in southern California face a new crackdown on their emissions of air toxins, after experts in the state reported that breathing in pollution carries almost three times the risk of causing cancer than was previously thought, especially for children and babies.

Air quality regulators covering almost 11,000 square miles that are inhabited by almost 17 million people, including residents of Los Angeles, have approved new rules designed to help protect the public from poisons such as arsenic, benzene and heavy metals in industrial emissions.

The move follows a report from state officials that estimated that the cancer risk from toxic air contaminants to be nearly three times as high as previously thought, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Southern California business groups have objected to the prospect of tighter controls. The Los Angeles County Business Federation warned officials to “avoid unnecessarily alarming the public”.

Depending on their levels of toxic emissions, industrial concerns could be required to take measures ranging from further reducing pollutants pumped into the air to warning nearby residents of the health risks of the emissions.

The new rules were agreed on Friday by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) governing board, the air pollution control agency for a region which is inhabited by half of the population of California and is the second-most populated urban area in the US. It is also “one of the smoggiest”, according to the regulator’s website.

The SCAQMD covers stationary sources of air pollution, such as power stations, oil refineries and manufacturers, which with households produce 25% of the area’s ozone-forming pollution. The other 75% comes from mobile polluters such as road vehicles, trains and planes. Emissions standards for mobile sources of pollution are covered by state and federal bodies, the SCAQMD said.

Air pollution in southern California has been falling for decades because of increased regulation, but now regulators want to go further.

Officials are responding to scientific studies over the last decade that show young children and infants to be more sensitive to toxic air pollutants than previously thought. Past estimates were based on adults. Inhaling industrial pollutants early in childhood could significantly raise the risk of developing cancer later in life, experts have found, according to the LA Times report.

More than 30 other districts in California are making changes based on the new state-issued health risk guidelines, but the region covered by the SCAQMD suffers from very high levels of pollution.

Last year, Los Angeles had 94 “smog days”, when pollutants in the air exceeded federal standards – up from 88 in 2013, according to regulators. In the 1970s, the number was regularly above 200.

Residents of southern California contend with the highest cancer risk from air pollution in the state, according to regulators.

The current rules for the region cover about 400 industrial facilities. Around 90 will be affected by the new rules. Regulators intend to measure emissions of the facilities to which they issue operating permits and notify those which need to issue warnings, hold public meetings and cut emissions.

via California air quality rules to tighten after cancer risk estimate triples | Environment | The Guardian.

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New air quality rating raises concerns

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

When the air quality in Santa Cruz County was given an “F” by the American Lung Association earlier in the year, people took notice. After all, residents were use to an “A” based on the Santa Cruz Mountains’ barrier to Silicon Valley’s pollution and the Bay’s clean winds.

The ALA had been receiving air standards results from a site in Santa Cruz, not from the San Lorenzo Valley. After air quality monitors were installed in Scotts Valley and in the San Lorenzo Valley at the Middle School a few years ago, a major inconsistency between the two areas became evident.

While the Scotts Valley station showed excellent air quality results, the monitor at the SLVMS showed high levels of fine particulate matter particles that are inhalable during the winter months.

Smoke from fireplaces and wood stoves cause the high levels of particulate matter, while the Valley’s unique geography and wintertime inversion keep the smoke from escaping. The Monterey Bay Unified Air Pollution Control District recorded 20 to 40 violations per year for the area in the first three winters they monitored. When the particulate matter is above Federal Ambient Air Quality Standards, residents with certain health issues can be affected.

The District monitors air quality in Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties, which have never gone over the standards in 15 years of monitoring. Last winter, which was the fourth year of monitoring in the Valley, was warmer than usual and fewer violations were noted.

Some SLV residents took the winter results to the American Lung Association, who changed the rating for the County to an “F.” Bob Nunes, an air planner for the District, disagreed with the decision.

“I don’t think the rating is representative of the County in general. What’s happening in the San Lorenzo Valley is due to a microclimate and it’s a very small area compared to the rest of the County. I don’t think it’s appropriate to characterize the entire county with an F,” he said.

To learn about the air quality where you live, Nunes advises checking out http://mbuapcd.org/ and clicking on “Air Quality” where you will find a suite of measurements.

By clicking next on “Current” you can locate local stations in the “Good” range for ozone at this time of year. Ozone measures the pollution from cars, which gets worse as the season warms. The SLV Middle School stands now at “Good” for particulate matter.

In an attempt to increase air quality standards, Fifth District Supervisor Bruce McPherson and his staff analyst, Robin Musitelli, enlisted the help of residents to brainstorm ideas. Known as the Woodsmoke Stakeholders, the group is working on initiatives concerning requirements for woodstoves and fireplaces in new constructions, the “Don’t Damper Down” campaign, citations/classes for dirty burning, and others.

At last Monday’s meeting, Musitelli reports that ideas included restricting the resale of old wood stoves, forming a joint program with the County and the Valley Women’s Club to produce a coloring book for kids showing how they can stop air pollution, and buyer/owner conditions of escrow to change-out old wood burning stoves to clean burning heating, like pellet stoves.

Nunes reminds citizens of another form of air pollution — residential stack burns. As of May 1, 2015, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) requires a burn permit for any outdoor open burning in State Responsibility Areas (SRA). SRAs are generally the unincorporated, rural, grass, brush and timber covered lands, like the San Lorenzo Valley. Contact CAL FIRE for permits and other fire control information at http://www.santacruzcountyfire.com/ or call 831-335-5353 in Felton.

via New air quality rating raises concerns – Golden State Newspapers: Press Banner.

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World Environment Day: Air pollution jumps to number 5 spot among top killers, says report

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Needless delays in executing projects have led to the worsening of air quality across several cities in the country and a new draft audit inspection report shows that the purpose of setting up continuous real time air quality monitoring stations by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has been defeated.

Air pollution has jumped to the number five spot among the top killers, according to India specific data released by the Global Burden of Disease, which stated that it had caused over six lakh deaths in 2010. While another Environment Day will be observed on June 5, experts have raised issues whether adequate awareness had been created and measures taken to protect nature.

Twelve years ago, the Supreme Court (SC) had identified 16 cities where air pollution was high and respirable particulate matter had exceeded permissible limits. The court had directed the respective state governments to prepare an action plan to control air pollution in those cities but a draft audit inspection report has shown that the aim to set up continuous real time air quality monitoring stations had been defeated.

While the office of the principal director of the Audit Scientific Department, New Delhi, sent the draft inspection report to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in February, it has shown that data had not been updated regarding continuous real time air quality monitoring at 16 locations in the country.

Moreover, a project, Indian Cities Air Quality Information System, that was to set up a robust database management system in 2011 and executed by Pune-based Centre for Development of Advanced Computing C-DAC was delayed by over four years.

The CPCB plays a key role in controlling pollution and in 2003, the board had agreed to set up continuous air quality monitoring stations at 16 cities. The audit conducted in February showed that CPCB was not receiving data on real-time basis. In Maharashtra, there are three sites – Mumbai, Pune and Solapur. In Pune, the station has been discontinued due to local issues, while in Solapur, it is not online. Real-time data is also not online in Kolkata, Jodhpur and Patna, while in Bangalore connectivity issues pose a problem. The only cities where current real time data is available are Kanpur, Varanasi, Ahmedabad and Agra.

Pune-based civic activist Vihar Durve, who had obtained a copy of the 49-page draft inspection report through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and subsequently sent it to the Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, chief ministers of various states, the National Green Tribunal and others, told The Indian Express that there had been numerous delays in several projects.

The audit on accounts of CPCB for the period 2013-14 was conducted from January 1 to February 18. According to the report, there has also been a delay in the completion of Indian Cities Air Quality Information System. The project was sanctioned on March 29, 2010, with C-DAC being expected to complete it by 2011. The first installment of Rs 94 lakh was released by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in April 2010 and second installment of Rs 12 lakh in March 2012.

This would have been a robust data-based management system designed to handle and retrieve large volume of data related to air quality. It is provided with a web-based interface to upload, manage and access data. The audit team observed that the project was to be completed by March 31, 2011, but the MoU between CPCB and C-DAC was executed in October 2010 and the first installment of Rs 79 lakh was released in May 2011.

There was a delay in release of funds (from the date of release by Ministry of Environment and Forests) by 13 months. It was only on January 1, that the acceptance report on the project was issued, stating that it was completed and software was acceptable. The report shows that CPCB was not monitoring the progress of the project on a regular basis.

While CPCB officials were not available for comments, Akshara Kaginalkar, head of Computational Earth Science (CES) group, C-DAC, told The Indian Express that UrbAirIndia – a decision support system for Indian urban air quality management – had been rolled out this year. UrbAirIndia is an integrated web-based GIS-enabled system and can be used to assess air pollution impacts from present and future development for a sustainable future, she said.

via World Environment Day: Air pollution jumps to number 5 spot among top killers, says report | The Indian Express | Page 99.

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Slovak air quality among worst in Europe

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

SLOVAKIA belongs among the countries with the biggest air pollution in Europe, data from the European Union’s statistics office, Eurostat, shows.

The World Health Organization estimates that polluted air kills over 6,300 people here annually. The situation is worse only in Poland and Bulgaria.

According to the latest air pollution measurements in Slovakia within the international project Clean Air, the pollution is the biggest in underground garages of shopping malls. This issue can be solved by technical solutions, though.

The Clean Air, presented on June 3, is the result of measurements of the Centre for Sustainable Alternatives (CEPTA).

“We’ve found both hell and heaven in Slovakia as concerns air quality,” said CEPTA head Daniel Lešinský, adding that the cleanest air is in the Tatra mountains. Worst for peoples’ health are fine particles of dust.

Air pollution causes health complications and contributes to early deaths. Miroslav Šuta, an expert on ecological and health risks, explained for the TASR newswire that dust particles in the air reduce life spans by an average of 8.6 months in the whole of European Union, and by as much as 10 months in Slovakia.

The Environment Ministry claims the findings are distorted.

via Slovak air quality among worst in Europe – Politics & society – spectator.sme.sk.

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London’s toxic air ‘has already caused over 1,300 premature deaths this year’

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

More than 1,300 Londoners have already died prematurely due to toxic air so far this year, campaigners warned today.

The shocking death toll includes over 60 estimated fatalities linked to “killer” pollution in Barnet, Croydon and Bromley, and more than 50 in Ealing, Enfield and Havering.

In Wandsworth, Lambeth, Brent, Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Hillingdon, Redbridge and Waltham Forest it was at least 40.

Shadow environment minister Barry Gardiner said: “So far this year 1,337 people have already died as result of air pollution yet the mayor’s proposals will not bring this down to safe levels until 2030.

“We need a new national framework of low and ultra-low emissions zones within which London must roll out the electrification of buses and the highest vehicle standards for all new fleet vehicles within four years. We need decisive action now to protect our children not vague promises for 15 years down the line.”

The figures, published by campaign group Clean Air in London on its CleanAir in Cities app, highlight the power of technology to shed light on the impact of air pollution, and put pressure on City Hall, the Government, businesses and individuals to take action to tackle it.

Scientists have put the death toll in the UK linked to particulate pollution, heavily blamed on diesel engines, at around 29,000 a year, including around 3,400 in London.

But this does not take account of the lethal effects of nitrogen dioxide, with many blackspots from this pollutant in the capital.

Clean Air in London has estimated that 7,500 people a year in the capital are dying early due to NO2 and particulate pollution, and around 55,000 across the UK.

London has dozens of the country’s worst pollution blackspots.

City Hall has stressed that Mayor of London Boris Johnson has delivered “some of the most ambitious and comprehensive measures in the world to help improve air quality,” including taking the most polluting buses and taxis off the road, and a proposed ultra low emission zone by 2020.

“This work has helped halve the number of Londoners living in areas above nitrogen dioxide limits, brought nitrogen oxide emissions down by 20 per cent and emissions of particulate matter down by 15 per cent,” it added.

“Notwithstanding this progress, the Mayor recognises more needs to be done which is why he has recently confirmed proposals for the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone.”

But MPs will debate London’s filthy air in the Commons next week amid growing concerns over its deadly impact.

Lord Deben, chairman of Britain’s committee on climate change, has emphasised that air quality could be significantly improved in the capital if already available technologies were used to clean up transport and other sectors.

Matthew Pencharz, the mayor’s senior adviser on energy and the environment, said: “The Ultra Low Emission Zone confirmed by the mayor will halve emissions of Nitrogen Oxide, will mean 80 per cent of central London meets legal limits for air pollution, and builds on the most comprehensive and ambitious package of measures to tackle air pollution anywhere in the world, which are being implemented right here, right now.

“The mayor set out last year how we could ensure all London meets legal limits by 2020 – but only with support from Government and Europe‎.’

via London’s toxic air ‘has already caused over 1,300 premature deaths this year’ – London – News – London Evening Standard.

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Particulate Air Pollution Linked To Increase In Mortality Rate, Even At Low Concentrations

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Despite a decrease in particulate air pollution across the country, a new study suggests that short-term exposure to any amount of this pollution leads to a shorter life expectancy. Publishing their findings in this month’s issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found a correlation between higher death rates and greater exposure to particulate matter in people 65 and older. Most concerning, though, is that the damaging effects to life expectancy were observed in areas where this form of pollution was below one-third of its current standards for regulation set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

This study proves to be the first of its kind, examining rates of particulate matter and its effects on the population in all zip codes of New England, including rural areas. Particulate pollution refers to small particles found in the air, usually in the form of solid or liquid droplets. The particulate matter specifically being studied was PM2.5, or particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. These particles are so small, they can only be seen through an electron microscope, and usually come from different types of combustion, burning of various materials and some industrial processes.

Using satellite data, researchers were able to monitor particle levels as well as temperature in each zip code of the New England area. By examining the effects of PM2.5 on each location from monitoring stations, researchers were able to discover the effects of short-term exposure and the average annual exposure simultaneously. They then cross referenced this information with health records of the 2.4 million New England residents covered by Medicare from 2003 to 2008, and followed their health until they died.

What researchers ultimately found is cause for alarm. Both long-term, and short-term exposure to PM2.5 was significantly linked to higher death rates, even in areas where annual exposure was below EPA standards. Short-term exposure, defined as two days of exposure, was found to lead to a 2.14 percent increase in death rate per 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration, and long-term exposure defined as one year led to a 7.52 percent increase in death rate per 10 µg/m3 increase. Causes of death for these individuals are most frequently associated with heart disorders, increases in blood pressure, and reduced lung function.

“Most of the country is either meeting the EPA standards now, or is expected to meet them in a few years as new power plant controls kick in,” noted professor of environmental epidemiology, Joel Schwartz, in a recent press release. “This study shows that is not enough. We need to go after coal plants that still aren’t using scrubbers to clean their emissions, as well as other sources of particles like traffic and wood smoke.”

Schwartz also noted that exposure to any amount of particulate air pollution is potentially damaging. “Particulate air pollution is like lead pollution: There is no evidence of a safe threshold even at levels far below current standards, including in the rural areas we investigated,” he said. “We need to focus on strategies that lower exposure everywhere and all the time, and not just in locations or on days with high particulate levels.”

This study proves to be but one of many warning us of the harmful effects of particulate air pollution. In another study conducted by researchers at NYU, particulate matter exposure was also linked to an increase risk of stroke by its narrowing effects on the arteries. As this is just the tip of the iceberg, it may be time to reexamine the standards of regulating this form of pollution.

via Particulate Air Pollution Linked To Increase In Mortality Rate, Even At Low Concentrations.

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Diesel legislation wars set to drag on

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

The European Union’s newly agreed diesel emissions test plan is a groundbreaking one, as for the first time it seeks to take regulatory testing of vehicles out of the laboratory and on to real roads. It’s a move that looks set to be acrimoniously resisted by Europe’s carmakers, who fear that their engines won’t pass current and upcoming legislation if the testing is done under anything other than artificial lab conditions.

Theoretically, manufacturers have to keep to within an 80mg per km of nitrogen oxide (NoX) emissions, agreed back in 2007. Under lab testing, they can do this but recent pollution spikes in major European cities have raised concerns that the real-world figures will be much worse. Nitrogen-oxides are hugely harmful to health, causing respiratory disease and killing thousands every year, especially those who live and work in city centres.

Biggest emitters

Such alarming instances have caused several key European cities, including Paris, Berlin and London, to speak of diesel car bans, as diesel engines are the biggest emitters of NoX. Thus far, those proposals have been about banning older vehicles, which don’t meet the current EuroVI emissions regulations, but by moving the goalposts of the official tests, the EU has the carmakers spooked.

So far, only an agreement to conduct real-world testing has been forged and no actual numbers have been decided on for emissions limits or conducting of the testing. Erik Jonnaert, secretary general of the European carmaker’s alliance, the ACEA, said: “We call on the commission to urgently deliver a complete proposal for Real Driving Emissions (RDE) by June or July at the latest for a positive decision in the regulatory committee.

“We need to make more progress on clarifying all testing conditions to ensure a robust RDE regulation could commence from September 2017. Automobile manufacturers remain concerned about the piecemeal approach the commission is taking in preparing this proposal. This is not smart regulation. We need clarity in advance so that we can plan the development and design of vehicles in line with the new requirements.”

François Cuenot, air pollution officer at environmental pressure group Transport & Environment, said: “T&E is delighted that the commission and member states have taken this important step to tackle air pollution from diesel. Europe now needs to fully enforce the new rules from 2017 to bring an end to dirty diesels.

“The organisation said that the 80mg of nitrogen oxide per km limit agreed for diesel cars in 2007 should be met in full. Member states throughout Europe exceed nitrogen dioxide limits exacerbating asthma in vulnerable people and shortening life expectancy in polluted places.

“Member states are relying on the promise of effective real-driving emissions tests to reduce emissions in the future and avoid potential fines for failing to meeting air pollution rules.”

via Diesel legislation wars set to drag on.

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