Bangkok air unsafe, again

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Smog blanketed Greater Bangkok on Tuesday morning with the worst pollution in Wang Thonglang district of the capital city.

The Pollution Control Department reported that levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometers and less in diameter ranged from 39 to 73 microgrammes per cubic metre of air over the past 24 hours. The local safe threshold is set at 50mcg.

The worst pollution was detected on Soi Lat Phrao 95 and Lat Phrao Road in Wang Thonglang.

Other areas in Bangkok with unsafe PM2.5 levels were in Thon Buri, Bang Khunthian, Bang Na, Pathumwan, Thon Buri, Din Daeng, Bung Kum, Klong Sam Wa, Chom Thong, Phra Khanong, Rat Burana, Bang Phlad, Bang Khae, Dusit, Pomprap Satruphai, Samphanthawong, Phaya Thai, Bang Rak, Sathon, Bang Kho Laem, Don Muang, Bang Kapi, Lat Krabang, Phasi Charoen, Thawi Wattana, Taling Chan, Nong Khaem, Khlong Toei and Bang Sue.

Similar readings were detected in adjacent areas – Phra Pradaeng and Muang districts of Samut Prakan; Klong Luang district of Pathum Thani; Muang and Krathum Baen districts of Samut Sakhon; and Muang district of Nakhon Pathom.

The Pollution Control Department advised people in these areas to reduce their outdoor activities.

Air quality was expected to improve from Feb 9 to 15 as winds picked up.

Bangkok air unsafe, again
Posted in Air Quality | Leave a comment

Forest fires in Amazonian region trigger environmental alert in Colombia’s capital

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

An environmental alert has been issued in the Colombian capital, Bogota, threatened by smoke from active forest fires affecting an area the size of Paris in the country’s Amazon region, local authorities announced on Saturday.

Winds have blown smoke from the fires as far as the Colombian capital, about 350 km to the northwest, Belga news agency reports.

“The city is now on an environmental alert,” Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez tweeted on Saturday.

Over half of the capital’s air-quality monitoring stations had continuously reported high levels of pollution over the previous 48 hours, the mayor said, calling on the capital’s eight million inhabitants to refrain from any open-air activity for the next few days, Belga reported.

Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD – Spanish acronym) reported on Saturday in its latest information bulletin that a total of 301 forest fires had broken out between 16 December and 4 February, affecting a combined area of 86,800 hectares. Thus far, 291 fires have been extinguished, according to the UNGRD, which blamed the fires on extremely dry weather and “criminal hands.”

The Colombian Government feels the fires have been set by former rebels who decided to stop complying with the historic 2016 peace agreement that led to the disarmament of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, a Marxist guerilla group, Belga reported.

The dissidents, as they are called in Colombia, plan to grab land and illegally practice extensive cattle farming, according to Defence Minister Diego Molando, who published a list of 17 presumed culprits.

Due to the fires, 597 municipalities are now on varying phases of alert, according to the UNGRD: 550 are on red alert – the highest level – while 38 are on orange and 9 on yellow.

Some of the municipalities on red alert are in the southeastern department of Guaviare, whose governor, Heydeer Palacio, said “10,000 hectares,” – almost the size of Paris (10,500 ha) had been consumed by fire. The affected area includes the Parque Nacional Natural Serrania del Chiribiquete, located between Guaviare and neighbouring Caqueta Department, both of which are located in the country’s Amazon region.

The Parque Nacional Natural Serrania del Chiribiquete is the world’s largest tropical rainforest national park and a UNESCO world heritage site.

The Colombian Government on Saturday announced the launch, in the park, of the latest phase of Artemisa, a campaign linking the Ministries of Defence and Environment and aimed at protecting the country’s biodiversity by going after groups that threaten it.

“There are gangs of delinquents trying to grab land,” the Buenos Aires based news service, Infobae, quoted Environment Minister Carlos Eduardo Correa as saying in its Sunday edition. “They have been cutting down and burning trees, and we can see fires in various areas of the national park,” he said.

Phase 14 of the Artemisa Campaign is aimed at stopping the illegal destruction of the park by capturing those responsible and having them prosecuted, Infobae reported.

Forest fires in Amazonian region trigger environmental alert in Colombia’s capital
Posted in Air Quality | Leave a comment

World Cancer Day 2022: Bad AQI reason behind 60% increase in lung and bladder cancer, say doctors

Posted on February 4, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

– Contaminated air is only going to push cancer cases up.

– Cases in the country increased at an annual rate of 5 per cent from 2010 to 2019.

– Nearly 100 per cent cure for cancers like thyroid and ovarian; not with pancreatic cancer.

A recently released Lancet report found that pollution in India has led to an increase in diseases like lung cancer. According to an analysis by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington School of Medicine in December last year, cancer cases in the country increased at an annual rate of 5 per cent from 2010-2019. The average rate also went up by 2 per cent in the same period.

“Bad AQI in metro cities has enhanced the problem. Cancer treatment had always posed a challenge but bad air has increased chances of fatality in a patient by over 80 per cent. It has also had an adverse effect on the number of new cancer cases. It’s difficult to give an absolute number at this stage, but I would say bad air results in almost 60 per cent chance of you developing a cancer,” said Dr Hrishikesh Solanki, oncologist with Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai.

Dr Moushumi’s Suryavanshi, managing Molecular Diagnostics at Rajiv Cancer Institute & Research Centre tells you that despite advancement in medicine and surgical techniques, cancer has been on the rise for several reasons. “It can be due to dietary reasons, genetics, smoking, obesity and even environmental reasons. When we say environmental pollution, it could mean many things; air pollution is one of them. There has been research done on the impact of environmental pollution on cancer and we do see a very clear link between the two. But in medical fraternity we don’t just label it as air pollution. We have noticed that high amount of benzene enzymes present in the air cause lung or bladder cancer. Benzene is seen when the quality of air is between the bad-worse category. We look at what kind of chemicals are there in the pollution causing cancer,” Suryavanshi explains.

A study conducted in 2014 by Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had shown that benzene was found in higher quantities in most part of the city. But it was not included as a part of the AQI index. “Benzene exposure is inviting trouble. Most of our research has pointed out that in areas which had an AQI over 50, the benzene level was quite high. But it is not monitored anywhere in India,” said Solanki.

An updated Globocan study by IARC in December 2021, witnessed a new rise on the global cancer burden, with over 19.3 million cases and 10 million cancer deaths in 2020.

It’s not just pollutants in the air but environmental pollution around us that is causing more cancers. Dr Saurabh Verma, senior scientist at the Institute of Pathology in Delhi tells us that air pollution is definitely a contributor toward the rise in cancer cases that we have witnessed in the past five years. “Nothing is pure around us. Air is contaminated and so is the food. Fruits and veggies that look fresh have chemicals in them. The cauliflower that looks white and fresh has been washed with copper sulphate. These are all carcinogenic. While there has been plenty of research and advancement in medicine and how surgeries are done, sadly, the numbers are only going to go up until we eradicate pollution absolutely. This is an ideal world solution,” Verma adds.

Advanced technologies are there but dealing with cancer is tricky

Yes, we have made strides in medical technology to detect cancers before it is too late. We have also mitigated the side effects of chemo to a great extent thanks to modern medicine. Does that mean, cancer is now curable?

“Today, it is a possibility that you have biosensors in your blood that could detect abnormal cells and sound an alert. There will be better screening modalities, people will become more aware, there will be advancement in treatment – drug-wise. We have immuno-therapy where the body’s immuno cells to kill cancer cells which works in 10 per cent of tumours. We have molecular therapy, where you may have more patients taking medicines for life. We already do such drugs for lung cancer. There will be progress at every front. Humans will continue to progress and make technological advancement. But doing away with chemical and plastic use completely is not likely to happen in the near future. As long as these pollutants remain, environmental hazards will cause cancer case pile ups,” Suryavanshi said.

For Dr Praveen Garg who is a senior consultant in surgical oncology at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in New Delhi, it is not a surprise that number of cancer cases is on the rise. “One reason is that we are testing more. This means we are diagnosing cancers that were earlier going as unnoticed. Before 2010, most patients were oblivious to their body cancers or were wrongly diagnosed by local doctors. One fine morning, the patient would just be dead due to his illness but his cancer reality would never come to the fore. This has changed. Due to new testing techniques today, we can pick up what is wrong. Cancer can be detected pretty easily nowadays and hence the cases are on rise,” he said.

The second reason for the increase in cancer is due to our lifestyle. “Unhealthy eating and drinking habits in youngsters have a role to play in the sudden spike of cancer cases. Stress is another big reason for some forms of cancer. Bad sleeping habits is also a big cause for cancer today,” Dr Garg said.

Is there no cure for cancer at all?

The good news is that more people are surviving cancer than ever before. Early diagnosis is critical as it means patients can receive treatment when there is a better chance of achieving a complete cure. Also, over a third of cancers are preventable. We should invest in cancer prevention and give people faster access to diagnostic tests and make sure more patients can quickly benefit from precise, highly personalised treatments as medical science advances,” Dr Krithika Murugan, Surgical Oncologist, HCG Cancer Hospital Bengaluru, said.

But the operative word is early diagnosis. Even a delay of a few days in diagnosing your cancer can result in fatalities, say experts.

The other positive is that we are closer to almost 100 per cent treatment in certain types of cancers like thyroid, ovarian and breast cancer. “With cancers like testicular and thyroid, we can easily say there is a 100 per cent chance of recovery. But in other forms of cancer like pancreatic cancer, chances of survival are bleak. It is difficult to say with which research we will get closer to a cure. What we can say with certainty is that we are getting better with treatment – be it medicines, chemo and radiation,” Garg said.

World Cancer Day 2022: Bad AQI reason behind 60% increase in lung and bladder cancer, say doctors
Posted in Air Quality, Asia, Health Effects of Air Pollution, India, World News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Air pollution in Chennai five times higher than WHO limits: Report

Posted on February 3, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

An analysis of air quality data of Chennai by Greenpeace India has shown that the average pollution level in the city was much higher than the WHO air quality guidelines.

A report by NGO Greenpace International, released in January, revealed that the air pollution in Chennai has surpassed the World Health Organisation’s permissible limits by five times. The levels of PM10, which is particulate matter less than 10-micron size in the air we breathe, have gone up by three to four times in Chennai.

The Greenpeace report said that Chennai’s annual average PM2.5 analysed between November 2020 and November 2021 was 27 micrograms/m3, five times higher than the WHO limit of 5 micrograms/m3. A report published in the Times of India (TOI) revealed that Greenpeace studies show that Chennai is one of the most polluted cities in India.

The levels of PM10 in Coimbatore and Puducherry have increased by two to three times than revised standards of WHO, the Hindu reported, citing the Greenpeace India Report. The studies have shown that the average pollution levels in Chennai, Coimbatore and Puducherry were much higher than WHO air quality guidelines. It shows that the air pollution was a public health crisis not in north Indian cities but also in south Indian cities.

Other stations also record high pollution levels

As per the Greenpeace India report, the PM2.5 levels were recorded six times higher than the WHO standard at Manali and Kodungaiyur Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) stations. Other stations such as Perungudi, Royapuram and Velachery recorded PM2.5 levels three to four times higher than the WHO limit.

Emphasising that identification of the exact source of pollution would better enforce pollution norms, Pooja Kumar, co-ordinator of coastal resource centre, told TOI that industries and thermal plants are the sources of pollution in North Chennai. She also said that the city is not adding monitoring systems in accordance to the growth in population and areas.

“More monitoring systems will help to get reliable data,” she told TOI.

Authors call for quick action

The authors of the report have suggested a comprehensive, systematic and time-bound action to curb air pollution.

“If we don’t act now, these south Indian cities are too not far from cities like Delhi in terms of the health and economic impact of air pollution,” reported the Hindu, quoting the authors. The Greenpeace study has recommended certain ways to reduce air pollution levels, one among them being that governments need to seek alternatives to burning fossil fuels for industries. It has also called for car-free days in the city and illustrate that it is possible to travel in the city without private vehicles.

Satyarupa Shekhar, Asia Pacific Coordinator for Break Free From Plastic Movement suggested that the TNPCB stations and the government must bring down petrochemical production, avoid burning of waste, incineration and stop the use of single-use plastics to reduce air pollution, reported TOI.

Air pollution in Chennai five times higher than WHO limits: Report – Cities News

Posted in Air Quality, Asia, India | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Energy poverty leads to pollution-related deaths in Albania and Western Balkans

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

At least 37% of Albanians are suffering from energy poverty, far above the European average of 5%, according to a study from DOOR and EIHP to address energy poverty in energy community contracting parties. This drives them to use wood to heat their homes, directly impacting the health of those around them.

Amongst the nine contracting parties, Kosovo has the largest share of households living in energy poverty at 40%. This is followed by Albania with 37%, 33% in North Macedonia, 22% in Serbia and 15% in Montenegro. The study defines energy poverty as not being able to adequately heat houses or meet day-to-day energy needs.

It also noted that energy-poor customers do not get support in meeting their energy needs.

A separate study found that almost half of all Western Balkan households rely on wood for heating, with significant impacts on health. The European Environmental Agency estimated that air pollution caused more than 30.000 premature deaths in 2019 in the six countries of the Western Balkans.

“No matter what we burn, we create pollution – that also goes for burning wood. It is quite simple: burning wood pollutes the air we breathe, both indoor and outdoor. It makes people sick, aggravates chronic diseases and even leads to numerous unnecessary early deaths. From a health perspective, the Western Balkans urgently need to transition to energy-efficient, non-polluting and healthy household heating”, the alliance’s Senior Health and Energy Officer Vlatka Matković said.

He added that the Western Balkans “urgently needs to transition to energy-efficient, non-polluting, and healthy household heating.

Many households in the region use woodburning stoves as a backup, in the case economic hardship pushes them into energy poverty. This means that the high rates of vulnerable homes in Albania and the region directly contribute to poor health outcomes for entire societies.

“Investing money in replacing stoves is likely not to deliver on pollution reduction or anticipated health and climate co-benefits. Instead, we need to put money into energy savings and insulating people’s houses, to both improve people’s health and elevate energy poverty, reducing energy bills,” Vlatka Matković asserted.

Energy poverty leads to pollution-related deaths in Albania and Western Balkans – EURACTIV.com
Posted in Air Quality, Europe | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Even Low Levels of Industrial Pollution Shortens Life Span of Older People

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

Older people are living shorter life span due to airborne contaminants produced by ‘dirty diesel’ pollution from traffic, wildfires, and other industries.

Researchers argue in an in-depth study released in Health Effects Institute (HEI), that even low levels of pollution have adverse health effects in senior citizens. The first-of-its-kind study tracked some 68.5 million people over four years, and extended to people living in rural areas and towns with little industry.

MarketWatch reported the study’s findings which suggest that if the federal rules for allowable emissions become slightly more stringent, some 143,000 deaths could have been prevented over the course of ten years.

Air pollution as significant contributor to the global diseases  

According to HEI’s recent Global Burden of Disease – Major Air Pollution Sources report, a major source of fine-particle soot comes from the burning of fossil fuels, accounting for more than 1 million deaths globally.

The 2021 Research Report shows that even though air pollution concentrations have declined over the past few decades, several studies in the past had recorded association of relatively low concentrations of these particles to great risk of mortality and long-term exposures. In addition, health problems linked to air pollution tends to concentrate on the youngest and oldest, and thus most vulnerable, citizens.

Meanwhile, elderlies living downwind of fracking sites also had an increased risk of premature death.

“There is an urgent need to understand the causal link between living near or downwind of [unconventional oil and gas development] and adverse health effects,” said study co-author Francesca Dominici in US News. The researchers analyzed data on more than 15 million Medicare beneficiaries who lived in all major U.S. fracking exploration regions between 2001 and 2015.

Risk of ‘Death by Dirty Diesel’  

A non-profit group named Clean Air Task Force (CATF) issued a U.S.-focused digital tool tracking deaths and economic impact linked to diesel fuel. The group calls it “Death by Dirty Diesel”.

“Diesel vehicle emissions are wreaking havoc on communities across the United States. This interactive map explores the negative health impacts of diesel emissions by U.S. state, county, and metropolitan area, with data on the deaths from diesel, as well other health and economic risks associated with diesel pollution,” the task force said on the website.

Aside from cars, Diesel powers commercial trucks over the nation’s roads and impacts economic areas torn up decades ago for major streets, highways and elevated interstates, to a greater degree.

According to national data, there were more than 8,000 deaths, 3,700 heart attacks, hundreds of thousands of other respiratory ailments, and nearly $1 trillion in economic damages projected for 2023 from diesel alone.

Moreover, other recent studies also linked fine-particle pollution to higher rates of death from COVID-19, particularly In Black and other communities of color living near highways, power plants and other industrial facilities.

Even Low Levels of Industrial Pollution Shortens Life Span of Older People | Nature World News
Posted in Air Quality, Health Effects of Air Pollution, Medical Studies, USA, USA & Canada | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

WHY WEAR A MASK THIS WINTER

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

WHY WEAR A MASK THIS WINTER

Here are some reasons why you might want to wear an effective mask this winter:

1. Colds and flu viruses are still around and they are not just called Omicron.

2. The Allergy Season starts in February with the arrival of Hazel, Yew, Alder, Elm and Willow pollen.

3. Air pollution levels, especially in winter, are at their highest in built up cities.

4. Ventilation and heating systems on public transport do a great job of mixing air around with viruses that are present in it.

5. A mask will protect your lungs from bad, contaminated or extreme cold air.

With reusable filters, a Respro® Mask offers all-round protection. It is planet kind and will keep you in good health, ready for anything.

respro.com
Posted in Air Quality, Respro® Products | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Rural air pollution may be as hazardous as urban, study finds

Posted on January 28, 2022 by Respro® UK Ltd

New research shows that chemical reactivity, seasonality and distribution of airborne particulate matter are critical metrics when considering air pollution’s impact on human health. Current environmental regulations focus on the mass of pollutant particles, and researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are pushing to refocus regulatory efforts on more regional and health-relevant factors.

A new study of air quality in the Midwestern U.S. found that measuring the mass concentration of PM2.5 — particles that are 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller — does not correspond well with current methods for classifying particle toxicity. Additionally, the researchers found that PM2.5 exposure may be just as hazardous in rural areas as in urban areas — evidence that challenges a common misconception that air pollution is more toxic in urban areas than in than rural areas, the researchers said.

The findings of the study, led by civil and environmental engineering professor Vishal Verma, are published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

“The EPA classification of PM2.5 accounts for particle diameter and mass, which are characteristics that are easy to measure,” Verma said. “However, not all particles that make up PM2.5 contribute to health equally.”

PM2.5 poses a health risk because it can become embedded in lung tissue when inhaled, the researchers said. Although chemically reactive fractions of these particles are known to be toxic, a previous study by Verma’s group shows that the exact relationship between PM2.5 mass and toxicity is unclear.

“Most air pollution studies have shifted focus from particle mass to a property called cellular oxidative potential,” Verma said. “Cellular oxidative potential describes the capability of the particles to generate reactive, oxygen-based chemicals that can lead to a variety of health problems in the cells of lung tissue.”

To examine the influence of oxidative potential more closely, the researchers collected PM2.5 samples weekly in the summer and fall of 2018 and in the winter and spring of 2019. They chose three urban localities: Chicago, Indianapolis and St. Louis; a rural location in Bondville, Illinois; and a roadside location adjacent to an interstate highway in Champaign, Illinois.

Using an automated analytical technique developed in a previous study, Verma’s team analyzed the sample composition, oxidative potential and mass. The team found that all locations shared similar levels of oxidative potental — but saw a poor correlation between oxidative potential and mass. That suggests that some of the lighter particles that make up PM2.5 contribute more to tissue damage than others, the study reports.

“Our rural samples did have less mass than those in the urban settings, but the oxidative potential was equal to samples from urban settings,” Verma said. “Additionally, the oxidative potential of the rural samples was higher in the summer than in the winter, suggesting that summertime agricultural activity can produce PM2.5 particles that are just as toxic as those from urban settings.”

The team hopes this study brings attention to these newly uncovered risks associated with PM2.5 in rural areas.

“The current methods used to measure PM2.5 oxidative potential are time-consuming and laborious, and we hope that our new methodology, combined with these study findings, makes testing for oxidative potential more appealing to environmental regulators and policymakers,” Verma said.

The National Science Foundation supported this research.

Rural air pollution may be as hazardous as urban, study finds — ScienceDaily
Posted in Air Quality, Health Effects of Air Pollution | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment