Guildford drivers exposed to high levels of air pollution in town centre jams

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

A study by the University of Surrey found pollution levels were 29 times higher when vehicles were stuck at red lights compared to free flowing conditions

Drivers in Guildford are exposed to dangerously high levels of air pollution when stopped at red lights on heavily congested roads in the town, according to new research.

A study published by the University of Surrey monitored motorists’ exposure to air pollutants at various points of a journey around Guildford’s roads.

The most highly-polluted areas were around the Guildford gyratory at the traffic lights by the back entrance to the Friary Shopping Centre, and along Ladymead near the intersection with Parkway.

The researchers said that traffic intersections with signals were found to be high pollution hot spots due to the frequent changes in driving conditions.

With drivers decelerating and stopping at lights, then revving up to move quickly when the lights turn green, peak particle concentration was found to be 29 times higher than that during free flowing traffic conditions.

As well as concentration, researchers found that as cars tend to be closer together at lights, the likelihood of exposure to vehicle emissions is also significantly increased.

“Air pollution was recently placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally, with the World Health Organization linking air pollution to seven million premature deaths every year,” said lead author of the research, Dr Prashant Kumar, from the University of Surrey.

“Our time spent travelling in cars has increased by more than 10% in the last 10 years and with more cars than ever on the roads, we are being exposed to increasing levels of air pollution as we undertake our daily commutes.

“It’s not always possible to change your route to avoid these intersections, but drivers should be aware of the increased risks at busy lights.”

Road vehicles emit polluting nanoparticles which are said to contribute to respiratory and heart diseases.

Dr Kumar said the best ways to limit exposure to the dangerous fumes was to keep vehicle windows shut, turn off fans, and try to increase the distance between the car in front wherever possible.

“Pedestrians regularly crossing such routes should consider whether there might be other paths less dependent on traffic light crossings,” Dr Kumar said.

“Local transport agencies could also help by synchronising traffic signals to reduce waiting times and consider alternative traffic management systems such as flyovers.”

The report estimates that commuters in the UK spend an average of around 1.5 hours a day behind the wheel, and Surrey is known to be a commuter county.

Traffic is often brought to a standstill on Ladymead and in the town centre during rush hour, and this also impacts onto the A3 causing further delays and jams.

Researchers at the Guildford university said that where drivers spend just 2% of their journey time passing through traffic intersections managed by lights, this short duration contributes to about 25% of total exposure to these harmful particles.

Other pollution hotspots in Guildford included Worplesdon Road leading up to the roundabout with York Road and at the traffic lights at the intersection with Stoke Road and Nightingale Road.

Last year, investment of £2.7million was confirmed for the Guildford Gyratory Project, with Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council drafting a plan with the view to make improvements.

Several proposals have also been made to alleviate traffic pressures in the centre, including new roads and a tunnel underneath the town.

In a proposal by Guildford Vision Group (GVG), they argued that by removing traffic from the town centre, not only would the centre become more attractive as a destination, but it could lead to a new residential focus for the area either side of the River Wey, from Ladymead to Dapdune Wharf. This, the group said, could enable the building of up to 4,000 homes, easing pressure on the green belt.

Under the GVG proposal, traffic which previously travelled along Onslow Street, and around the gyratory, would be diverted west off Woodbridge Road. It would cross the river and railway via a new bridge, before joining Guildford Park and proceeding to Portsmouth Road or Farnham Road.

In the past, leader of Guildford Borough Council , Stephen Mansbridge, suggested building a tunnel underneath the town to allow the A3 to bypass it.

via Guildford drivers exposed to high levels of air pollution in town centre jams – Get Surrey.

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Children exposed to air pollution have increased risk of developing a low IQ

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Children living in cities with significant air pollution are at an increased risk for detrimental impacts to the brain, including short-term memory loss and lower IQ, according to a new University of Montana study.

Findings by UM Professor Dr. Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, MA, MD, Ph.D., and her team of researchers reveal that children with lifetime exposures to concentrations of air pollutants above the current U.S. standards, including fine particulate matter, are at an increased risk for brain inflammation and neurodegenerative changes, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Calderón-Garcidueñas’ findings are detailed in a paper titled “Decreases in Short-Term Memory, IQ and Altered Brain Metabolic Rations in Urban Apolipoprotein ε4 Children Exposed to Air Pollution”.

The study found that clinically healthy children who live in a polluted environment and who also carry a gene – the apolipoprotein ε4 allele, already known to increase a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease – demonstrated compromised cognitive responses when compared with children carrying a gene with apolipoprotein ε3 allele.

Metropolitan Mexico City is an example of extreme urban growth and serious environmental pollution, where 8 million children are involuntarily exposed to harmful concentrations of fine particulate matter in the air every day beginning at conception.

The study matched two groups of children living in Mexico City by multiple variables, including age, gender, socioeconomic status and education, among others. They then compared children carrying the ε4 allele to children carrying the ε3 allele and found that those with the ε4 allele had three significant alterations. They had short-term memory shortfalls, an IQ that while within the normal limits measured 10 points less, and changes in key metabolites in the brain that mirror those of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“The results add to growing data suggesting ε4 carriers could have a higher risk of developing early Alzheimer’s disease if they reside in a polluted urban environment,” Calderón-Garcidueñas said.

She said the study also raises concerns about important educational issues. Since Mexico City children mostly attend underprovided public schools, children do not build cognitive reserves that serve as a defence to pollution impacts.

“An IQ difference of 10 points will likely have a negative impact on academic and social issues, including bullying and teen delinquency,” she said.

The authors argue that sustained exposures to urban air pollution result in cognitive underperformance and metabolic brain changes that could lead to an acceleration of neurodegenerative changes.

Air pollution is a serious public health issue, and exposures to concentrations of air pollutants at or above the current standards have been linked to neuroinflammation and neuropathology. In the U.S. alone, 200 million people live in areas where pollutants such as ozone and fine particulate matter exceed the standards.

There are significant associations between exposures to particulate matter and increased mortality due to stroke, cardiovascular disease and respiratory events. The problem in children living in megacities like Mexico City is much worse.

“There is an urgent need to have a broader focus on APOE ε4 and air pollution interactions impacting children’s brains, and their responses could provide new avenues toward the unprecedented opportunity for Alzheimer’s disease prevention,” Calderón-Garcidueñas said.

“We have a 50-year window of opportunity between the time urban children experience the detrimental effects we are describing here and when they will present with mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

“We need support for studying the current pediatric clinical and imaging evidence in highly exposed urban children. Our efforts should be aimed to identify and mitigate environmental factors influencing Alzheimer’s disease.”

via Children exposed to air pollution have increased risk of developing a low IQ > Data > Research | Click Green.

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Key Points to a Mask

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

 Screen Shot 2015-02-13 at 07.41.06 Screen Shot 2015-02-13 at 07.41.50 Screen Shot 2015-02-13 at 07.42.30

POINT 1 – Does it seal effectively?

 The single most important point:

For a mask to work properly, it has to seal the area of nose and mouth from the external environment. The inhaled air has to pass through the filter material in order to remove pollution by physically trapping or adsorbing (different from absorption) gas or vapour molecules. A nose clip of some fashion, usually a strip of aluminium to bend between the bridge of the nose and the cheekbone is a vital component required to assist in making an effective seal.

Failure to create an effective seal will allow unfiltered air to pass around the sides of the mask and into the respiratory system. This is known as Inward Leakage.

A ‘one size fits all’ mask will invariably offer a poor fit and an ineffective seal and will place the mask squarely in the useless product bin. Like shoe sizing, one size does not fit all.

POINT 2 – Is the filter material up to spec?

Filter materials come in two categories:

The first is the ability to remove particulate matter. Typically that would be diesel particulates and pollen. The type of filter is usually a non-woven material made from zillions of fibres bonded together. They are electrostatically charged, both positively and negatively (like combing your hair makes a charge), so that particles, which are passing through the filter structure, are attracted and physically held in the matrix of the material. The smaller the particle, the greater the attractive force, which means that materials which are electrostatically charged can readily trap fine respirable dusts that over populate the air in our towns and cities.

Having first been developed by the Defence Establishment in the UK, these types of filter materials are not cheap. So if you are purchasing a product which appears to be ‘cheap’ and it says ‘removes particles down to 0.3 microns’, then the chances are that it might stop one or two particles but not the millions that are actually passing through. Watch out! If the material cannot be backed up by industrial test data then it probably doesn’t do the job effectively.

The second type of filter is Activated Charcoal material. It has the ability to filter (adsorb) gases and vapours. Well, like everything, if it’s cheap, then the chances are that the material is either black cloth appearing to look like Activated Charcoal (Far Eastern copy products are known for this) or a cloth that is impregnated with carbon powder. There is a big difference between the filtering capacity of a carbon powder glued to a carrier material and Activated Charcoal Cloth (D.A.C.C) that is 100% Activated Charcoal.

Carbon powder impregnated cloths are used in the industry for cheap nuisance odour type products, like ‘odour eaters’ ; you know the things you put in your husband/wife or girlfriend/boyfriend’s trainers/shoes because his/her trainers stink after a while. These are good for air that is not moving i.e. static air, but of little use when air is travelling like when you are inhaling air into your lungs. For urban pollution, the best  material  to use would be what’s known as DACC (Dynamic Activated Charcoal Cloth). This material is 100% Activated Charcoal Cloth, which can absorb gases and vapours on a molecular level and very quickly too. It is manufactured under licence and is another decedent of the UK Defence Establishment. It has been tested on a range of gases and vapours that are listed on our website.

POINT 3 – Comfort

The ideal mask would be one that you forget that you have it on:

The comfort goal here is to ensure that you can forget that you are wearing a mask. It is possible like a pair of socks on your feet, you forget that you have the socks on.  The same applies in our demand for comfort.

Exhaled breath contains three components that are not good to re-inhale and only increase discomfort. On exhalation, heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide are all produced and need to be expelled before inhaling again. So rather than these components passing through the filter, it is best to channel them out through exhalation valves. These are valves that open one way only. They close automatically when you inhale and open when you exhale. They are simple but effective parts of a mask and do not need to be replaced. The reason why we want the air to travel out through the valves is so they don’t saturate the filter with water vapour as it makes it harder to breathe in again and the relative back pressure of the speed of exhaled air including heat and water vapour, will hit you back in the nose and mouth area like hot air when getting off a plane at an airport in a really hot climate.

Comfort is important and if the mask is not comfortable for the duration of your journey you probably will give up on it. So choose your mask with the following points in mind:

1.     The correct filtration for the environment you want to use the mask

2.     The right size for your face size and shape

3.     The right valves for the amount of work you are doing, sitting on a couch does not require valves; belting through the City on a bike does!

4.     Correct fitting to ensure you can breathe unimpeded through the nose and or the mouth.

Posted in Respro® Products | Tagged , | 2 Comments

German highway traffic exceeds EU air pollution threshold

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Emissions from car exhausts exceeded EU thresholds for nitrogen oxide at half of Germany’s monitoring stations. While 2014 is among the lowest years for particulates levels, the Federal Environment Agency sees no reason for relief. EurActiv Germany reports.

Nitrogen oxide, primarily originating from motor vehicle exhausts, is quickly becoming a top pollutant in Germany, according to a preliminary analysis conducted by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

Data collected at over 500 monitoring stations indicates that, once again, the annual mean value of more than half of the monitoring stations near high-traffic roads exceeded the threshold of 40 µg per cubic metre (m3).

This share is likely to increase considerably when more data is added in May 2015 from 124 monitoring stations to be included in the statistic. These could not yet be evaluated due to technical reasons.

“To contain threshold exceedances in nitrogen oxide, it is vital that the new exhaust norm EURO 6 also lead to lower emissions in real traffic. So far many automobile manufacturers were only able to guarantee this in the laboratory,” said UBA president Maria Krautzberger.

Although no ozone peaks were observed in the summer of 2014, there were target value exceedances in around 6% of all monitoring stations. But the maximum 8 hour mean ozone concentration should not exceed 120 µg/m3 on more than 25 days per calendar year.

At the same time, 2014 showed some the lowest levels of particulates in the air. But Krautzberger sees no room for satisfaction. “Despite low particulates values, health risks still exist. For particulates, there is no minimum effect threshold – health effects can also occur when the concentration levels of particulates is relatively low. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed this again.”

The EU-wide threshold value on particulates (PM10) was only exceeded at 10% of air monitoring stations located near traffic. This means the PM10 mean daily value was over the permitted value of 50 µg/m3 on more than 35 days.

But the WHO recommends a considerably stricter particulate threshold value, at 20 µg/m3 in the yearly average. If this is applied, 48% of all monitoring stations exceeded the threshold value.

“The growing number of wood-burning heating systems has an especially negative effect on particulate pollution,” said Krautzberger. In the winter months in particular, the share of wood-fired heating can comprise up to 25% of overall particulate pollution. As a result, emissions from wood-fired heating systems have begun to generate more particulate than exhausts in highway traffic.”

via German highway traffic exceeds EU air pollution threshold | EurActiv.

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Air pollution risk for drivers waiting at red lights

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Few things are more frustrating for commuters than finding their journey into work unceremoniously halted by a red light. A new study suggests another reason, however, for commuters to try and avoid traffic lights – dangerously high levels of air pollutants.

Researchers from the University of Surrey in the UK have found that 25% of a driver’s total exposure to pollutant nanoparticles can come from passing through intersections controlled by traffic lights. This level of exposure occurs is the amount of time spent at traffic lights comprises as little as 2% of the total journey.

“Our time spent traveling in cars has remained fairly constant during the past decade despite the efforts to reduce it,” says lead author Dr. Prashant Kumar. “[With] more cars than ever joining the roads, we are being exposed to increasing levels of air pollution as we undertake our daily commutes.”

Nanoparticles emitted by the exhausts of cars have been associated with several health problems, includingasthma, cardiovascular disease and childhoodleukemia. People who live, work or travel near major roads have been linked with increased incidence and severity of these problems.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) state that previous research has indicated stopping very close to a vehicle at an intersection can increase the level of air pollution within the following vehicle.

“Air pollution was recently placed in the top 10 health risks faced by human beings globally, with the World Health Organization linking air pollution to 7 million premature deaths every year,” states Dr. Kumar.

Despite this, the study authors write that the contribution to commuter exposure to pollutant nanoparticles made by stopping at light-controlled intersections is largely unknown.

Red light spells danger
For the study, the authors monitored the levels of exposure to pollutant nanoparticles car drivers experienced at various stages of a journey.

Particle number concentrations (PNCs) were recorded during a busy 6 km round route that passed 10 signalized traffic intersections. Five different car ventilation settings were also tested, involving different levels of heating, fan use and degrees of window opening.

The study authors found that signalized traffic intersections had the highest levels of pollution, attributable to the frequent changes in driving conditions. Remaining in the same place for a period of time and revving up to move quickly when the lights changed resulted in high PNCs.

Peak PNC was 29 times higher at intersections with traffic lights compared with levels recorded during free-flowing traffic conditions.

The greatest reduction in in-cabin PNC related to outside PNC while in free-flowing traffic occurred with a fan drawing outside air into the cabin and the heating switched off. In delayed traffic, the greatest reduction was achieved with a fan on at 25% and heating on at 50%.

Cars also tended to sit close together when halted at signalized traffic intersections, increasing the likelihood of exposure to pollutant nanoparticles for the drivers.

How to limit your exposure
“It’s not always possible to change your route to avoid these intersections, but drivers should be aware of the increased risks at busy lights,” says Dr. Kumar. “The best ways to limit your exposure [are] to keep vehicle windows shut, fans off and try to increase the distance between you and the car in front where possible.”

Drivers are not the only people affected by the high levels of air pollution at signalized traffic intersections; pedestrians and cyclists also come into contact with them during the course of their journeys.

“Pedestrians regularly crossing such routes should consider whether there might be other paths less dependent on traffic light crossings,” Dr. Kumar recommends.

It is not just up to commuters to reduce their own exposures to pollutant nanoparticles. “Local transport agencies could also help by synchronizing traffic signals to reduce waiting time and consider alternative traffic management systems such as flyovers,” he suggests.

via Air pollution risk for drivers waiting at red lights – Medical News Today.

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Conservation poll shows Utahns worry about air pollution, water supplies

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Utah residents are overwhelmingly more concerned about air pollution and smog than their neighbors in five Western states and, behind Arizona and New Mexico, worry the most about inadequate water supplies.

These results and others are findings from the Conservation in the West poll that surveyed opinions of 2,400 voters in Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming and Utah.

Results show that 88 percent of Utah residents cited smog as a serious problem, while the next highest was Arizona, where 79 percent of respondents said it was an issue. On water supplies, 82 percent of Utah residents said adequacy of supply was a serious problem, next to Arizona’s 87 percent and New Mexico’s 85 percent.

The bipartisan survey, released Tuesday as part of the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project, has been conducted the last five years and taps opinions about land use, water supplies, the impact of public lands on the economy and other related issues. Notably, the top factors cited by residents for living in Utah were access to and recreation on public lands — characteristics that were more important than economic opportunities and quality of health care.

“Utah is blessed with landscapes and natural resources that people travel from all over the world to appreciate,” said Kirstin Peterson of the Moab City Council in a prepared statement. “It’s our duty to manage our public lands responsibly to ensure they will remain as assets for the Utah economy as well as for those who live and visit here.”

Utah residents also inched out their neighbors by being more concerned about children not spending enough time outdoors, with the Beehive State slightly ahead of Arizona in its concerns. In the survey, 76 percent of Utah residents polled said it was a “serious” problem compared to Arizona’s 75 percent.

The concern about connecting Utah youths with the outdoors has driven a significant portion of the state wildlife agency’s public outreach that includes community fishing days that target youths, archery programs, youth hunts and more.

“The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is concerned about ‘nature deficit disorder’ among Utah’s youth to the point that we restructured our agency to create a Wildlife Recreation Program in late 2012,” said Dean Mitchell, conservation outreach section chief.

Mitchell added that under the program, the agency offers nearly 25 different programs focused on getting children outdoors.

Eric Perramond, State of the Rockies project director and a professor of human and environmental geography, said that each year, the poll’s results reinforce the unique connection between public lands in the West and the people who live there.

“We’ve long known that public lands are a critical part of why people choose to live and work in the West, but our findings show that these remarkable places are truly the cornerstone of our lifestyle, our values, and what keeps us in the West,” Perramond said. “Towns and cities across the West have a unique competitive advantage over other regions — access to the peaks, canyons, and rivers found on national public lands.”

Utah residents, in fact, cited a healthy, outdoor lifestyle as a “signficant” factor driving their residency here, with 57 percent of respondents pointing to that as a reason to live in Utah. Utahns, more than any other state, also cited “cost of living” as one of the overwhelming reasons why they live here.

The survey also showed that despite Utah being at the center of a political storm over who should control public lands, residents here consider the lands to be “American” places (60 percent) over state places (30 percent).

Republican pollster Lori Weigel of Public Opinion Strategies and Democratic pollster Dave Metz of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates were commissioned by the project to conduct the poll. Four hundred residents per state participated in the poll, which was conducted Dec. 29, 2014 and Jan. 3-11, 2015. It has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.

via Conservation poll shows Utahns worry about air pollution, water supplies | Deseret News.

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A good riddance to lead – but what are we breathing now?

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Even the Romans knew that lead was toxic but the easy performance gains from adding lead to petrol were too tempting for the oil and car industry. There were many early warnings of toxic effects. The first factory making lead additive became known as the house of butterflies because of the hallucinations suffered by the workers. The deaths of dozens of workers and the madness of many more brought a temporary halt and a public health enquiry in the US, but industry pressure did not allow time for long-term exposure to be considered. Leaded petrol was launched on the world in 1926.

Sales peaked in the 1970s and 1980s and environmental lead contamination reached global proportions, with concentrations above pre-industrial values recorded in ice sheets, lake and marine sediments and peat deposits worldwide, along with the blood and milk teeth of children. In 1983 the Royal Commission on Environmental Protection called for leaded petrol sales to end in six years but the UK was one of the last European countries to completely remove leaded petrol from sale in 1999.

Average lead in UK air has dropped to around one fiftieth of what it was in 1980. Children’s blood lead levels have decreased from concentrations that were considered harmful to foetuses and small children and the cause of neurological and IQ problems.

Today health concerns about vehicle exhaust are focusing on the growing evidence about the harm from diesel emissions. It remains to be seen how Europe’s rush for diesel cars will be viewed in decades to come.

via Pollutionwatch: A good riddance to lead – but what are we breathing now? | Environment | The Guardian.

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‘Very high’ Hong Kong air pollution levels set to continue until the weekend

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Bad air in Hong Kong is likely to persist until the weekend as weak winds fail to disperse pollutants.

“Very high” concentrations of air pollution engulfed Causeway Bay and Central this afternoon, while “high” levels were recorded in several other districts.

A dry continental airstream affecting the southern China coast is to blame for the deterioration in air quality as weak winds made it harder to disperse pollutants, leading to a build up in choking air in dense urban areas, according to the Environmental Protection Department.

The bad air is likely to persist until the weekend when winds switch from moderate northeasterly to easterly winds, the department said, citing forecasts from the Observatory.

The black 10 reading was recorded at the Causeway Bay roadside monitoring station at noon, while the station at Central hit 9 and Mong Kok reached 8 on the 11-tier Air Quality Health Index.

The Environmental Protection Department said it is expected that the AQHI at the roadside may reach the “serious” level – a reading of “10 +” and the highest in the index – later today, as winds remain light to moderate.

It also said a higher than normal level of pollution is expected to linger until wind would increase in the next two days.

The department said higher than normal levels of particulates and nitrogen dioxide have been recorded in the territory since Tuesday evening.

“In addition, light winds hinder effective dispersion of air pollutants and lead to the accumulation of air pollutants in part of the urban areas and at the roadside,” it said.

According to department data, the hourly concentration of roadside-dominant nitrogen dioxide at about 6pm yesterday was at 347 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

Concentrations of fine suspended particulates (PM2.5) – hazardous particulate matter that can enter the lungs – hit 122 micrograms per cubic metre.

The World Health Organisation air quality guidelines set 200 micrograms per cubic metre as the maximum hourly concentration for NO2 and 25 micrograms per cubic metre as the maximum 24-hour average concentration for PM2.5.

A reading of “very high” or above on the index prompts a warning by the department to children, the elderly and people with existing heart or respiratory illnesses to reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities. The general public is also advised to reduce time outdoors, especially in areas with heavy traffic.

Yesterday, the Education Bureau urged all schools to safeguard students’ health and take note of changes in the index.

Hong Kong witnessed its worst air pollution of the year on January 21, with half of the 15 monitoring stations recording “serious” levels.

Visibility in Victoria Harbour fell to around 3,000 metres under the influence of haze this morning, the Observatory said.

Today’s weather is likely to be fine, mild and dry with a maximum temperature of 20 degrees and light moderate northeasterly winds. Tomorrow is forecast to be cloudier and relatively humid with the trend continuing into the weekend.

via ‘Very high’ Hong Kong air pollution levels set to continue until the weekend | South China Morning Post.

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