Worst smog of the year leaves Beijing choking as US embassy’s air quality reading hits 545

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Beijing is choking in its worst smog so far this year, with air pollution at hazardous levels and the reading at the US embassy hitting as high as 545 on Thursday afternoon.

An air quality index (AQI) reading of more than 300 is considered “hazardous”. Anything beyond 200 is “very unhealthy”. The United States embassy measures PM2.5 particulates as an indication of the air quality at its compound in Chaoyang district.

The average AQI reading released by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau was slightly lower at 430, which is still considered “seriously polluted”. Residents were advised to don face masks and avoid outdoor activities.

Thursday was the first seriously polluted day of the year, but strong winds and a cold front starting on Friday morning are expected to disperse the smog, theLegal Evening News reported.

But on Thursday, the yellow pollution alert – the third highest in a four-tier system – remained in place amid stagnant, humid air in most parts of the capital, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau. The yellow alert had been hoisted since Saturday evening.

Pollution – albeit less severe – was also expected to blanket Tianjin, Hebei, large parts of Shanxi in the west, and parts of Sichuan. Hunan, Yunnan and Guangdong were also likely to experience “dense fog” that would limit visibility.

via Worst smog of the year leaves Beijing choking as US embassy’s air quality reading hits 545 | South China Morning Post.

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Beijing in first smog alert of year

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Beijing issued its first smog alert of 2015 on Tuesday, with the PM2.5 index passing the 200 level.

The alert will probably remain in force until Friday, the municipal environmental authority said.

Based on the official daily air quality forecast, the capital issued a yellow alert and adopted emergency measures to rein in emissions on Sunday, one day before the smog descended. A yellow alert is the third-highest level among four grades.

Shanghai, which emerged from three days of smog on Monday, will experience another round of air pollution on Wednesday, according to the regional air quality forecast centre.

The air quality forecast, which is as important as the daily weather forecast, has begun to attract more attention, especially from people living in large cities like Beijing and Shanghai, which witness frequent air pollution.

By the end of 2014, cities in three major industrial zones – the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta – were required to provide a daily air quality forecast, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

This will be expanded this year to more cities that have the requisite equipment and technology.

Beijing, one of the first cities to issue such forecasts, can predict changing air quality over five days. This enables it to provide accurate statistics for the authorities to take emergency measures to reduce air pollutants a day before smog arrives.

Xie Shaodong, an environmental professor at Peking University, said: “The technology is not a problem. With better cooperation and smoother exchanges of information between meteorological and environmental bureaus, the forecast can be more accurate.”

Yu Yong, a spokesman for the National Meteorological Administration, said it plans to deepen cooperation on air pollution forecasting through regular discussions and exchanges of technology.

According to a development plan released on Dec 17 to help control air pollution, the meteorological administration will build more laboratories in six regions to strengthen weather forecasting by 2020.

Under the plan, by that year China will have built a well-functioning weather modification system and have made progress in experiments on reducing fog and smog through human effort.

via Beijing in first smog alert of year, AsiaOne Asia News.

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Pollutionwatch: Please don’t keep the home fires burning

Posted on January 14, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

With fewer people travelling to work, the end of December normally has low pollution. However, this year frosty weather meant that air pollution lingered and caused problems across the UK – especially in Merseyside, Manchester and Southampton.

East Sussex Fire Service issued public warnings following a spate of chimney fires on Boxing Day, a symptom of the increasing popularity of open fires and wood stoves as secondary or decorative heating. Coal smoke used to dominate UK winters before natural gas became available in the late 1960s, but now woodsmoke is adding to the particle pollution in our urban air.

Between Christmas and New Year traffic pollution declined in the early evening, but airborne particles continued to increase until just before midnight, indicative of smoke from household fires. This was especially apparent across the south in Bristol, Eastbourne, Oxford and Reading and also in Cardiff, Southampton and parts of London. In Eastbourne particle concentrations quadrupled each evening; in Bristol they increased by more than five times.

Domestic wood burning takes place where people live, at the times when everyone else is at home. Even modest wood burning in densely populated areas can lead to harmful pollution exposures comparable to those from traffic. Home wood burning needs to be addressed before more people invest in stoves or make open fires a feature in their living rooms.

In Paris wood burning has become entrenched and recent proposals for a ban met fierce resistance, despite evidence that home wood burning is causing one third of the city’s emissions of airborne particle pollution.

Pollutionwatch: Please don’t keep the home fires burning | Environment | The Guardian.

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Perth’s Atholl Street one of nation’s most polluted

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Perth’s Atholl Street is one of the dirtiest streets in Scotland, according to a new report by Friends of the Earth.

Along with the Seagate, Whitehall Street and Lochee Road in Dundee, it has the dubious distinction of being among the top 10 most polluted streets in the country.

The list was drawn up after Friends of the Earth analysed the average level of poisonous nitrogen dioxide.

Emilia Hanna, air pollution campaigner for Friends of the Earth Scotland, said the Scottish Government needs to take action on the issue.

She said: “Yet again, Scotland’s streets are shown to have dangerous levels of toxic pollution, which are breaking legal limits that were due to be met in 2010. Pollution levels in our urban areas are showing little sign of improvement, with some key streets even more polluted than in 2013.

“Air pollution is responsible for more than 2,000 deaths in Scotland each year and costs the NHS here up to £2 billion annually. The time has come for our polluted air to be treated as the public health crisis it really is.

“Although today’s air pollution is mostly invisible, its impact on our health is crystal clear. Breathing in polluted air increases your chances of having a heart attack, a stroke or developing cancer.

“Children are also particularly vulnerable, with exposure to air pollution restricting lung development, leading to long-term health problems. It has even been linked with autism in children. It is unjust children, who are not in any way responsible, are suffering the most.”

Despite remaining in the top 10, the average level of the noxious gas has decreased on the Seagate and Lochee Road.

Andrew Llanwarne, Dundee resident and coordinator of Friends of the Earth Tayside, said more must be done to improve the city’s air quality.

“A more radical approach is needed to reduce rush-hour traffic levels. Bus services are generally good but there are still no park-and-ride facilities for commuters and more could be done to encourage car sharing and cycling.

“Walking and cycling also have valuable health benefits, provided the air is clean.”

via Perth’s Atholl Street one of nation’s most polluted – Perth & Kinross / Local / News / The Courier.

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Air quality hits severely polluted

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

SHANGHAI’S air reached severely polluted last night, its worst this year, as the city air quality index passed 300.

This followed three days of smog, though forecasters said the arrival of a cold front today with northeasterly winds should disperse pollutants.

Although yesterday was only January 11, it was the eighth polluted day of 2015, and saw the index peaking at 302 — in the highest pollution bracket — at 8pm.

The Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center issued an air pollution alert. Children, the elderly and people with heart and lung disease were told to stay inside, and those working outside advised to take measures to protect themselves from hazardous particles.

The index fluctuated through the day, staying above 200 at heavily polluted throughout the morning, before dropping below 200 at 1pm.

However, after falling to 168 at 4pm, it climbed again, passing 300, the designation of severe pollution at 8pm.

Levels of the main pollutant PM2.5 — tiny particles especially harmful as they can get deep into the respiratory system — also occurred in two waves.

They reached 240 micrograms per cubic meter at 2am, dipped to 220 at 6am and rose to 240 again at 10am.

Then they fell to 120 micrograms at 4pm but returned to some 250 micrograms at 8pm — 10 times the World Health Organization safe limit.

Local environmental authorities said this series of polluted days was caused by the pollutants from northwestern China and still conditions in Shanghai.

But there should be respite today.

Under high pressure, temperatures will range from 5 to 9 degrees Celsius with a sun and cloud, said the Shanghai Meteorological Bureau.

Tomorrow and Wednesday wet weather is forecast, before dry though still cloudy conditions on Thursday. But on Friday, drizzle is forecast.

From Tuesday and Friday, temperatures will range from 6 to 12 degrees.

The only days this year when clean air was recorded were January 1, 7 and 8.

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Real-time Air Quality Index visual map

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution map

You don’t always notice air pollution when you walk out the door in the morning. Sure, sometimes there’s smog in the sky to tip you off that it’s an extra-polluted day but that’s not always the case. So, how do you know if it’s safe to take a jog or play outside with the kids? Just take a look at this interactive air pollution map.

It gathers information from sources all over the world to give you up-to-date reports on air pollution in your area. The interactive map is full of little boxes marking each reporting device. The boxes include numbers and color ratings so you can quickly tell what pollution levels are like. The lower the number the better!

To view the map, click here.

via Real-time Air Quality Index visual map | Komando.com.

Posted in Africa, Air Quality, Asia, Australia & Oceania, China, Europe, India, Japan, Latin America, London, Middle East, UK, USA & Canada, World News | Tagged | Leave a comment

Respro® Masks FAQ: How can I ensure the mask is clean after using it for a while?

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

The  mask and filter should be treated like an undergarment and regularly cleaned.

To ensure good hygiene measures we suggest that you place the filter and valves sub-assembly in a pan of freshly boiled water (remove pan from heat source before putting filter and valves in) and let it cool down.

Remove filter and valve unit and allow to stand until dry.

This process will remove facial oils that may build up over a period of continuous use and ensure that it is hygienically clean. The procedure will also remove some of the particulates and organic vapour that have been filtered within the filter or tissue salt build-up from exhalation through the valves.

If the mask cover requires washing this should be done by carefully removing the filter and valve assembly and then washing the outer casing in warm soapy water and then left to dry naturally (not forced by means of heaters and driers).

For more Frequently Asked Questions go to respro.com

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Hyderabad Shivers in Cold, Air Pollution Rises

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Respro® UK Ltd

Winter traps pollutants, pollution levels double in cold weather

With temperatures dropping at alarming levels, children and the aged are facing the brunt of air pollution. It is a well known fact that the air pollution levels in the city crossed the permissible limits of the standard 60 micrograms/cubic meter long time back but what is troubling denizens is that health problems increase during winter as pollutants get trapped in cold weather leading to rise in air pollution.

P Veeranna, scientific officer of TSPCB, said, “When the temperatures are high, the pollution density lessens which allows the pollutants to rise. In winter, it is the other way round and pollutants remain at the respirable level.”  The total suspended particulate matter in the city is close to 200 as against the standard 100 micro grams/cubic meter. The ammonia content has crossed standard permissible limits at various places in the city. Paradise Circle, Punjagutta, Charminar, Kukatpally and Jeedimetla have the highest PM 10 content.

With 700 new vehicles added to the roads every day, the pollution levels are only going to rise, avers Suguna, a social scientist. The most vulnerable groups who get affected by the rise in pollution are police personnel, traders, businessman and urchins who stay put at various crossroads in the city.

via Hyderabad Shivers in Cold, Air Pollution Rises – The Hans India.

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