Beijing attempts to cut air pollution for Apec summit

Posted on November 5, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

To Beijing’s 21 million residents, the city’s air pollution is a health hazard. To the city’s leaders, it’s an embarrassment. So as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (Apec) begins this week in the city, authorities have been scrambling to keep the air clean, temporarily restricting the operation of cars, factories, construction sites — and even crematoriums.

More than 20 world leaders, including Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin and Shinzo Abe of Japan, will attend the major international meeting to discuss regional trade and investment deals. Beijing officials will not stand to see them photographed in masks.

According to state media, authorities have shut factories within 125 miles (200km) of the city centre, and ordered all construction work to stop during the summit. Cars with even and odd numbered licence plates will be allowed on the road only on alternate days. Schools and government offices have been granted a six-day holiday during the event, but will have to make up the time on weekends. Residents will be granted free admission to tourist attractions in neighbouring Hebei province, a clear attempt to lure them out of town.

According to the Beijing News, the well-known Babaoshan crematorium will ban mourners from incinerating funeral clothes – a common sacrificial offering meant to keep the dead clothed in the afterlife – during the first two weeks of November. “Please forgive any inconvenience,” the crematorium’s management wrote on a large blue and white sign.

The summit will be held in a series of newly constructed hotels and convention centres on the shore of Yanqi lake in Huairou district, a 965 sq mile swath of farming villages and low-lying mountains about a two-hour drive from the city centre.

A hotel employee in Huairou said that for the last two weeks authorities have been announcing new restrictions via speakers placed in the district’s villages, urging residents to refrain from making open-air fires and to clean up their rubbish. “They’re doing so much construction in [Yanqing],” said the hotel worker, who only gave her surname as He. “Across the street [from the main gate] they’re restoring buildings, they’re even restoring a section of the Great Wall [of China]. The streets are really empty. There are security guards at every single gate.”

Beijing has also boosted security, with countless inspections, checkpoints and patrols. In July, Beijing’s public security chief, Fu Zhenghua. told state media that security preparations for Apec would be “on a par with the 2008 Olympics”.

Authorities have installed hundreds of security cameras in Huairou, as well as “22 checkpoints, 38 temporary roadblocks and 140 rural roadblocks” throughout the city, according to the official newswire Xinhua. Police were given “bulletproof helmets, knife-proof uniforms and explosion-proof blankets” in advance of the meeting, it reported.

Air pollution levels in the capital reached “hazardous” levels throughout much of October, normally a relatively unpolluted time because of high winds and low temperatures. Smog engulfed the city during a marathonon 19 October, leading many of its 30,000 participants to run the course in masks.

Despite the disruptions to daily life, local authorities are encouraging Beijing residents to get excited about the event. “Welcome Apec, marvellous Beijingers,” say massive banners hung at intersections and subway stations. Buses are issuing Apec commemorative tickets displaying the city skyline to passengers. Landscapers will replace 450,000 flower pots along Chang’an Avenue, the city’s central thoroughfare, according to state media.

Yet on Tuesday, the air was a gauzy white, registering as “very unhealthy” on the US embassy’s air quality scale – a harsh reminder of the city’s pollution, despite the government’s best efforts to hide it.

via Beijing attempts to cut air pollution for Apec summit | World news | The Guardian.

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India air pollution ‘cutting crop yields by almost half’

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution in India has become so severe that yields of crops are being cut by almost half, scientists have found.

Researchers analysed yields for wheat and rice alongside pollution data, and concluded significant decreases in yield could be attributed to two air pollutants, black carbon and ground level ozone. The finding has implications for global food security as India is a major rice exporter.

Black carbon is mostly caused by rural cookstoves, and ozone forms as a result of motor vehicle exhaust, industrial emissions, and chemical solvents reacting in the atmosphere in the presence of sunlight. Both are “short-lived climate pollutants” that exist locally in the atmosphere for weeks to months, with ozone damaging plants’ leaves and black carbon reducing the amount of sunlight they receive.

The study looked at both the effects of climate change and the two pollutants on crop yields.

“While temperature’s gone up in the last three decades, the levels of smog and pollution have changed much more dramatically,” says Jennifer Burney, an environmental scientist at University of California, San Diego, and co-author of the paper, published in the journal PNAS. “But this was the first time anyone looked at historical data to show that these pollutants are having tremendous impacts on crops.”

Comparing crop yields in 2010 to what they would be expected to be if temperature, rainfall and pollution remained at their 1980 levels, the researchers showed that crop yields for wheat were on average 36%lower than they otherwise would have been, while rice production decreased by up to 20%. In some higher population states, wheat yields were as much as 50% lower.

Using modelling to account for the effects of temperature increase and precipitation changes in that time, they were able to show that 90% of this loss is attributable to the impact of the two pollutants.

The results are specific to India’s seasonal patterns, the crops, and its high pollution levels, but may extend to other places with similar problems, such as China. Chinese scientists warned in February that severe air pollution is slowing photosynthesis in plants, with effects “somewhat similar to a nuclear winter”.

Previous studies had used experimental data looking at the impacts of ozone on plants to extrapolate potential losses, but this is the first ever study to use actual historical agricultural and emissions data to account for lower crop yields.

“Overall I think it’s a great paper,” says Stanford agricultural ecologist David Lobell. “I think in both India and China there is growing recognition of the toll that poor air quality has on agriculture. This study will certainly add to that recognition.”

Lobell and Burney both point out that because black carbon and ozone are short-lived pollutants, they present a clear opportunity for tackling climate change. While long-lived greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide can persist in the atmosphere for decades to centuries, addressing sources of the short-lived pollutants will have more immediately perceptible effects.

Measures such as improved cookstove technology for rural areas, or cleaner coal consumption and diesel filters on trucks in urban ones, could go a long way to improving the impacts on agricultural yields.

“Our thought is that these are more politically tractable points of entry for making meaningful change in climate,” says Burney. “There’s a really local benefit for taking on some sort of costly action.”

Burney also points out that because of India’s key role in exporting rice, such efforts could play a critical role in helping global food security.

via India air pollution ‘cutting crop yields by almost half’ | Environment | theguardian.com.

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Childhood leukemia and air pollution linked, say scientists

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Researchers have suggested a theory in which a previously reported risk of leukemia among children born close to overhead power lines could be caused by an alteration to surrounding air pollution.

Researchers have found little evidence to support the ‘corona-ion hypothesis’ which has explained the excess of childhood leukemia cases close to high-voltage overhead power lines in the UK prior to the 1980s.

The ‘corona-ion hypothesis’ was based on the fact that high-voltage overhead power lines has created charged particles in the surrounding air by a process known as ionization.

On occasions, these ionized particles, known as corona ions, could be blown away by the wind and attach to air pollutants, such as those from traffic or smoking. The ‘corona-ion hypothesis’ has suggested that these electrically charged pollutants were more likely to be retained in the airways or lungs and that this could lead to serious health effects, including childhood leukemia.

To investigate this theory, the researchers had used data from over 7,000 children in England and Wales who were born and diagnosed with leukemia between 1968 and 2008, and who lived within 600 m of a high-voltage overhead power line.

The results has not suggest that exposure to corona ions explained the pattern of increased leukemia rates close to high-voltage overhead power lines previously found in earlier decades.

Co-author of the study Kathryn Bunch has said that they found in earlier studies that, childhood leukemia rates were higher near power lines. This new paper seems to show that this wasn’t caused by corona ions.

The study was published in the Journal of Radiological Protection.

via Childhood leukemia and air pollution linked, say scientists | Zee News.

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Respro® Masks FAQ: Do the filters need replacing, if so, how often?

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Do the filters need replacing, if so, how often?

Yes the filters do need replacing.

1. The effective working life of the City™ filter depends on a number of factors, such as; the breathing rate of the user; ambient levels of pollution; the length of time the filter is actively working; hygiene levels. Taking these factors into account we recommend that the filter should be replaced every month or every 69 hours, whichever is sooner.

2. Replacement of the Sportsta™ filter should be carried out every month or when the filter becomes noticeably discoloured.

For more frequently asked questions,  go to Respro® Mask FAQs

Do you need to change the filter in your Respro® Face Mask? Watch this video to learn the correct procedure.

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Respro® Masks FAQ: What size particles does the Techno™ mask filter out?

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Techno maskWHAT SIZE PARTICLES DOES THE TECHNO™ MASK FILTER OUT?

The Techno™ filter has sub-micron filtration capability. What this means is that it is able to trap particles less than one micron in size which is more than capable of the removal of 2.5 micron particulate material (PM).
Typically particulate pollution in the cities appears to be in the 2.5 micron size range and above. Particles smaller than this are known as respirable dusts, which can lodge deep within the lungs and air sacs. This is the more dangerous type of particle pollution as chemicals from vehicle exhaust gases combustion known to be toxic, are carried by means of the respirable particles. Hence the need for a Hepa-type submicron particle filter.

The DACC Activated charcoal layer within the Techno™ filter has excellent adsorption properties when it comes to SO2 and NO2 uptakes. With this capability and its capability of filtering VOC’s it is the best filter available in our range for dealing with the broad spectrum of pollutants commonly found in major cities across the globe.

For more FAQ,  go to Respro® Mask FAQ

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Beresfield residents battling air pollution

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

All the proof he needs is the black oily and dusty residue that coats the roof of his Enright Street house, its fence and outdoor furniture. ‘‘You would not believe the pollution that we breathe in when those westerly winds start up. The only way you can get it off is with hot soapy water,’’ Mr Radimey said.

‘‘The bloke next door was trying to paint the other day but he gave up.’’

A lot has changed in Beresfield since Mr Radimey moved there 40 years ago.

Two major transport arteries–the main northern rail line and the New England Highway–now ring-fence the suburb.

As a result millions of tonnes of particulate pollution, much of it carcinogenic, rains down on the suburb each year.‘‘A lot of my friends have died of cancer and my wife has a dry cough that won’t go away,’’ Mr Radimey said.

‘‘They talk about needing to cover the coal wagons, that’s true, but they also need to look at the pollution that comes out of those diesel engines.’’Fine particle pollution at Beresfield has equalled or exceeded the National Environment Protection Measure’s annual average for three of the past six months.

Doctors for the Environment has urged the federal government to do more to protect communities such as Beresfield in its submission to the review of the National Environment Protection Measure for ambient air quality.It has urged the government to regulate air quality as rigorously as it does road safety.

Its submission says 3000 Australians die from causes attributed to air pollution, more than double the annual road toll. Many more suffer chronic illnesses, such as asthma.

NSW Health statistics show fine particle pollution can be attributed to 25 deaths in Newcastle each year.

via Beresfield residents battling air pollution | Newcastle Herald.

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Sharp spike in Bhopal air pollution on Diwali

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Minimum temperature rose sharply and air pollution levels touched alarming levels on Diwali leaving many at the risk of respiratory problems in the state capital.

The respirable suspended particulate matter RSPM — which directly affects breathing — went up 2.6 times above the national ambiance air quality standard, officials of the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board MPPCB said on Friday.

According to MPPCB, maximum RSPM was recorded at the commercial Hamidia Road, 457.7 micro gram per cubic metre, which is 3.5 times higher than normal 100 micro gram per cubic metre and 24.1 percent higher than last year’s data.

Deviation in RSPM was 2.6 times by normal standard near Paryawaran Parisar, a residential area. It was also 25.6% higher than last year’s data.

However, Govindpura area recorded a decline in RSPM. Though it was 1.7 times higher than normal standard, it was 38.7% less than last year’s Diwali data.

“Increase in RSPM can create respiratory problems for many as quality of air gets poorer. It can also aggravate respiratory ailments among existing patients,” MPPCB chemist Neeraj Verma said.

According to the Metrological department, the minimum temperature increased by 1.3 degree — from 18.3 degree Celsius on Wednesday to 19.6 degree Celsius on Thursday.

via Sharp spike in Bhopal air pollution on Diwali – Hindustan Times.

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Boris Johnson denies misleading MPs over London’s air quality

Posted on October 24, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Boris Johnson’s office have described accusations that he misled a House of Commons select committee as “completely untrue and unfounded”.

Last month the Mayor appeared before the the environmental audit committee as part of MPs’ investigation into air quality.

In both his written and oral evidence to the committee he disagreed with data from King’s College London which suggests some roads in the capital have the highest nitrogen dioxide NO2 concentrations in the world.

He also disputed data suggesting measures to cut pollution, including an age limit on taxi cabs and making more vehicles subject to the Low Emission Zone, had produced only a 3% drop in roadside NO2 levels rather than City Hall’s claimed 20% cut.

City Hall has repeatedly denied suggestions that London’s air quality is the worst in the world and insists its policies are working.

Addressing MPs, Mr Johnson suggested that comparisons with other international cities may not be accurate because “we stick our sensors and our devices right by where the tailpipe of the most polluting vehicles would be expected to be found,” adding that he was “very far from convinced that that is the technique adopted by every country in the EU.However the Clean Air in London campaign has questioned the accuracy both of the Mayor’s evidence and a report commissioned by his office on which his denials that London lags behind other cities are based.

The campaign claims the report “was already out of date by the time it was published” and failed to identify “a single monitoring site in the whole world” reporting higher levels of NO2 than reported in Oxford Street – the capital’s worst performing street.

CAL has also criticised the report for using “new and complex methodology without publishing a practically auditable trail of methodology or underlying data” which would allow its claims to be verified.

The failure to locate a monitoring site recording higher NO2 levels than London means, the campaign claims, that Mr Johnson “may have misled” the committee. CAL has suggested MPs recall the Mayor will “to address the concerns raised.

”Responding the campaign’s comments, City Hall says the report “was independently peer-reviewed to ensure the methodology it used was robust and fair” and confirms that “different cities adopt different approaches to the siting of their monitoring stations, which means that it is not possible to fairly compare the worst location in one city with another.”

A spokesperson for Mr Johnson told MayorWatch: “These claims are completely untrue and unfounded. The Mayor’s work to assess and address London’s air quality challenge is entirely transparent.“

He continues to take the problem extremely seriously and is working with a wide range of stakeholders to take forward a comprehensive range of measures to reduce air pollution and protect the health of Londoners.”

via Boris Johnson denies misleading MPs over London’s air quality — MayorWatch.

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