Beware! The Air is Highly Polluted

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

There has been a disturbing rise in the levels of air pollution in Hyderabad, which is putting residents at a major risk. According to statistical data, the respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) levels have been increasing steadily  in the city. In Secunderabad area alone, the US Embassy and Consulate’s air quality monitor has detected an air quality index (AQI) of 114 on Monday.

This means that there is an increase in the likelihood of symptoms in sensitive individuals, aggravation of heart or lung disease and premature mortality in persons with cardiopulmonary disease and the elderly. “There has been a profound increase in total number of respiratory issues among the people due to excessive air pollution. This induces asthma and other upper respiratory problems. Apart from vehicular, industrial and environmental pollution, passive smoking is also very harmful as it leads to an increase in environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) levels,” said Dr Subhakar Kandi, consultant pulmonologist at Care Hospital.

Experts explain that aside from lung-related disorders, people are susceptible to health hazards as a result of air pollution. “Air pollution also causes dermatitis where the skin becomes dry and rashes are formed. It also leads to lung and skin cancer. In addition to this, exposure to air pollution increases carboxyhemoglobin levels in the body, which leads to hypertension and heart diseases,” Dr Subhakar said.

Though vehicular pollution amounts to a significant increase in pollution, industrial and environmental pollution levels have also been on the ascent. Old vehicles tend to release a lot more smoke which further pollutes the environment, and garbage disposals lying around only makes things worse for citizens.

“Upper respiratory problems have definitely increased, particularly among children. Because their respiratory system is not fully formed, children are at greater risk while being exposed to air pollution. Traffic constables and truck drivers are also equally susceptible,” added Dr Subhakar.

When contacted, officials from the AP Pollution Control Board (separate departments for TS and AP have not yet been formed after bifurcation) are undertaking various measures to control air pollution in the city. “We have people working in our labs to constantly monitor the situation and ensure things don’t go out of hand. We are regularly conducting checks at some of the key traffic junctions in the city. In addition to this, we are also looking at encouraging CNG buses to make the city environment-friendly,” said an official from APPCB.

via Beware! The Air is Highly Polluted – The New Indian Express.

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See the Worst Place to Breathe in America

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

If you think about smog, you’re probably picturing a major city like Los Angeles, where in the 1960’s and 70’s the air was so bad that smog alerts telling people to avoid outdoor activity were regular occurrences. The air has improved in L.A. and other big cities in recent years, thanks to cleaner cars and air pollution regulation.

But the real capital of air pollution in the U.S. is a farming city that sits to the northwest of L.A: Bakersfield.

Bakersfield is in the San Joaquin Valley, a major agricultural area that stretches through much of California. The San Joaquin Valley contains some of the richest, most productive agricultural land in the country. But its geography—the valley is surrounded on all sides by mountains—creates a bowl that traps air pollution. Levels of soot and ozone—which in warm weather, which the valley has much of the year, can create smog—are some of the highest in the country. And while air in much of the U.S. has improved, in Bakersfield and other towns in the southern San Joaquin Valley, the air quality is as bad as ever—if not worse.

How bad? School officials in Bakersfield have used colored flags to indicate air quality: green for good, yellow for moderate, orange for unhealthy for sensitive groups and red for unhealthy for all groups. But this winter, the air became so bad that officials had to use a new color on the worst days: purple, even worse than red. Because of high levels of air pollution, asthma is prominent throughout the region, and the bad air can also raise levels of respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

Photographer Lexey Swall grew up in Bakersfield, and in this collection of photographs, she shows the human cost of living in one of the most polluted cities in the country. For Bakersfield residents, there’s simply no room to breathe.

via See the Worst Place to Breathe in America | TIME.

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Hong Kong’s air pollution reached the “serious” level today

Posted on September 19, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Hong Kong’s Air Pollution Reaches ‘Serious’ Level on Storm.

Hong Kong’s air pollution reached the “serious” level today, the worst in almost two months, as an approaching tropical storm led to haze.

The pollution, as measured by the Air Quality Health Index, reached the highest level of 10 plus at seven monitoring stations, while the other stations had readings that ranged from 8 to 10, according to the Environmental Protection Department website. The health risk categories are “serious” or “very high,” according to the data.

Tropical storm Fung-wong is sweeping toward Taiwan from the Philippines, with its approach raising the temperature and leading to still air around Hong Kong, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. Nitrogen dioxide, ozone levels and the amount of suspended particles in the air have jumped, according to data on the government website.

“Temperatures in many places rose to 33 degrees or above around noon,” the weather bureau said on its website.

Poor roadside air quality presents the biggest daily health threat to Hong Kong’s 7.2 million people, according to the government’s clean-air plan published last year. Nitrogen dioxide, mostly formed from vehicles in roadside areas, has been linked to damaged lung function in children and asthma attacks.

The last time the pollution level in Hong Kong reached this level was on July 22, when Typhoon Matmo hit the region.

via Hong Kong’s air pollution reached the “serious” level today, the… – News – Mynextfone.

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High air pollution levels hit south-east England

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is expected to be high on Thursday over the south-east of England, leading to warnings to people with respiratory difficulties.

The pollution is likely to be localised, with clear skies over Scotland as people cast their ballots in the independence referendum.

The pollution in the south-east is the result of weeks of low pressure, according to the Met Office, which has drawn in polluted air from the continent. Today’s levels are thought not to be as bad as those that hit England this spring, when dust from the Sahara combined with continental pollution and high levels of smog that led to some of the worst pollution of recent years, with warnings to vulnerable people, including older people and children, to stay indoors.

However, the official health advice for pollution at today’s levels in the south-east is for adults and children with lung and heart problems to reduce physical exertion, and asthma sufferers have been warned they may need their inhaler more than usual.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement: “Moderate levels of air pollution are forecast for central and southern England as well as eastern Wales. High levels may also be observed across parts of south-east and southern England. This is due to stable conditions and easterly winds bringing pollution across from the near continent.

“Scotland, Northern Ireland and much of northern England are expected to see low evels of air pollution although isolated pockets of moderate [pollution] are possible in urban or industrial areas.”

UK air pollution forecast for 18 September 2014
UK air pollution forecast for 18 September 2014 Photograph: UK Air / Defra

The Met Office said it was not possible to compare current pollution levels with cities such as Beijing, as such international comparisons would have to wait for longer-term reports to be drawn up.

Today’s pollution is likely to be short-lived, the Met Office told the Guardian, and may dissipate as soon as tomorrow as weather conditions change. “We are due for some rain and that should wash the worst of it away,” a spokeswoman said.

Defra said the pollution was not likely to be as bad as that experienced in the spring.

Air pollution is a growing problem, as the UK is in breach of European regulations on the issue, with many cities not expected to be within safe levels by 2030, and faces heavy fines as a result. The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has proposed measures such as higher congestion charging and restrictions on polluting diesel vehicles, but these will not enter into effect for several years.

Campaigners have criticised the government for failing to adhere to European standards, and an influential select committee of MPs earlier this week was scathing of the government’s efforts on the problem.

The Environmental Audit Committee said that emissions of a number of airborne pollutants increased in 2013, after being steady between 2010 and 2012 and in a longer term decline before that.

Joan Walley, chair of the committee, said: “A whole generation of young people in our cities will potentially have their health impaired by pollution before the government meets air quality safety standards. That is not acceptable. We need to see much more urgent action in this area and we will be looking at this area in more detail when we publish the results of our inquiry later this year.”

via High air pollution levels hit south-east England | Environment | theguardian.com.

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Calif. wildfire continues to grow; no structures damaged

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

 Firefighters are bracing for hotter, drier weather on the King Fire east of Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday as the 18,544-acre wildfire continues to pour a massive plume of smoke into the air.

More than 2,500 firefighters are battling the fire, which overnight prompted 2,150 people to evacuate the rugged, canyon-crossed area. Fire managers also have closed U.S. Highway 50 through the area, although they hope to reopen the road and relax some of the evacuation orders later Wednesday.

Although the fire has grown rapidly over the past several days, tearing through heavily wooded terrain, firefighters still have reported no damage to homes or other property. More than 1,600 structures are being threatened by the fire.

The fire, at nearly 29 square miles, is still 5% contained.

“Today the big focus is going to be winds,” said fire meteorologist Jason Clapp during a morning briefing for firefighters before they deployed to the front lines.

At the Crystal View Shell Station, just outside the U.S. 50 closure, anxious residents watched smoke fill the valley below and fretted about their homes. Under California law, residents can be ordered to evacuate but reporters are given virtually unlimited access.

“I’d just as soon not have my house burn down,” said Terry Simms on Tuesday night, who was ordered by sheriff’s deputies to leave his Fresh Pond-area home Tuesday afternoon.

Hundreds of homes in and around Pollock Pines, Mosquito Road and Fresh Pond were under mandatory evacuation orders, and even more were under voluntary evacuation as the fire raced through heavy, dry timber carpeting the steep canyons and ravines outside town.

Leaning against a small pickup in a parking lot as he watched firefighters set small fires intended to rob the main fire of the fuel it needs to burn south toward homes, Simms sipped on a Natural Light beer and wondered how his neighbors were faring. Simms and his landlord evacuated with several vehicles; inside the truck Simms leaned on, four chickens dozed in a covered coop on the front seat.

A hundred yards away, prison inmates worked with professional firefighters to saw down trees and underbrush before setting the understory alight.

Specially trained federal firefighters took command of the fire early Tuesday morning.

The fire, which started Saturday in the town of Pollock Pines, Calif., has been rapidly spreading under prime wildfire conditions: a record drought, high temperatures and autumn winds. Conditions aren’t expected to improve today. The fire is expected to spread to the east, north and west, firefighters reported, with the fire well-established in several canyon bottoms and burning uphill to the ridges above. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Smoke from the fires made air quality so poor Tuesday that some schools near Reno, Nev., canceled sporting events. Ash was raining in the Lake Tahoe city of Truckee.

The King Fire is one of 12 major fires burning in California, which is already experiencing an above-average number of wildfires this year.

via Calif. wildfire continues to grow; no structures damaged.

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Hundreds dying in Northamptonshire through air pollution-related diseases

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Calls to cut car emissions have been made by Northamptonshire’s Labour group after a report showed air pollution is causing 315 early deaths in the county each year.

The findings by Public Health England show that long-term exposure to air pollution – linked to a cardiovascular disease and cancer – leads to around 29,000 deaths in the United Kingdom annually.

The figures also reveal pollution was a factor in 102 deaths in people over the age of 25 in Northampton in 2010.

Following its release Labour has announced plans to deliver a national framework for Low Emissions Zones if it wins the general election next year, which would enable local authorities to encourage the use of ‘greener’ vehicles and other measures to reduce pollution.

Labour’s shadow cabinet member asfor transport, highways and the environment at Northamptonshire County Council, Councillor Winston Strachan, welcomed the announcement.

He said: “Air pollution causes 315 early deaths each year in Northamptonshire and 29,000 nationally, more than obesity and alcohol, yet the Government has no plan to get air pollution under control.

“Exposure to the level of air pollution currently found in Northamptonshire causes cancer and cardiovascular disease.

“Studies have also shown that pregnant women, who are exposed to these pollutants, have significantly high risk of low birth weight babies, and poor respiratory health.”

According to the report pollution from road traffic, particularly diesel fumes, are the most significant cause of poor air quality.

The Healthy Air Campaign, led by campaign group ClientEarth, has also welcomed the call by Northamptonshire Labour.

A spokesperson for the campaign, aimed at lobbying government to put emission-reduction measures in place, said:

“Northamptonshire Labour is doing the right thing by stepping in to protect the health of local people.

“Air pollution is an invisible killer, causing heart attacks, strokes, respiratory disease. Children living near busy roads have been shown to grow up with underdeveloped lungs, and that’s not acceptable.”

via Hundreds dying in Northamptonshire through air pollution-related diseases – Northampton Chronicle and Echo.

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Transportation Department wins awards for reducing air pollution

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

The CFISD transportation department earned two awards for its efforts to mitigate air pollution at the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC) 2014 Clean Air Action “Best In Motion” Leadership Awards Program on Sept. 11 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Houston-Greenway Plaza.

The event, honoring the region’s clean air champions, featured KHOU 11 news chief meteorologist David Paul as master of ceremonies and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett as keynote speaker.

CFISD received two awards: the 2014 Clean Air Champion and 2014 Air Quality Leadership Award-Public Sector.

“I am proud to receive these awards from the Houston-Galveston Area Council on behalf of the CFISD Transportation Department,” said director of transportation Bill Powell. “To achieve these accomplishments takes everyone’s efforts and hard work, and it doesn’t happen overnight. For years, we have strived to be safe and efficient stewards for our community to transport our students, and I am thankful that everyone’s hard work has been recognized.”

Several environmentally responsible practices led to the transportation department’s HGAC honors:

accelerating its route fleet turnover rate to 15 years with the approval of the Board of Trustees and community support;

retrofitting 611 school buses with Closed Crankcase Ventilation Systems (CCVs) and Diesel Oxidation Catalyst Systems (DOCs) to reduce emissions;

performing regular vehicle maintenance, resulting in decreased emissions (e.g. keeping vehicle engines well-maintained, using manufacturer recommended motor oil, regularly changing filters and servicing the air conditioning);

maintaining clean fleet policies for on-road vehicles;

reducing fleet emissions and/or minimizing vehicle miles by being more efficient and utilizing a three-tier routing/bell-schedule program that has enabled CFISD to travel fewer miles and transport more students than any other school district in Texas; and

removing more than 46,000 vehicles every morning and every afternoon from roadways and around its schools, based on American School Bus Council estimates.

via Transportation Department wins awards for reducing air pollution – Your Houston News: Living.

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Red card on environment for ‘greenest government ever’

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

The government is failing to reduce air pollution, protect biodiversity and prevent flooding, a cross-party body of MPs has said.The Environmental Audit Committee dished out a “red card” on these three concerns after examining efforts made since 2010.

The MPs said on a further seven green issues ministers deserved a “yellow card” denoting unsatisfactory progress.The government said it strongly disagreed with the findings.After coming to power in 2010, Prime Minister David Cameron stated he was committed to leading the “greenest government ever”.

Our inquiry provides a wide ranging examination of the state of the environment and shows that further and continued effort is required to protect it properly”

A year later, a natural environment White Paper had the ambition of being “the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than it inherited”.

To put these ideas to the test, MPs decided to look at 10 key measures of environmental protection.

On air quality, The Environmental Audit Committee EAC said the government deserved a red card.

The MPs found that emissions of airborne pollutants rose in 2013 after being steady for a number of years before. Under the terms of an EU directive on dirty air, the UK failed to meet the standards required in 34 of the country’s 43 zones.

This led to the European Commission taking legal action to force a more rapid clean up.

However an assessment carried out by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that London and two other regions would not meet the legal limits until 2030.”A whole generation of young people in our cities will potentially have their health impaired by pollution before the government meets air quality safety standards,” said committee chairman Joan Walley.

continue reading BBC News – Red card on environment for ‘greenest government ever’.

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