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Singapore’s air pollution rose to unhealthy levels on Monday, the National Environment Agency said, as winds changed direction and brought in light smoke from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia.
Singapore is in the middle of its “haze” season, when smoke from forest clearing in Indonesia traditionally chokes the air, but this year has been practically haze free, despite warnings in May it was going to be worse than 2013’s record pollution.
The three-hour Pollution Standards Index broke above 100, the level beyond which the air is considered unhealthy, at 1 a.m. and remained above that level into the daylight hours, the government agency said on its website.
The NEA warned on Sunday that if the wind blew from the southwest, Singapore could experience occasional haze from fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island.
The smoke blanketed Singapore last June, pushing the air pollution index to a record 401.
In August, Singapore’s parliament passed a bill proposing fines for companies that cause pollution regardless of whether the companies operate on the island, though it remains to be seen how the law can be enforced.
via Singapore air pollution slips into unhealthy level | Reuters.
Noxious emissions from everyday cars and trucks have long been regulated at European level. But the European Commission believes pollution from so-called non-road mobile machinery – which includes everything from bulldozers to chainsaws – is a problem and is seriously considering imposing emission limits on them.
In their efforts to improve air quality in Europe, EU lawmakers adopted a directive in 1997 that restricted emissions of pollutants such as nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from diesel engines installed in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM).
NRMM includes machinery used in the agricultural sector (for example tractors, harvesters, sprayers and chainsaws) and road construction (concrete pavers, cement mixers, bulldozers), railroads as well as inland waterway vessels (IWV), such as barges.
Despite subsequent legislative amendments tightening the controls, the European Commission has found that total NOx and PM emissions from NRMM have continued to grow due in part to the increasing numbers of machines put into service.
Another reason behind the relative increase in pollutants, according to the EU executive, is that emissions standards for road vehicles have become more stringent but equivalent measures for NRMM have lagged behind.
A 2008 study by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) predicted that NRMM’s share of total NOx emissions in the EU 15 would grow from 16% in 2005 to 19% in 2020.
Pollutants from diesel engines are one of the principal causes of cancer, according to the World Health Organisation, and a major contributor to the 400,000 premature deaths each year in Europe caused by air pollution.
In major cities such as London, pollution from machines used in roadside labour accounts for 15% of NOx, and 12% of PM emissions, with construction workers exposed to the highest levels.
As part of the directive’s review process, the Commission put several proposals up for discussion withstakeholders in 2013, with a view to meaningfully reduce NRMM emissions.
NRMM that is already regulated — compression engines for example — may have tighter emission restrictions. NRMM that was previously unregulated, such as generators and snowmobile engines, could come under the scope of the directive.
According to the Commission, these kinds of modifications are also necessary because some of the directive’s emissions requirements are not up to date with already available, state-of-the-art technology.
Emission limit changes may not necessarily induce higher R&D costs or technological challenges because many manufacturers export NRMM to more strictly regulated markets such as the US.
A Commission spokesperson confirmed to EurActiv that the legislative proposal shall be unveiled “in the second half of September 2014”.
via New EU air pollution rules underway for ‘non-road mobile machinery’ | EurActiv.
Sulfur dioxide levels in Reyðarfjörður reached alarming levels yesterday, and residents are advised to exercise caution.
Vísir reports that SO2 levels in Reyðarfjörður reached 2600 µg/m3 yesterday morning through midday the same day, and have fallen to 250 µg/m3 today. Despite the steep drop, SO2 levels no greater than 1 µg/m3 are considered safe.
For this reason, residents have been advised to take certain precautions. Children and those with health problems were advised to stay indoors, and everyone was asked to not perform exercises outdoors.
Guðfinnur Sigurvinsson, a spokesperson for the Environmental Agency of Iceland, told reporters that despite the significant decrease in air pollution, people should have in mind that the air is still not exactly healthy to breathe. In addition, the SO2in question is not isolated entirely within Reyðarfjörður – the air quality meter for the region is in Reyðarfjörður, but additional meters will be added to more places to give a clearer picture.
Many area residents, as well as those temporarily staying in the area, may have questions for authorities on the levels of volcanic pollution in their area. Guðfinnur advises that people be in contact with the Agency’s Facebook page or send an e-mail to gos@ust.is.
via Volcanic Pollution In The Air In East Iceland – The Reykjavik Grapevine.
Boris Johnson has said his plan to cut air pollution by paying diesel car owners up to £2,000 each to switch to cleaner models would cost as much as £300m. The scheme would mean taking more than 150,000 polluting models off London’s roads.
Giving evidence to MPs on Wednesday on his plans to tackle air pollution in London just months after it was revealed Oxford Street has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), the mayor said that he felt very sorry for people who had been seduced into buying diesel cars in the belief that they were more environmentally friendly.
Diesel vehicles are particularly bad for the emission of tiny particles of dust, PM2.5s and PM10s, named after their diameter in microns, which have been linked to thousands of premature deaths. Diesel cars have been promoted as a low carbon and cheap-to-run alternative to petrol, and now make up half of the new car market.
Johnson told the environmental audit committee: “You could do a diesel scrappage scheme that would stimulate the market for cleaner vehicles. I think we’re saying it should be £1-2,000 for people who have been seduced into buying a diesel vehicle and I feel very sorry for them.
“Everyone should be very clear this has been a massive failure of policy, millions were told they were doing the right thing, the environmentally-friendly thing, by buying a diesel. They now feel very hacked off now they’re told they are more polluting.” He said the scheme would cost around £300m in total implying that he plans to take between 150,000 and 300,000 cars off the road.
The mayor’s office released further details of his proposed national diesel scrappage scheme, saying the government should pay a £1-2,000 grant to motorists of the “most polluting diesels” that are more than 12 months old.
An estimated 4,300 people a year die prematurely as a result of bad air in London, and the capital, along with much of southern England and Wales,was hit by a dramatic pollution episode in the spring during which vulnerable people were warned to stay indoors.
Johnson said that for the UK to comply with European laws on air pollution, which it has been in breach of since 2010, London would “need more financial support” from central government. “There are great things we could do with low carbon vehicles, with stimulating the market for low carbon vehicles,” he said. London is not expected to meet the EU standards on NO2 pollution until 2030.
Asked why he had “laughably” missed targets he laid out in 2009 to encourage the take-up of electric cars, he agreed he had missed a target of 25,000 electric car chargers by 2015, with 1,400 installed instead, but blamed the market.
“The reality is the market has not developed in the way we had hoped … They are still priced pretty uncompetitively. It’s a great shame they’re not thought of as reliable, because of range anxiety [over the limited distance drivers can expect from one battery charge].”
He added: “There is no market in any big city in Europe that has made the leap to electric as successfully as we’d like to have seen. It does depend on an emotional psychological tipping point in favour of electric vehicles.”
via Boris Johnson’s diesel car scrappage scheme could cost £300m | Environment | The Guardian.
A sharp increase in the number of motorcycles and cars in Delhi, mainly because of the purchasing capacity of young people, has contributed to an increase in air pollution in the national capital, according to a 10-year analysis done by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Vehicular emissions, especially from two-wheelers, are the predominant source of air pollution in the city, say the analysis published in the latest issue of the Atmosphere Pollution Research Journal.
The data for the period 2000 to 2010 compiled by the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT-Delhi and CPCB shows that emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NOX) have increased nearly 77 per cent and 29 per cent, respectively.
Emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2) have greatly reduced (21 per cent) due to the phasing out of diesel-driven buses.
Emissions of particulate matter (PM10), organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC) were found to be continuously increasing after 2002 due to a rapid rise in the annual growth of registered vehicles in Delhi.
Currently, there are 5.38 million two-wheelers registered in Delhi.
“Two-wheelers, which constitute 60 per cent of total registered vehicles, have been found to be major contributors towards emissions of pollutants considered in the analysis. This increase was also attributed to the buying capacity and fascination for new bikes and cars among Delhiites,” said the study done by Rati Sindhwan and Dr. Pramila Goyal of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences.
Delhi, one of the fastest-growing economic centres of South Asia, has seen a rapid increase in its vehicular population in the past decade.
The city accounts for about eight per cent of the total registered vehicles in India.
According to the CPCB, the city has more registered vehicles than the combined number of vehicles in Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata.
via Delhi’s car fetish is worsening air pollution, 10-year study shows | Mail Online.
Edinburgh is expected to miss its European Union emissions target.Instead, the city is expected to reach the target in 2020 – five years later than hoped.
City councillors yesterday discussed a proposal to do more to tackle air pollution in the city, as Friends of the Earth claimed the dangerous levels were “causing more than 200” deaths in Edinburgh.
Councillor Lesley Hinds warned Green councillor Chas Booth against using “emotive language” when he supported the tougher proposal and reinforced the number of deaths due to air pollution.
A report to the Transport and Environment Committee said Edinburgh would not meet the EU emission limits until about 2020, but councillors said the Scottish Government had confirmed it would not pass on any air quality fines for failing to meet targets.
Friends of the Earth proposed establishing low emissions zones in the city, an approach already adopted in other European cities including London.
Councillors praised Lothian Buses’ efforts to decrease its contribution to air pollution by introducing Euro 5 standard vehicles and voted out the Green amendment for more robust action on air pollution in Edinburgh.
The council did, however, extend the city centre air quality management area to include part of South Bridge and Nicholson Street and at Angle Park Terrance and Slateford Road as these areas in parts have exceeded national standards.
This means council staff will monitor these areas more closely and take action to improve air quality.
The council will also consult the Scottish Government, SEPA and DEFRA on the data they gather to see how they can work together to reduce emissions in the city.
Read the full report on the City of Edinburgh Council website.
via Edinburgh City Council oppose stricter regulation on air pollution | STV Edinburgh | Edinburgh.
European Respiratory Society publishes new data showing ‘clear link’ between exposure to air pollution and deteriorating lung health in adults
The European Respiratory Society has called for urgent action to tackle air pollution in Europe following the release of new data underlining the link between air quality and lung health.
The study, entitled ‘Long-term exposure to air pollution and lung function in adults: multicentre cohort study and meta-analysis’ evaluates the correlation between air pollution and lung function in adults from eight countries – the UK, Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Sweden.
The study says that the results confirm previous findings that children growing up in areas with higher levels of pollution will have lower levels of lung function and a higher risk of developing symptoms such as cough and bronchitis symptoms. Additionally, it reports that people suffering from obesity are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of air pollution, possibly due to an increased risk of lung inflammation.The researchers used indicators of traffic in the area and modelled the exposure levels to different pollution measures including nitrogen oxides (NO2 and NOx) and particulate matter (PM). Lung function data were collected from 7,613 participants through spirometry testing in adults.
The research is part of the EU-funded European Study of Cohorts of Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE) project. It was published to coincide with the opening of the ERS Congress in Munich on Saturday (September 6).
Senior author, Nicole Probst-Hensch and lead author Martin Adam, from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, said: “The ESCAPE project has clearly confirmed that air quality largely differs across Europe. The findings of this project are crucial as they demonstrate that air pollution is having a negative effect, not only on children as previously demonstrated, but also into adulthood. Although the levels we see in Europe are much lower than in the so-called megacities in China and India, we are still seeing a deterioration of lung function in people exposed to higher levels of air pollution and this must be addressed.”
Commenting on the results, Professor Peter Barnes, president of the European Respiratory Society (ERS) said: “The findings of this study demonstrate the importance of educating about clean air and the negative effects of air pollution. Urgent action is needed to tackle air pollution in Europe. It is crucial that policymakers in Europe take note of these findings and update guidelines in Member States to meet the WHO recommended air quality standards. This will ensure equal protection of all citizens’ health across the continent.”
At the Congress the ERS and European Lung Foundation (ELF) also launched their inaugural Healthy Lungs for Life campaign with the theme: Breathe Clean Air. The campaign aims to raise awareness and educate about the importance of healthy lungs and clean air free from particulate matter, pathogens, smoke and dangerous gases.
At the opening ceremony of the Congress, Zsuzsanna Jakob, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Europe, received the ELF Award in recognition of the WHO’s efforts to improve lung health with the introduction of the air quality guidelines.
Accepting the award, Ms Jakab said: “It is a great pleasure and honour for me to accept the 2014 European Lung Foundation award for WHO’s work in improving respiratory health through our outdoor air quality guidelines. We have come far. These guidelines – drawing on the invaluable expertise of partners including the European Lung Foundation – have led countries to establish national air quality standards, and the European Union to adopt the clean air directive.”
via Call for urgent action to address Europe’s air pollution | AirQualityNews.
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