Review: Lightness Of Breath

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

SAMSUNG CSCIn 2012, we tested Respro®’s Sportsta™ breath mask previously in MotoBuyer, which featured proprietary filters that help commuters breathe easy in the city. Since then, the UK-based safety equipment company has improved its line-up and begun to offer more products.

New features in Respro®’s product line-up including the availability of more sizes, as well as the announcement of a new, more fashionable line-up of masks (dubbed ‘Skins’) although these are not on sale just yet.

The reasons for wearing a breath mask in Singapore are mounting: diesel fumes, huge swathes of burning forest and claustrophobic tunnels with bad ventilation (see box). The benefits of wearing one are beginning to far outweigh the drawbacks.

But one newer product in the Respro® catalogue caught our eye: the Nitesight™ mask. Respro® also makes high-visibility products, and the new mask combines two safety technologies into one – a high-viz, filtration mask for urban wear. What more could a paranoid biker want?

The Nitesight™ mask is Respro®’s classic City™ mask with a twist: While it’s still constructed of stretchy Neoprene, the outer surface now has a coating of Scotchlite reflective material. You’ll know this as the stuff that’s on the back of your running shoes and some backpacks too. Scotchlite is made up of thousands of tiny reflective beads which shoot back light pointed at it, providing for a highly visible surface when lit up at night.

It’s a particularly clever move, especially since your head is often the most visible part of your body on a bike. Even with high-visibility clothing, it does become difficult to see motorcyclists at night. Like pedestrians, they can become obscured when hiding ‘between’ points of illumination, such as the headlights of other cars. Studies also show that one of the best things you can do is wear a white or hi-viz helmet – so wearing a hi-viz breathing mask should add to your notice-ability from the front.

As mentioned, Respro® masks now come in two different sizes, medium and large. According to the company, medium size fits a normal sized woman and large fits a normal sized man. We opted to try a medium size this time round (our Sportsta™ is large sized) and it fits well, although it’s right at the limit of adjustability, so we would choose a large next time. The adjustable Velcro backing and stretchy nature of the mask makes it comfortable to wear once you get used to it.

The Nitesight™ mask comes with the City™ filter as standard. The two valves on the mask allow you to breathe out freely, unlike a standard disposable N95 mask which does a ‘suction cup’ movement when you breathe out too quickly, caused by air trying to escape and enter the mask simultaneously.

One of the key draws of the Respro® mask system is that the filters and valves are interchangeable. The City™ filter, as the name suggests, is more for urban commutes. It uses activated charcoal to screen out dust, some pollution and odours. Activated charcoal, as you may know, adsorbs chemicals and pollutants by locking them into its microscopic pore structure. Adsorbtion is different from absorbtion, the former is where particles are held by weak molecular forces to the material, the latter is where the substance permeates or is dissolved by a solvent.

The Sportsta™ filter has a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) sub-micron filter, so it can screen out most particulate pollution (PM10 and PM2.5) although it does allow some fumes and chemicals in.

Respro®’s Techno™ filter is the top-line offering, and combines the best of the two filters into one, which is why it’s our choice for all round commuting and travel. According to Respro® “the 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.”

As you can see from the photos, the mask has the happy effect of making you look like a storm trooper from Star Wars, especially when combined with a white helmet. When viewed at night, the Scotchlite really does the job from the front.

One example is, I imagine you’d be very visible to oncoming traffic at night while waiting to turn right at junctions– right turning vehicles, by the way, are a cause of more dangerous accidents due to high and low speed differential.

Wearing the mask for long periods is not a bother, although the harder nature of the City™ filter (if you use it) makes our nose bridge chafe a little after long rides. In our opinion, the only big drawback of the mask is that it won’t fit under most full-face helmets, hence the half-face helmet you see in the photos. It might possibly fit under the enduro-styled helmets with longer chin-guards, but we have yet to test that sort of helmet and in any case chin-bar size varies amongst all kinds of full-face helmets.

All in all, we think the Nitesight™ mask is another strong product from Respro® and money well spent – it helps you to breathe easier on urban commutes and will even help you stick out more on the road.

Respro® Nitesight™ mask

GBP32.99 / SGD70.52

Respro® Techno™ filter (2 pack)

GBP17.99 / SGD38.46

Respro® masks can be purchased directly from the company at www.respro.com or you can order them from online bicycle retailers based in the UK. Singapore’s retailers for Respro® products are Hodaka Motoworld, www.motoworld.com.sg.

Why You Should Wear A Pollution Mask
Even without the haze, Singapore’s air really isn’t as clean as you think it is

Last year when the haze hit Singapore hard, I was prepared: I simply wore my Respro® Sportsta™ mask everywhere I went – as opposed to just on the bike. After all engine ‘smoke’ and burning plant smog is more or less the same thing, the products of incomplete combustion.

To be honest, the vast majority of Singapore’s motorcyclists are behind the curve when it comes to safety gear – regular clothing and flip-flops are still the common outfit for an urban commute here in the Lion City.

Savvy bikers know it’s not a matter of if, but when you’re going to fall off, and one wears a breath mask for the same reason you wear a riding jacket or boots: as a proactive safety measure.

You may not know it, but Singapore’s roads are really quite bad for your lungs. It’s estimated that almost a fifth of Singapore’s emissions come from vehicles – but we guess the vast majority doesn’t come from passenger cars.

Vehicle emissions aren’t healthy, we all know. Various pollutants, chemicals and compounds result from internal combustion engines: these include particulate matter called PM10s and PM2.5s – which mean small pollutants that are less than 10 microns and 2.5 microns in size respectively. These include the soot plumes you see coming from older diesel engines and other kinds of respirable dusts that you can’t see. The latter are very bad for you, as they can enter the lungs and be lodged inside.

Other hazards include gaseous pollutant such as sulphur dioxide, volatile organic compounds (those with hydrogen molecules, which is almost everything) or even heavy metals are thrown into the atmosphere.

While modern passenger car and diesel engines are very efficient and pollute much less, this is not the case with many older diesel vehicles – vans, lorries, some buses and most taxis running on the road. Coincidentally, these vehicles also spend a lot of ‘dwell time’ on the road too, which means they pollute considerably more than a normal passenger car, which typically spend most of their time parked.

According to the UN Economic Council for Europe’s report on diesel engines (UNECE Diesel Engines Exhausts: Myths and Realities, 2014): “In June 2012, the World Health Organization’s International Agency on Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that diesel engine exhaust is carcinogenic to humans (IARC, 2012). It is noteworthy that the IARC decision was unanimous and….it urged a worldwide reduction of exposure to diesel fumes as much as possible.”

The LTA has announced it has ‘projected’ an improvement to diesel standards to begin by 2014, which will help the situation. But unlike other countries, there has been no diesel retrofit scheme for older vehicles to improve their particulate emissions. So until this is fixed, and we don’t think it will be for at least a few years, your best bet is to commute with some sort of breathing protection. And that’s not even counting the haze!

via carbuyer.com.sg

Posted in Air Quality, Singapore | Leave a comment

Air pollution means death in cities

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

In Riga, in Latvia, the European Commission have noted the PM10 particles of a size greater than 10 micrometres levels off particulate matter affecting air quality and health.

While London and Paris are also heavily affected by traffic pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and both types of recorded particulates, much of the world needs a rethink on vehicle regulation in urban areas.

Particles in the air are now highly regulated in industrialised nations. Riga and the rest of Europe must not exceed 50 micrograms per cubic metre of the large PM10 particles for more than 10% of the year. The Chinese, who suffer badly from particulates, have a limit for PM10 that is 3X higher, possibly because that target is reachable.

PM2.5 particles the smaller regulated pollutants are regarded as even more dangerous to health. New regulations in Europe will take effect in 2015. It isn’t simply the child or the old person who is affected. For building workers or those subjected to city traffic fumes, such as cyclists!, young healthy individuals are being heavily affected. The incidence of heart attack and the increase in lung cancers is estimated often as being as high as 20% increase for every 10 microgram increase in PM10 levels. PM10 is now classed as a Group 1 carcinogen.

Possibly activated by such knowledge, people are now using apps for their phones that help track ozone, carbon and other levels in the air they currently breathe. The Airprobe connects via Bluetooth, so several pieces of equipment could be integrated with your personal health investigation!

In Lanzhou, a great city in Gansu province, China has a good example of recovery from those awful pollutions from coal industries and even forest burning we have reported recently in 2009 over Asia. In August it was announced that the heavy chemical industries’ emissions, polluting the lengthy Huang He Yellow River and the air have been reined in and for 2 years, coal burning stoves have been regularly replaced with gas alternatives. 13 industries simply had to be closed down, while winter pollution, which is extra intensive, has been cut by suspending 2000 factories for the season.

The obvious solution to the Chinese authorities was shifting the problem to someone else’s doorstep by moving 78 factories out to the city’s industrial “park.”. Cars, too have been fitted with catalytic converters and the citizens given thousands of jobs throughout the 1482 districts of Lanzhou o test their air. The result has been 299 days with good or better air in the enclosed valley containing the city. That is 57 days more than in 2001, leaving a thousand more Chinese cities ready to adopt strategies to improve their own air. Lanzhou’s 62-year-old Zhang Yucan has the quote of the year with, “I could rarely see the mountains clearly due to the heavy pollution, but now people can do morning exercises in a clean environment.” More on the “transformation” in the – China News.

via Air pollution means death in cities | Pollution | The Earth Times.

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Tour de France massively improved air quality in Huddersfield

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

The air quality in Huddersfield improved dramatically when roads closed around the Tour de France Grand Départ in July, monitoring has found.

The council shut dozens of roads around the route,  from Ainley Top to Holme Moss, as well as a large number of feeder roads.

Monitoring stations in the town have found that as a result, there was a big fall in air pollution during the times of the road closures.

There was a huge fall in nitrogen dioxide levels, a gas caused by heavy traffic.

Clr Steve Hall, Kirklees Cabinet member for Environmental Health, told the Huddersfield Daily Examiner: “We noticed a striking difference when the roads were closed to traffic. The drop in the pollution level was dramatic and immediate.

“The unusual situation created by the visit of the Tour de France highlights how our car use affects pollution levels and shows the benefits of cycling and walking.

“I hope that one of the legacies of the Tour de France is to increase the number of journeys, particularly those done by commuters, completed by cycling and walking which will benefit people by increasing fitness levels through exercise but also improving the quality of the air we breathe.”

Earlier this year we reported how cycling was highlighted by both the World Health Organisation (WHO), and an eminent professor of environmental health as part of the solution to the problem of worsening air quality.

In most cities where there is enough data to compare current air pollution levels with previous years, the situation is getting worse.

The WHO estimated that outdoor air pollution was responsible for 3.7 million premature deaths of individuals under the age of 60 around the world in 2012.

The WHO director for public health, environmental and social determinants of health, Dr Maria Neira, underlined the prominent role that active transport and improved cycling infrastructure plays in the cities which have improved their air quality.

She said: “Effective policies and strategies are well understood, but they need to be implemented at sufficient scale.

“Cities such as Copenhagen and Bogotà, for example, have improved air quality by promoting ‘active transport’ and prioritizing dedicated networks of urban public transport, walking and cycling.

“We can win the fight against air pollution and reduce the number of people suffering from respiratory and heart disease, as well as lung cancer.”

The government in the UK also issued figures last month that suggested 29,000 premature deaths per year came as a result of poor air quality.

In April the level of pollution in some parts of south-east England reached the top of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ ten-point scale, as a result of particular weather conditions and Saharan dust being blown north.

Experts were divided as to whether cycling in these conditions would cause harm or not, but both the WHO and professor Frank Kelly of King’s College, London, agree that it is key in solving the problem.

Prof Kelly, professor of environmental health, wrote a piece for the Evening Standard in which he outlined his beliefs that London’s poor air quality now “poses a significant threat to our health.”

In the piece he highlighted the diesel engines that power nearly all of our public transportation vehicles and around half of the cars on the capital’s roads as the primary culprits for the city’s poor air quality.

He also suggested a number of measures that should be taken to improve the state of the city’s air, including improvements to cycling infrastructure regardless of the cost it may incur.

He wrote: “The UK’s air quality improvements have miserably stalled and in London especially this now poses a significant threat to our health.

“To cut pollution we must reduce traffic and ensure that what remains on the road is cleaner.

“We could do so through a more effective low-emission zone; investing in clean and affordable public transport; moving back from diesel to petrol or at least banning all highly polluting diesel vehicles; lowering speed limits and enhancing cycle routes.

“There will be costs — but these should be balanced against the cost of the impact of air pollution in the UK, estimated at up to £19 billion a year.”

 

via Tour de France massively improved air quality in Huddersfield | road.cc.

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New Air Quality Index May Help India’s Cities Breathe Easier 

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

These days in New Delhi, white shirts stay a lot whiter after a long day outside than they did in the late 1990s. Back then, India was in the thick of rapid industrialization, and millions of cars were being introduced to the roads. The actual particles of air pollution – specifically particulate matter, the mix of airborne liquids and solids produced by industry, transportation, and household combustion – were larger, and thus more noticeable.

Fewer, too, are the days of burning eyes and noses, symptoms caused by the high sulfur content in the diesel that fueled India’s urban bus fleet. By 2001, all buses were mandated to transition from diesel to compressed natural gas. Although a large proportion of India’s overall vehicle fleet still runs on diesel, the sulfur content is lower.

“The air pollution has gotten much smarter,” says Parthaa Bosu, Director of Clean Air Asia’s India office. “It’s no longer as visible and no longer stuck in your nose. Instead, it’s landing directly in your lungs, getting you sick, and increasing your risks of cancer and other respiratory diseases. When you ask citizens if air pollution is a problem, you may hear that the air is clean.”

Except India’s air is a long way from clean. In January, a flurry of media storiessuggested that New Delhi’s air quality was worse than that of China’s capital city, Beijing. In the 2014 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) – a biannual report released by Yale and Columbia universities – India ranked close to last alongside China on an indicator of exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which is small enough to enter the bloodstream.

India was dealt a further blow in May, when a World Health Organization (WHO) study assessing air pollution in cities ranked New Delhi below Beijing. The study said that New Delhi has “the world’s worst air quality.”

The Indian government initially dismissed the EPI and WHO air pollution findings. However, as it became clear to the international community that air pollution levels in New Delhi and other major cities in India far exceed thresholds deemed safe by bothIndia’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards and the WHO’s Air Quality Guidelines, Indian pollution-control regulators changed their posture.

This fall, India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will publish its own air pollution index. The index will measure eight air pollutants in 16 Indian cities, ranking the cities based on their air quality.

Similar to air quality indices (AQIs) in the United States, Europe, and China, India’s index is intended to convey air quality levels in a way that is accessible to the general public, clearly identifying health risks associated with the levels of any given air pollutant. The CPCB monitors and regulates the standard spectrum of air pollutants: PM2.5; its slightly larger and less dangerous counterpart PM10; nitrogen dioxide; sulphur dioxide; ozone; carbon monoxide; lead; ammonia; benzene; benzopyrene; nickel; and arsenic. Out of all of these, PM2.5, which the EPI and WHO studies both measure, is the most dangerous to human health.

“India’s air quality index is a good step in informing the general public about the state of air quality, which will not only sensitize them toward this issue but will also make them think about ways to improve it,” said Sumit Sharma, a fellow in the Earth Science and Climate Change Division of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI).

“However, merely informing the public through an air quality index is not going to solve the problem. Air quality indices depend on the data collected through a network of monitoring stations. The network itself needs substantial improvement.”

The index also aims to inform state governments in drafting their own air pollution policies, while providing feedback on the effectiveness of existing air pollution regulations.

CPCB confirmed that the index is under development, but declined to comment further.

Currently, India’s National Ambient Air Quality Standards prescribe 40 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) as an annual average for PM2.5, which is less stringent thanWHO’s interim targets and air quality guideline of 20 µg/m3. India’s recommended levels would qualify as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” under the United States’ Air Quality Index. For PM10 India’s standards prescribe a 60 µg/m3 annual average. That is within range of WHO’s suggested interim air quality targets, but still a long way from its air quality guideline of a 20 µg/m3 annual average.

“The health benefit you get going from 35 to 30 µg/m3 is lower than from 15 to 10 µg/m3,” says Joshua Apte, a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Apte stresses the nonlinear relationship between air pollutant levels and health impacts – and the need for an index to reflect this.

“It’s important to think about not just the short-term policies that can lead to 1 or 2 µg/m3 gains in a city but also the long-term vision for truly clean air,” he says.

Slated for completion in October, India’s air pollution index marks a positive move by the government to shed light on air quality in India’s urban areas. By clearly communicating the health impacts of air pollution, the index could elevate the public profile of air quality and provide new momentum to improve India’s air quality standards and regulations.

via New Air Quality Index May Help India’s Cities Breathe Easier | Angel Hsu.

Posted in Air Quality, Asia, India | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Respro® Masks FAQ: Do I need to replace the valves?

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

DO I NEED TO REPLACE THE VALVES?

The valves should not need replacing on a regular basis assuming that they are maintained properly. On a monthly basis, it is advisable to flush the valves through with warm water, allow to dry and apply a little talcum powder to prevent the valve from sticking. On the Powa valve, it is essential that you locate the two pins, nearest the hinge, properly into the body of the valve, and check that they are seated properly.

For more FAQ,  go to Respro® Mask FAQ

All Respro® products are available from our website respro.com

Respro® will ship your order to anywhere on the planet free of charge.

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Mayor’s new scheme to tackle old, polluting construction machinery & boost air quality

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd
• London is first city in the world to require construction equipment to meet standards for both particulates (PM10) and nitrogen oxides (NOx)
• Construction machinery emissions will be cut by approximately 40 per cent by 2020 helping London achieve compliance with nitrogen dioxide (NO2) legal limits

In a world first, the oldest, most polluting bulldozers, diggers and other building site machinery are to be targeted under new plans by the Mayor Boris Johnson to improve the capital’s air quality.

New planning rules will require construction equipment to meet standards for both particulates (PM10) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), cutting emissions by approximately 40 per cent by 2020. Equipment over 10 years old will need to replaced or retrofitted on all developments in central London and major developments in outer London (10 homes or more or 1,000 sq foot in other developments), with occasional exemptions for specialist construction machinery. They will also improve the control of dust from construction and demolition activity which can cause significant health impacts and is responsible for up to 15 per cent of air pollutant emissions in London.

Construction machinery is often replaced less frequently compared to similar emitting engines like cars or vans. Air pollutants coming from dust-generating activities on site, for example breaking-up of materials and the movement of soil, can cause significant nuisance to local residents unless properly managed.

The Mayor’s new mandatory Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) addresses this by reducing emissions of dust, particulates (PM10 and PM2.5) from construction sites and managing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from machinery. While other cities and countries have introduced emission requirements for construction machinery before, this is the first time any city has introduced rules for both particulate and NOx emissions.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “By replacing the oldest and most polluting bulldozers and machinery on building sites we can greatly reduce harmful emissions and boost our air quality. We’ve all walked past construction sites and seen thick clouds of dust generated from equipment that simply hasn’t been updated or replaced in decades. This new guidance will reduce NOx and is part of a series of strong measures including the Ultra Low Emission Zone from 2020, that will greatly reduce London’s air pollution from all emission sources.”

Dr Claire Holman from the Institute of Air Quality Management said: “This is an important step in reducing emissions from demolition and construction sites that are both annoying and damaging to human health. These standards have rightly taken into account the impact on air quality and will be a key part of the planning process of new developments.”

City Hall has worked closely with the construction and retrofit industries over the new guidance, which will be implemented from September 2015 by local authorities through the planning system. Tighter standards will be put in place in central London, reflecting the greater scale and impact of construction in this area. The standards will tighten again across the whole of London in 2020 to complement the Mayor’s proposals for an Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London, helping create a comprehensive approach to addressing all major emission sources.

Today’s announcement is part of a wide range of measures the Mayor has implemented to improve air quality in the capital to ensure London meets legal limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as soon as possible and by 2020 including:
-The oldest and most polluting vehicles have been taken off the streets, standards for engines and buildings have been tightened and the world’s largest bus retrofit programme has created the cleanest large bus fleet in the world
– Since the Mayor was elected, half as many Londoners live in areas exceeding legal limits, emissions of harmful particulates are down by 15 per cent, and nitrogen oxide emissions are down by 20 per cent.
– Creating the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London from 2020

via Mayor’s new scheme to tackle old, polluting construction machinery & boost air quality | Greater London Authority.

Posted in Air Quality, Europe, London, UK | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Experts to survey town’s traffic after residents complain over air pollution

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

‘ENOUGH is enough’, say residents who believe air pollution is harming their health.

People living on Boot Hill in Weymouth are seriously worried about high level of pollution on the road.

A new report shows that the levels of nitrogen dioxide recorded on Rodwell Road, particularly in the Boot Hill area, are some of the highest in the Dorset and up to double the levels of recordings taken in other parts of Weymouth.

Nitrogen dioxide is a pollutant caused by traffic which has adverse health effects on breathing and particularly affects asthma sufferers.

Residents have been campaigning about the pollution levels on the road since the new traffic light system was installed in 2011 and have been refused any compensation from the council as the changes ‘did not alter the road’. Linda Skuse and her neighbours have been in contact with Dorset County Council over the issue. She said: “We know that living on a main road, you will get traffic but the pollution caused since these traffic lights have been put in is ridiculous.

“You can’t leave washing to hang outside because it turns black. If you dust in the morning, by the afternoon there is already a thick layer of dust back again.

“There have been occasions where the stuff coming out of the lorries is so thick that you can’t even see across the road.”

Diffusion tubes on the road are checked on a monthly basis and indicate the pollution levels on the hill are higher than elsewhere in the town.

It is said that the traffic problems have also had detrimental effect on house prices on the road.

Jenny and Mick Houghton lived in Weymouth for 20 years but have now relocated to Blackpool after losing more than £40,000 on their house.

“We had to put in triple glazed windows in the living room because of the noise and in three weeks they were black.“Pollution was always high on the road but when the traffic lights were put in it doubled. I had to start using an inhaler,” said Jenny.

“When we originally put our house on the market it was up at £197,000 and after the lights were put in it was dropped to £189,000.”

The road often sees large build-ups of traffic travelling towards Portland, with large lorries, coaches and double-decker buses, struggling to get up the hill.

The government states that the annual mean of nitrogen dioxide in the air should not exceed 40µg.m-3 and if it does, the area must be declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) The most recent data from 2013 diffusion tube readings indicates that the annual mean of nitrogen dioxide on Rodwell Road was up to 48.26µg.m-3 in the worst case.

However, according to Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, once the number had been adjusted for bias, and had been averaged with the readings from an automatic monitor which is placed on the corner of Wyke Road, the levels on Boot Hill did not exceed 40µg.m-3, and they are unconcerned about the level of pollution on the road.

Resident Phil Hoskins added:“They won’t give us any compensation, but who’s going to pay for treatments when we all end up in hospital due to this?”

The residents have also asked the council for reports on noise pollution as the last was completed in 2011, before the installation of the traffic lights.

Councillor Mike Goodman, spokesman for community safety at Weymouth and Portland Borough Council, said: “The council will continue to actively monitor air quality levels in the Boot Hill-Rodwell area and respond to concerns of residents who contact us.”

Nitrogen dioxide is associated with adverse effects on human health

At high levels NO2 causes inflammation of the airways. Long term exposure may affect lung function and respiratory symptoms.

NO2 also enhances the response to allergens in sensitive individuals. High levels of NOX can have an adverse effect on vegetation, including leaf or needle damage and reduced growth.

The residents would like to see the following action taken:
– The traffic lights removed
– A safer pedestrian crossing
– Heavy vehicles diverted
– Noise monitors placed on the houses
– Carbon monitors in their homes

MP shows his sympathy with the people living on Boot Hill

SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax said: “I really sympathise with the people living on Boot Hill.

“They have 40-ton trucks shaking their houses and exhaust fumes pouring into their homes.

“My suggestion would be to perhaps consider removing the traffic lights.

“Most problems have a solution and I hope something can be done about this.”

Dan Brember, councillor for Rodwell at Dorset County Council, said: “As I understand the traffic management system is currently under review and changes are planned, however I don’t think they are likely to be great scale changes and the reintroduction of a roundabout isn’t going to happen.

“Early reports have indicated that the traffic flow has improved since the implementation of the new system.

“However, if the residents’ health is being negatively affected and house prices decreased as a result, that is a very serious concern and needs to be investigated.”

Survey of Weymouth’s transport to take place

A SURVEY of Weymouth’s transport system is due to be carried out in the autumn.

Tens of millions of pounds were spent on transport projects in the build up to the Olympic sailing events held in Weymouth and Portland.

But not all schemes were welcomed- including replacing roundabouts with an ‘intelligent traffic light system’.

Many locals blasted the expensive overhaul and hailed the transport package a ‘waste of money’.

They criticised the replacement of roundabouts with ‘too many’ traffic lights which they say have created ‘dangerous junctions’ and increased congestion.

Roundabouts converted included those on the harbourside near Asda, and either side of the Swannery bridge.

Traffic lights replaced mini roundabouts at the top of King Street on the seafront as well as on Boot Hill – which also resulted in a shake-up of some road systems.

One of the aims of the £9.3m project was to improve traffic flow around the town and reduce the need for motorists to use King Street and the Esplanade which often gets congested.

Independent experts will now carry out a stage four road safety audit.

The auditors will take into account all road users, not just motorists.

They will look at key areas of the scheme to ensure it meets national standards.

This is the final stage of evaluation of the scheme.

Previous inspections looked at the design and construction of the project.

This time the auditors will take into account accident records to look at any trends.

After identifying potential road safety problems they will make recommendations on possible solutions.

The county council will take this advice along with the diverse and widespread views of local residents to improve areas such as: Boot Hill/Harbour Crossroads; the Wyke Road/Rodwell Road junction and The Jubilee Clock junction on the Esplanade.

Cllr Mike Byatt, county council member for Weymouth, said: “The county council have been mindful of the needs of the town’s residents and visitors. This review will help ensure that our transport plan is fit for purpose and is integrated into Weymouth town centre’s ‘master’ plan.”

via Experts to survey town’s traffic after residents complain over air pollution From Dorset Echo.

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

Posted on August 13, 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

Posted in Air Quality | Tagged | Leave a comment