Pilot program starts to slow ships to benefit whales, air quality

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Ships moving through the Santa Barbara Channel will slow down over the next few months as part of a trial program to help reduce air pollution and protect whales.

Shipping companies can receive a small financial incentive for reducing shipping speeds to 12 knots or less, in the trial modeled after similar programs at Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the Environmental Defense Center have worked together to develop a program for this area.

“It’s wonderful,” said Dave Van Mullem, director of the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District. “We have ships out there right now that are in the channel that are participating in this program.”

The groups were able to launch the pilot program with a $20,000 grant from the Santa Barbara Foundation, and a matching grant from the air pollution control board.

But without interest from the shipping industry, the pilot program would have stalled.

Officials, however, got more interest than they could initially fund and are now seeking money to expand the trial.

Six shipping companies — COSCO, Hapag Lloyd, K Line, Maersk Line, Matson and United Arab Shipping Co. — are participating in the pilot program, which runs from July through October.

Selected ships will reduce their speed between Point Conception and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Companies will receive $2,500 per vessel that passes through the channel at the reduced speed, which is monitored with transmitters along the coast.

Along with reducing air pollution, slowing down reduces the likelihood that a whale involved in a collision will be killed, officials said. Several species of whales, including those considered endangered, can be found in the area.

Last week, a dead fin whale floated into port at Naval Base Ventura County. It was unclear where the whale died, but a necropsy showed injuries consistent with a ship strike.

Authorities ask that collisions with whales or any injured or dead whale sightings be reported to NOAA at 877-767-9425.

via Pilot program starts to slow ships to benefit whales, air quality – VC-Star.

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Respro® Skins™ pollution mask TARTAN

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Refresh your old Respro® Mask with a new skin to #matchyourstyle

SKINS_SIGNATURECustomise your new Respro® mask:

Choose your Skin design and colour, together with a filter and valve accessory pack to match your style. You get to build your mask to your own unique specification.

Refresh your old Respro® mask:

If you already own a Respro® Mask, you can buy a just the Skin™ without the filter and valves and use your own components. To assemble your mask or change the filter, watch this video.

Respro® Skins™ are available online via respro.com

Respro Skins™ TARTAN Red

Respro® Skins™ pollution mask – TARTAN Red #matchyourstyle

Respro® Skins™ pollution mask - TARTAN #matchyourstyle

Respro® Skins™ pollution mask – TARTAN Cyan #matchyourstyle

tartan_purple0001

Respro® Skins™ pollution mask – TARTAN Purple #matchyourstyle

tartan_green__lar

Respro® Skins™ pollution mask – TARTAN Green #matchyourstyle

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Respro®’s first collaboration with the fashion world

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Respro’s first collaboration with the fashion world.

Resrpo® Skins™ incorporating designs by Marcelo Burlon were launched on the 19th June 2014 at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy, hometown of Fashion.

Marcelo Burlon County of Milan Menswear Spring Summer 2015 at Pitti

Images by GIOVANNI GIANNONI, Photographer

via Marcelo Burlon Menswear Spring Summer 2015 Pitti – NOWFASHION.

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Singapore Law to Tackle Haze

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Singaporean legislators on Tuesday passed a law that allows regulators to prosecute local and foreign companies involved in illegal forest burning that causes severe air pollution in the city state.

The legislation, proposed after Singapore endured an air-quality crisis last year stemming from forest fires in Indonesia, subjects companies to fines of up to 2 million Singapore dollars (US$1.6 million) if they engage in activity that causes or contributes to smog on the island.

Officials say the law equips Singapore with “groundbreaking” legal tools to curb cross-border haze, an annual occurrence in parts of Southeast Asia—primarily in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore—that is caused mainly by the illegal burning of forests in Indonesia to clear land for agribusiness.

“We are targeting the commercial operators who directly or indirectly are causing, or contributing to, or condoning activities which lead to transboundary haze,” Environment Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament during Tuesday’s debate on the proposed law.

Lawmakers and legal analysts, however, have played down the law’s potential impact on deterring the use of so-called “slash-and-burn” methods to clear land, citing likely difficulties in enforcement and gathering evidence of illegal activity conducted in foreign jurisdictions.

“For this law to work, the cooperation of our neighbors is necessary, since the evidence…that is needed to mount successful prosecutions will not be in Singapore,” Eugene Tan, a law professor and nominated independent legislator, said during Tuesday’s debate.

“I am skeptical of whether there will ever be a successful prosecution when this law comes into force,” Mr. Tan said. “This [proposed law] is bold in its approach but it does show the limitations of the law.”

Mr. Balakrishnan acknowledged these concerns, saying the law isn’t intended as a definitive solution to a problem that can only be tackled through multinational cooperation between governments, businesses and civil society.

Cross-border haze has been a recurring problem for Singapore and Malaysia since the 1980s, as prevailing winds blow over smoke from the burning of forest and peat in Sumatra, the largest island wholly governed by Indonesia.

While subsistence farmers and accidental causes have also been blamed, academics say most fires have been detected in plantation areas owned or to be used by palm-oil companies—including some based in Singapore and Malaysia.

Under Singapore’s new law, companies would be deemed legally responsible as long as they are involved in managing the parties that set the haze-causing fires. Direct involvement in the burning isn’t a prerequisite for legal action. Offenders can be fined up to S$100,000 for each day of pollution.

Companies that don’t have any presence in Singapore can be served legal notice if and when their executives enter Singapore. People who suffered ill health or economic loss due to haze pollution can also sue the offending companies to pursue claims in civil court.

Singapore authorities would review the law’s effectiveness and may stiffen its prescribed penalties in future, if needed, Mr. Balakrishnan told lawmakers during Tuesday’s debate. The proposed legislation will enter into force once approved by Singapore’s president—typically a formality.

The law was proposed in response to one of Southeast Asia’s worst haze-pollution episodes, which occurred in June and July last year. In that period, acrid smoke from Indonesian forest fires shrouded Singapore and Malaysia, causing an air-pollution crisis that forced the Malaysian government to close some schools, and triggered a diplomatic spat between Singapore and Jakarta.

Singapore recorded its worst-ever air quality during that time, prompting many citizens to demand their government to take firmer action against illegal forest burning in Indonesia.

Government officials and environmental activists in Singapore and Malaysia have long criticized what they perceive as Jakarta’s inaction on the problem, noting that the Indonesian legislature has yet to ratify a 2002 agreement by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to tackle cross-border haze.

Indonesian officials have welcomed Singapore’s new law, even as they expressed doubt over its effectiveness.

“I thank Singapore for their efforts to help reduce forest burning,” said Agus Purnomo, the Indonesian government’s top official on climate change. However, the law may have “limited impact” because offending companies could use complex ownership structures and other technical means to distance themselves from entities that set fires, he added.

via Singapore Law to Tackle Haze – WSJ.

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‘City air heavily polluted with lead, cadmium and CO’

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

The air of the city is polluted with high levels of lead and cadmium that pose a grave risk to public health, says a recent study that also points out that the average concentration of these trace metals found in residential areas of Karachi is higher than those found in Delhi and Beijing.

The study conducted by the Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (PCSIR) Centre for Environmental Studies was authored by Durdana Rais Hashmi and co-authored by Dr Akhtar Shareef, Dr Alia Munshi and Farooq Ahmed Khan.

Under the study, 108 samples of particulate matter (a small discrete mass of solid or liquid matter that remains individually dispersed in liquid or gas emissions) were collected from main roads, roundabouts and open places along the busy roads of Karachi and these locations were categorised as commercial (54 sites), residential (36 sites), industrial (14 sites) and urban background (four sites) zones.

Particulate matter includes a mixture of solids and liquid droplets. Particles come in a wide range of sizes. Those less than 10 micrometres in diameter (PM10) are so small that they can get into the lungs, potentially causing serious health problems.

Ten micrometres is smaller than the width of a single human hair.

According to the study’s findings, the average concentration of lead in PM10 samples found in the city is 1.163 µg/ m3 and that of cadmium 0.008 µg/ m3 whereas the limit suggested by the WHO is 0.500 µg/m3 for lead and 0.005 µg/m3 for cadmium.

Further analysis of the data shows that the maximum concentration of lead and cadmium found in the commercial zone is 3.5µg/ m3 and 0.019 µg/ m3 respectively. Maximum concentration of lead and cadmium in residential areas is 3.1 µg/ m3 and 0.024 µg/ m3. Maximum concentration of lead and cadmium in the industrial zone is 2.34 µg/ m3 and 0.020 µg/ m3.

The urban background zone that covers areas having sparse population with low vehicular traffic, the maximum concentration for lead and cadmium is 0.12 µg/ m3 and 0.005 µg/ m3 respectively.

The research provides a comparison of metal concentrations in particulate matter observed in the present study with other parts of the world. For instance, the metal concentration in Delhi’s residential zone was found to be 0.01-0.02 µg/ m3 (cadmium) and 0.27-0.46 µg/ m3 (lead) and Beijing 0.005 µg/ m3 (cadmium) and 0.33 µg/ m3 (lead).

The US Environmental Protection Agency guidelines on lead and cadmium levels in particulate matter are 1.500 µg/ m3 and 0.006 µg/ m3.

“Growing number of vehicles, consumption of leaded gasoline and poor road conditions are major causes for high concentration of lead and other trace metals in Karachi’s environment, which is a great threat to public health,” the study says.

In recent decades, according to the research, there has been a growing concern over the potential contribution of ingested dust to metal toxicity in humans. Some trace metals are harmless in low concentrations such as copper and zinc, but some metals like lead and cadmium are toxic even in extremely low concentrations and are potential cofactors, initiators or promoters in many illnesses including cardiovascular diseases and cancer.

A number of studies, it says, have linked particulate matter with a rise in premature deaths, hospitalisation, asthma symptoms, bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. Senior citizens and persons with existing cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses appear to be more sensitive than the rest of the population.

“Due to lack of air quality management capabilities, Pakistan is suffering from deterioration of air quality. Evidence from various government and non-governmental organisations has indicated that air pollution is a significant risk to environment, quality of life and human health,” it says.

Carbon monoxide (CO) threat

The scientists at PCSIR told Dawn that the institution had been studying air pollution levels for some years and an earlier research (published in 2011) focused on the threat of carbon monoxide.

“A highly toxic gas, carbon monoxide is a major air pollutant. It can seriously affect human aerobic metabolism as it reduces the capability of the blood to carry oxygen to body tissues. Some studies suggest that reactivity of carbon monoxide with haemoglobin is 240 times greater than that of oxygen,” says senior scientific officer Durdana Rais Hashmi.

The results of the study (titled Investigation of carbon monoxide at heavy traffic intersections of Karachi using geographic information system to evaluate potential risk areas for respiratory and heart diseases) showed that average concentration of carbon monoxide at 20 locations out of 30 sites was very high and much above the permissible limit of 9 ppm.

“Frequent traffic jams and congestions, old vehicles with poor maintenance and narrow roads with uneven surfaces that hamper traffic flow and rash driving are vital factors that increase levels of carbon monoxide in air,” senior scientific officer at PCSIR Dr Akhtar Shareef said, adding that long-term exposure to low concentration of the gas had effects similar to short-term exposure to high concentrations.

An increase and decrease in carbon monoxide concentration in air, according to Dr Shareef, is found to have a direct link with traffic flow.

“There is a dire need to formulate regulatory laws to limit emission of gaseous pollutants from vehicles. Traffic geometry also plays an important part in avoiding congestion on the roads,” he concluded.

via ‘City air heavily polluted with lead, cadmium and CO’ – Pakistan – DAWN.COM.

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Islington to fine idling drivers to boost air quality

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Drivers caught running their engines unnecessarily while stationary will from today (August 1) be issued with on-the-spot fines by council officers

Islington council will from today (August 1) begin issuing on-the-spot fines to idling motorists in the London borough in a bid to boost air quality.

In what the borough council believes is the ‘first campaign of its type’ in UK, drivers in the borough will be educated on the air quality impacts of running their engine while the vehicle is stationary.

And, drivers who fail to turn off their engine after being asked to do so by an authorised council officer will also be issued with on-the-spot fines under the Road Traffic (Vehicle Emissions) (Fixed Penalty) (England) Regulations 2002.

The law covers all vehicles on public roads including buses, taxis and private cars. However it does not apply to vehicles moving slowly due to road works or congestion; vehicles stopped at traffic lights; vehicles under test or repair; or defrosting a windscreen.

According to the council, an idling engine can release as much pollution into the air as a moving vehicle, so turning off the engine when stationary reduces the amount of harmful pollutants being released while also saving on fuel costs.

Islington has also been working with Transport for London (TfL) to encourage high-polluting buses to switch off their engines when idling at bus stops at driver switch-over points and bus stops at the end of routes.

The council’s campaign comes as the Mayor of London Boris Johnson this week announced his air quality manifesto for the capital, which includes proposals to charge diesel drivers an additional £10 to drive in the planned ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) from 2020 (see airqualitynews.com story).

London

However, Islington council believes Mr Johnson should be doing more to tackle air pollution and protect the health of residents in the borough.

Islington councillor Claudia Webbe, executive member for the environment, said: “We are committed to improving air quality in Islington which is why we are clamping down on idling buses, lorries and diesel cars, as part of our air quality strategy.

“We are taking action to tackle the problem of air pollution in Islington but we need Boris Johnson to do his share: by introducing a low-polluting bus fleet, and addressing the high number of polluting lorries that travel through our streets on a daily basis affecting residents’ health.”

The campaign is the latest part of the council’s commitment to reducing air pollution and increasing air quality, and follows the launch of Islington’s air quality strategy, the introduction of 20mph speed limits and the Air Text service for residents.

More information on the borough’s idling campaign is available on the council website.

via Islington to fine idling drivers to boost air quality | AirQualityNews.

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

Diesel car drivers ‘betrayed’ as EU cracks down on Britain over air pollution

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

More than 10 million motorists who were “betrayed and misled” into buying diesel cars have been warned that they face higher costs as the European Union puts pressure on Britain to cut air pollution levels.

It comes as Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, announced plans to charge diesel drivers an extra £10 to drive in the capital – a measure that could be copied by as many as 18 other cities.

For more than a decade, motorists buying diesel cars have enjoyed tax breaks because the cars produce lower levels of carbon dioxide and are more fuel efficient.

Now, Britain is being sued by the European Commission for breaching air pollution limits, because emissions from diesel vehicles are contributing to tens of thousands of premature deaths each year.

Senior Conservatives are understood to be lobbying the Government to increase road taxes on diesel vehicles to bring them into line with petrol, although ministers have ruled out such a move in this parliament.

Motoring groups warned that new levies would hit drivers already struggling to cope with high prices at the pumps and lower the resale value of diesel vehicles.

Edmund King, the president of the AA, said: “Some drivers will feel betrayed and misled because they were encouraged to go for the dash for diesel.

“In the 1990s there was a near hysteria about carbon dioxide, and yet nobody looked at the bigger picture.

“The drivers thought they were doing the right thing, but now they are being told that it has serious health implications. They are being made to feel guilty for something that they were encouraged to do.

“There is no doubt that other cities, encouraged by EU legislation, will look to introduce similar restrictions on diesel cars.

“I think it’s highly likely that the Treasury might slap an extra penalties on diesel vehicles.”

In 2001, Gordon Brown, the then chancellor, overhauled vehicle excise duty so that cars that emitted a higher level of carbon dioxide faced a higher level of vehicle excise duty.

Labour introduced the new regime despite official warnings that diesel vehicles emit “10 times the fine particles and up to twice the nitrogen dioxide”.

The move prompted a “profound” shift towards diesel cars, which produce lower levels of carbon dioxide because they are about 20 per cent more efficient than petrol engines.

Over the past decade, the number of diesel cars on Britain’s roads has risen from 1.6 million to more than 11 million and accounts for a third of vehicles.

However, diesel vehicles produce high levels of nitrogen dioxide, which can lead to respiratory disease and has been linked to 7,000 deaths a year.

Frank Kelly, the chairman of the Department of Health’s committee on air pollution, said the public were still being misled about the benefits of diesel cars.

He said: “I have full sympathy with the public who have not been provided balanced information on this issue.

“Even today if you go to buy a new car you are provided with lots of information about its CO2 emissions and nothing in respect to the pollutants it emits.

“The whole scenario is a very good example of why government policy needs to founded on best science available – not just one aspect, as it was in this case.”

Prof Stephen Glaister, the director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Buying a car is one of the biggest purchases people make.

“Drivers do not want to go to the garage one morning only to find what was previously worth a lot of money has plummeted in value overnight because politicians have suddenly moved the goalposts. People with the oldest, dirtiest diesels will feel the financial squeeze most. They face paying more to use their cars and getting less for them when they try to sell.”

According to official figures, some 18 cities across Britain will fail to meet EU clean air targets for nitrogen dioxide emissions by the end of the decade.

Bristol, Birmingham and Leicester are all considering introducing levies for diesel cars to cut emissions, while Labour is considering plans for a national network of low emission zones in cities that would limit access for diesel vehicles.

There are growing fears that the charges could affect vehicles including school buses and hearses.

In London, only diesel vehicles that meet the Euro 6 emissions standard will be exempted from the charge.

Matthew Pencharz, the Mayor of London’s environment adviser, suggested that successive governments are to blame for a “generation of dirty diesels”.

He added: “These measures can help us to meet EU emission limits ten years ahead of government projections and will deliver significant health benefits to all Londoners.”

The latest government statistics show that in 2011, the nation’s 28.5 million cars emitted 150,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, but a further 97,000 tons were given off by just 400,000 HGVs.

Government sources said rates of vehicle excise duty are unlikely to change for diesel vehicles.

via Diesel car drivers ‘betrayed’ as EU cracks down on Britain over air pollution – Telegraph.

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Sheffield area ‘above pollution limits’ for months

Posted on August 4, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air quality in Nether Edge has met EU standards only once in six months of monitoring, it has been revealed.

Levels of pollution in the Sheaf Valley, which includes Nether Edge, Sharrow and Abbeydale Road, have been above maximum European Union regulation levels constantly since January, revealed Nether Edge councillor Nikki Bond.

She is leading the Sheaf Valley Clean Air Campaign to raise awareness of polluted air and its links to poor health in a bid to cut car use.

She said: “Abbeydale Road is an arterial road for Sheffield, and Nether Edge is in a bit of a valley, which can exacerbate the problem.

“Last year we agreed a funding application from the East End Quality Of Life Initiative to install monitoring tubes in the area.

“Measurement started in January. There is only one occasion, in February on Chippinghouse Road, where it was within legal limits. It was above it for the rest of the area the rest of the time.

“The limit is 40mg per metre squared of nitrogen dioxide, but levels in the area have been at about 50mg for the duration of the monitoring.

“Air pollution causes cancer, according to research by the World Health Organisation.

“Poor air quality can also have an impact on children’s lung development.”

But Coun Bond was keen to stress air pollution is a problem across Sheffield, not just in Nether Edge.

A report by The Star in June revealed air pollution is causing 500 premature deaths a year in the city at a cost of £160 million to health services annually.

The council published an Air Quality Action Plan last year setting out a range of initiatives to tackle the issue.

The plan includes proposals such as controlling industrial emissions, mitigating the impact of the M1 by pushing for a speed limit reduction and looking into the possibility of introducing a city centre ‘Low Emission Zone’.

Coun Bond said the Sheaf Valley campaign is about raising awareness, including talks at Nether Edge Primary School about air quality, adding: “The purpose is to bring people in the community and the council together to work on raising awareness of poor air quality, in partnership with schools.

“You can’t see or taste air so it’s encouraging people to think about it and consider their car use carefully.”

via Sheffield area ‘above pollution limits’ for months – Sheffield Telegraph.

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