Tel Aviv deputy mayor calls for swift action against air pollution from transportation

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

In light of the air pollution plaguing dense urban areas like Tel Aviv, the deputy mayor of the municipality has appealed to the environmental protection and transportation ministers for urgent solutions to this public health hazard.

“Transportation is a major source of air pollution in Tel Aviv, and we must act swiftly to implement measures that will reduce it,” wrote the city’s deputy mayor, Meital Lahavi (Meretz), in a letter to the ministers last week.

Metropolitan hubs like Tel Aviv are suffering from air pollution caused by transportation, one of Israel’s most problematic pollution sources, according to Lahavi. Although reduction and prevention of air pollution is possible, doing requires the combined implementation of measures on both local and national levels, she argued.

“He who seeks to deal with air pollution must deal with aspects connected to pollution from transportation and not ignore them,” Lahavi said.

Lahavi took office as deputy mayor a few months ago and has since been promoting a number of issues pertaining to transportation and environment, such as reducing car use, expanding use of public transportation and regulation of electric bicycle operations, her office said.

The population density and proximity to sources of pollution is exposing members of the public to poor quality and endangering their health, Lahavi argued.

In her letter, Lahavi mentioned that amendment 84 of the Traffic Ordinance called for several municipalities, including Tel Aviv, to prepare urban air pollution reduction programs in coordination with the Environmental Protection Ministry’s air quality division.

While Tel Aviv’s program received approval from the Environmental Protection Ministry, it still has neither been promoted nor approved by the Transportation Ministry, she added.

A State Comptroller’s report released two weeks ago similarly took issue with the attitude of the Transportation Ministry to the preparation of these municipal programs.

After identifying problems with Tel Aviv’s plans to restrict transportation in portions of the city, the national traffic controller issued an order in April 2009 declaring most main streets in the central region “critical routes,” the report said.

“Because the reduction of air pollution is one of the principle and prominent banners that the Environmental Protection Ministry is promoting, and given that the issue of pollution from transportation is the responsibility of the Transportation Ministry, under the framework of a discussion we can consider the various issues – with a goal of bringing about the implementation of programs to prevent air pollution from transportation in practice,” Lahavi said.

In response to the letter, Environmental Protection Ministry representatives said they are taking part on Monday and Tuesday in a seminar on exactly this subject, in cooperation with the European Union.

Organized by the EU Commission’s Technical Assistance and Information Exchange (TAIEX) as well as the ministry, the seminar is focusing on establishing areas of restricted vehicle traffic in urban settings – otherwise known as low emission zones.

Members of the ministry are attending the seminar – in Jerusalem – and are addressing topics such as air quality in Israeli cities and transportation emissions, mitigation of nano-particles from diesel bus emissions and air quality monitoring.

The European experts are advising them on how to optimally establish low emission zones, using standards and solutions from cities such as Berlin, London and Lisbon as examples, according to information from the seminar.

Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz is promoting the implementation of pollution prevention programs and low emission zones within his office, a ministry spokesman told The Jerusalem Post.

While fully integrating such programs will likely need to come from a national legislative level, the ministry plans to begin with Jerusalem, followed by Tel Aviv and then other densely populated cities, the spokesman said.

The Transportation Ministry did not provide a response by press time.

via Tel Aviv deputy mayor calls for swift action against air pollution from transportation | JPost | Israel News.

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SLC mayor says improving air quality trumps need for rockets’ red glare on holidays

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

One of Salt Lake City’s most cherished traditions is in jeopardy of being canceled.

In order to make a statement for clean air, Mayor Ralph Becker has proposed eliminating all city-funded fireworks displays.

“All of the council members are doing a lot of soul searching right now about what’s the right path to take here,” said Kyle LaMalfa, a member of the Salt Lake City Council.

Currently the city holds two displays a year: One at Jordan Park for the Fourth of July and one at Liberty Park for Pioneer Day.

The city budget for those two displays is $25,000.

“The amount of money the city uses to purchase the fireworks is pretty miniscule compared to the city budget as a whole,” LaMalfa said. “What the mayor has done, most of all, is provoke a discussion about how far we are going to go to help clean up the air.”

Some citizens are upset about the prospect of losing the fireworks, while others welcome the idea.

“Well I grew up here so that’s part of growing up in Salt Lake City; I would hate to see those go away due to air pollution,” said one resident.

“Fourth of July fireworks is a red, white and blue tradition, and I’d be really sad to see them go,” said another resident.

Cherise Udell, president of Utah Moms for Clean Air, said, for her, family health outweighs tradition.

“If you look, every Fourth of July, every July 24th here in Utah you will see these big spikes in PM2.5 along with the ozone after we’ve had an episode in fireworks,” Udell said. “I know a lot of the Utah Moms for Clean Air members choose specifically to be gone on the Fourth of July weekend because of how nasty the air gets.”

LaMalfa said he realizes the affect this decision will have on the entire community.

“I’m leaning toward saving the fireworks,” LaMalfa said.

The Salt Lake City Council will be discussing the matter during their June 3 budget hearing at City Hall at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend and share their opinions.

via SLC mayor says improving air quality trumps need for rockets’ red glare on holidays | FOX13Now.com – News for Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo and beyond.

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Deaths from air pollution rise

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Four Australians a day are dying because of air pollution, an international report has found, which puts the cost to the country at almost $6 billion a year.

The OECD research into the economic costs of air pollution found Australia is one of 14 nations where deaths from poor quality air have increased over recent years.

In Australia’s case, 882 people died from ambient air pollution in 2005. By 2010, this had increased to 1483.

Only one other OECD member nation, Estonia, had a bigger increase in air pollution-related deaths than Australia.

The lift in deaths has also led to an increase in the number of “life years” lost in Australia to air pollution. The OECD estimates Australians collectively lost 20,631 life years in 2010.

The ultimate cost to the country because of air pollution, from increased use of medicines to people too sick to do what they would like, is now estimated to be $6.25 billion.

The Department of Environment Regulation said air quality in Perth was rated “poor” on three days last year.

A spokeswoman said the Perth Air Quality Management Plan directly targeted vehicle emissions and smoky wood heaters. The Diesel National Environment Protection Measure also assisted with managing diesel engine emissions.

Associate Professor Ben Mullins of Curtin University’s School of Public Health said Perth’s air quality was generally good.

via Deaths from air pollution rise – The West Australian.

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Air Pollution Kills Over 3,000 Australians Every Year

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

More than 3,000 Australians die every year due to air pollution. According to newly-released report by Environmental Justice Australia, air pollution is inadequately monitored and regulated in Australia.

The environmental organisation has urged the Australian government to form a national scheme for air pollution to be implemented in all states and territories. Environmental Justice Director of Advocacy and Research Nicola Rivers said the government should prevent the deaths of 3,000 people annually. She said the figure may be higher in 2014 since the research was based on 2007 data.

Air pollution is measured using concentrations of PM particles. The PM2.5 particle is the most harmful to health because it is smaller in size and can easily affect the lungs.

Tiny particles in polluted air, known as PM2.5, were identified as risk factors to lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. According to Rivers, the levels of harmful air particles were not being regulated. If exposed, the tiny particles can penetrate the lungs, especially those coming from coal-fired power stations, coal mines and diesel-powered vehicles.

The report said majority of Australians think they have clean air, but the PM2.5 levels could be “extremely high” in some areas. Rivers said one street in Melbourne is where about 7,000 diesel cars pass by every day.

The report said Australians living in Frances St, Yarraville, are concerned about their health and the impact of the fumes coming from the passing vehicles. Previous studies have revealed its PM2.5 levels have exceeded recommended levels.

Despite the health risks of urban air pollution, in a meeting in April, the environmental ministers of Australia’s states and territories have decided to abandon plans of establishing a national air pollution plan by 2016.

Rivers said the ministers have decided only to “work towards” an agreement in 2016, but she said the organisation was not sure if it was going to happen.

Environmental Justice Australia has identified the “worse hot spots” for air pollution in the country. The list includes coal mining regions NSW’s Hunter Valley, Victoria’s Latrobe Valley and areas near industrial sites like Port Pirie and others near major highways and railroads.

via Air Pollution Kills Over 3,000 Australians Every Year – International Business Times.

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Chandigarh to be first in region to monitor its air quality

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

With the UT administration approving the proposal to set up automatic air quality monitoring system, it will soon be possible to check air pollution levels in real time. The decision to set up the automatic system, which will also function as a weather station, was taken at a meeting of the Chandigarh pollution control committee (CPCC), held on May 21, which was chaired by adviser KK Sharma.

The estimated total project cost is Rs 1.1 crore, half of which will be borne by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), a partner in the project. Besides mapping ground-level ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide levels, the air monitoring system will also provide updates on benzene, a toxic compound emitted by vehicles, exposure to which causes cancer, besides other diseases.

This is the first time levels of Benzene and ground-level Ozone, presence of which in the air can harm people, particularly children, will be ascertained in the city. According to CPCC member secretary PJS Dadhwal, location to set up of the system is yet to be decided.

“We are still to identify a place to install the system and will consult experts and CPCB in the regard. We will convey our decision to the CPCB and start the process to set up the station. It may take a few months as we will have to import most of the equipment,” said Dadhwal.

He also said Chandigarh may become the first in the region to have such a system. Presently, CPCC has five ambient air quality monitoring stations in Kaimbwala, PEC, IMTECH, Sector 17 and Industrial Area. Officials said once the monitoring system is in place, live updates will be available online and later, mobile applications can also be launched.

Automatic air quality monitoring system

It will be possible to check carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide levels in real time

Ground-level ozone and benzene presence in the city air will be measured for the first time and the data will be available in real time

The system will also work as a weather station with data on temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity and solar radiation available in real time

via Chandigarh to be first in region to monitor its air quality – The Times of India.

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Residents shocked at high pollution levels in Kensington and Chelsea

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

A leading scientist believes that air pollution in boroughs like Kensington and Chelsea poses a serious public health concern comparable to obesity and tobacco smoke.

Pollution figures for each borough, collected for the first time by Public Health England, reveal that Kensington and Chelsea has the most polluted air in England.

Dr Dirk Wildeboer, senior lecturer in Bioscience and Biomedical Science at Middlesex University, said that after reviewing the report, one can calculate how many days an individual loses from their life expectancy due to air pollution.

For every year lived in Kensington and Chelsea, 3.3 days are lost compared to the greener Shropshire where only 2.2 are lost.

“Air pollution reduces life expectancy with some local variations,” said Dr Wildeboer.

“On the one hand air pollution is a global problem, but on the other, exposure levels to individuals and therefore health impacts vary greatly,” he explained.

The scientist recommended that residents of Kensington and Chelsea take individual responsibility by getting involved in borough-wide initiatives and events to make their area a cleaner and safer place to live.

This included reducing the amount of short car journeys by walking and cycling that would help to make an important contribution to pollution levels in the borough.

Kensington and Chelsea resident Robert Pritcett said the results weren’t completely surprising.

“On Redcliffe Gardens near Earls Court Road, they have always got big lorries coming down, it is a main throughway,” he said. “Sometimes in the mornings I come out and the car is all covered. It is parked on Redcliffe Gardens and it gets covered in a lot of grime, overnight, it is noticeable.”

Dr Wildeboer recommends the introduction of green walls along major roads to reduce the pollution exposure, for residents living close to busy roads.

Nicolas Pejacsevich, an estate agent at Douglas & Gordon in Chelsea, said the news had not impacted house prices in the borough as yet.

A report produced for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea states: “Londoners are faced with only two choices: to leave London for a cleaner place,or to act to reduce the pollution emissions that we generate, both individually and collectively.”

John Needham, security guard at Chelsea harbour,said :“I didn’t really realise how high the pollution rate was, but with all the buildings here, it stands to reason.”

via Residents shocked at high pollution levels in Kensington and Chelsea | SW Londoner.

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Boris urges tax penalties for all diesel drivers

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

The Government should tax owners of diesel cars more to push drivers towards cleaner petrol and electric cars, the senior environment advisor to London mayor Boris Johnson has urged.

The current push to reward fuel-efficient cars via carbon dioxide-based VED tax has seen a huge swing to more frugal but much dirtier diesels, Matthew Pencharz told The Telegraph. “In the last 15 years we’ve seen dieselisation of the car fleet, switching from under 10 percent of the market to more than half,” he said. “But diesel has exacerbated greatly the air quality problem in London.”

Earlier this year a study from Public Health England showed that the risk of death from air pollution in central London was almost four times higher than the cleanest areas of the UK. Meanwhile in February the European Commission launched legal proceedings against the UK for exceeding agreed air pollution limits not just in London but also places like Hull, Southampton and Teeside.

Diesels emit the bulk of emissions that endanger health, with cars the main offender, according to figures released by the London Mayor’s office. The figures show cars including private-hire taxis contributed to 39 percent of smog-forming nitrogen dioxide (NO2), 28 percent of related oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and 54 percent of PM10 particulate matter.

The London Mayor’s office wants the Government to help reduced this by penalising diesels both old and new via the VED tax system. “We want a tax weighting on diesels. Over time it would retrospective,” Pencharz said. “We want to see bit less diesel and a bit more petrol.”

He justified penalising drivers of diesel cars outside London by saying the changes would benefit the whole country, not just London, Pencharz said. “The air quality challenge is a national problem.”

Pencharz will get to outline his plans when he represents the Mayor at the Parlimentary inquiry on air quality due to take place in June or July. The Environmental Audit Committee holding the inquiry has said it is “disappointed” that the Mayor himself isn’t attending.

Cars are governed by Europe-wide emissions regulations that have got tougher over the years, but they failed to take into account stop-start city driving, according to Pencharz: “Euro standards 4 and 5 did not deliver the NOX reductions we were promised – they did not test for an urban style of driving,” he said.

From September a new EU6 emissions standard is being rolled out for new diesels cars that calls for the further reduction of NOX, however the Mayor is still pushing for more people switching to petrol, petrol-electric hybrid or electric powered cars, according to Pencharz.

Last year Johnson announced plans for an ultra low emission zone in London for 2020 that he stated would “deliver dramatic benefits in air quality” by switching drivers to more zero and low-emission vehicles. New black cabs will have to have to “zero-emission capable” by 2018.

Pencharz wouldn’t deny reports that the Mayor wants to ban older petrol and diesel cars from the zone, which would be confined to the current central congestion charge zone “in the first instance”.

“The Mayor’s view is that would not be reasonable to ban someone who has bought a car relatively recently. We want give people as long as they can to know that it’s coming,” he said. Consultation for the zone will begin later this year and the final plans will be announced in 2015.

via Boris urges tax penalties for all diesel drivers – Telegraph.

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Children’s Asthma Linked to Air Pollution in 2nd Trimester: Study

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Respro® UK Ltd

Babies born to women exposed to fine particle air pollution during the second trimester of pregnancy may be at greater risk for developing asthma in early childhood, according to a new study.

Fine particle air pollution, which can be inhaled deeply, is linked to the greatest health risks, researchers cautioned. These particles can be found in smoke and haze.

“We know that mothers’ exposure to air pollution during pregnancy can affect lung development of their babies and lead to subsequent respiratory disorders, including asthma, although little is known about whether timing of the exposure is important to consider,” said the study’s lead author, Yueh-Hsiu Mathilda Chiu, from the department of pediatrics at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“In our study, we assessed whether higher exposure to particulate air pollution at more specific time windows in pregnancy were particularly linked to higher asthma risk in urban children,” Chiu said in an American Thoracic Society news release.

The researchers followed over 400 children to age 7 years and their mothers. Daily exposure to air pollution from traffic, power plants and other sources in the prenatal period was estimated based on where the mothers lived.

The study, scheduled for presentation Monday at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society in San Diego, revealed exposure to higher levels of fine particles in the second trimester of pregnancy had the strongest association with greater prevalence of asthma. This was particularly true for the children born to mothers who were not obese, the researchers found.

“It is possible that the effect of maternal obesity, another known risk factor of childhood asthma onset, may be so strong that it was difficult to determine additional effects of air pollution among children born to obese mothers in this setting,” the researchers wrote.

Dr. Rosalind Wright, the study’s senior investigator, said it’s important to “continue to improve air quality and minimize exposure to pregnant women throughout the entire pregnancy for a host of health reasons. [But] pinpointing the gestational period during which air pollution has the greatest effects on the developing lung may add to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this relationship,” she said in the news release.

Data and conclusions presented at meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

via Children’s Asthma Linked to Air Pollution in 2nd Trimester: Study – WebMD.

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