Respro® Bulletin Board

Pakistan orders Monday closure of schools and offices in Lahore to cut smog

Posted on November 25, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Officials hope three-day weekend will help reduce toxic pollution levels in country’s second largest city
Pakistan has ordered private offices and schools to remain closed on Mondays in Lahore in the hope that a three-day weekend will help reduce toxic levels of smog in the country’s second-largest city.
The directive, issued by Punjab relief commissioner Babar Hayat Tarar, aimed to act “as a preventive and speedy remedy” during the winter smog season and will last until 15 January.
Lahore was temporarily declared the most polluted city in the world by an air quality monitor earlier on Wednesday, as residents complain of shortness of breath, stinging eyes and nausea from thick, acrid pollution.
Last week, the air quality index in the city of about 12 million people was ranked at 348, much above the hazardous level of 300, according to IQAir, the Swiss technology company that operates the AirVisual monitoring platform. Since then, Lahore has been overtaken by Delhi, India, which ranked at 422. The number is a calculation based on the level of several pollutants in the air.
Pakistan has witnessed the worst air pollution in recent years from Karachi to Lahore, as a mixture of low-grade diesel fumes, smoke from seasonal crop burn off, and colder winter temperatures coalesce into stagnant clouds of smog.
As air pollution got worse and the city felt unliveable, the desperate residents filed petitions in the courts in Lahore against the government to take action against the smog, which is a mix of smoke and fog.
Abubaker Umer, a communication specialist and a resident in Lahore, said he stopped going for morning walks and sent his elderly parents to another town as they were very sensitive to air pollution. Umer says his skin allergy and throat irritation has gotten worse over a few weeks since the city has been engulfed in the smog.
“When you open the window or step outside you see no sky. Smog is everywhere,” he said. “We are inhaling smog and toxic air pollution has become part of our lives and bodies. The government has to do more than closing educational institutes as Lahore has become an unlivable city.”
He said that he is able to work from home but over a million people do not have this privilege. He added: “People don’t even wear masks and they don’t know how deadly the weather is. They lack awareness but this is the responsibility of the government to share awareness and find solutions.”
Dr Aamir Iqbal, a private doctor who practises pulmonary medicine in Lahore has seen the symptoms of his patients getting worse. “The smog is making it very hard for the people to breathe and having issues in the throat, irritation in eyes and the weather is very dangerous for people who have lung issues and some other diseases. I have instructed some of my patients not to go out.”
On average, Pakistanis are estimated to lose two years of their life due to air pollution. But Lahore suffers the worst, with the average resident losing 5.3 years of their lives, claims the report on air quality life index , produced by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.
The information minister, Fawad Chaudhry, has blamed previous authorities for smog in Lahore. “We see Lahore engulfed by fog every winter due to the past rulers of the city, who had cut trees for erecting a jungle of concrete there which badly affected the green cover of Lahore and its surroundings,” he said on Saturday.
Rimmel Mohydin, a south Asia analyst at Amnesty International, said the smog crisis was a human rights issue, given that it impedes the right to health. “People should not be endangered by the air they breathe. If the expertise is available, if the consequences are dire, if the evidence of the damage is mounting, then the government must not waste time initiating smog protection protocol.”
Malik Amin Aslam, climate change adviser to the prime minister, Imran Khan, said the government was working on the recommendations of the smog action committee. “We are doing everything possible,” he said.
Aslam said that without regional efforts between India and Pakistan the issue of the smog cannot be tackled, as the crops are burned off on the other side of the border. “We have put this request for a dialogue between regional countries during Cop26 (climate summit). Hopefully, it will take place.”
However, Rafay Alam, a lawyer and environmental activist said that while there was a need for dialogue with India and regional countries, the smog cannot be blamed on Pakistan’s neighbours.
“There is no overnight solution to the problem. The government has to improve fuel quality and shift to renewable energy, and provide pollution control devices for the industries..”
Pakistan orders Monday closure of schools and offices in Lahore to cut smog | Pakistan | The Guardian

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11 out of Africa’s 15 most polluted cities are all in South Africa – report

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Eleven out of the 15 most polluted African cities – excluding those in Nigeria – are in SA, according to a report by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology and consultancy company.
Pretoria, Vereeniging, Springs and Sasolburg are some of the major towns on the list.
However, there was an improvement in the quality of air in SA during 2020 due to a lack of cars on the road because of Covid-19 restrictions and because of load shedding.
While the quality of breathable air in South Africa improved in 2020, thanks to reduced vehicle emissions due to Covid-19 restrictions and load shedding, 11 out of the 15 most polluted African cities are situated in this country.
The list of the 15 most polluted African cities was released by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology and consultancy company, on Monday, but does not include data for Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy.
According to the 2020 World Air Quality Report, the southern and western coastal locations in South Africa have the lowest concentrations of pollution while “interior cities to the north carry the highest” pollution concentrations.
The Malian capital, Bamako, tops the list of most polluted African cities, with the air quality there considered “unhealthy for sensitive groups”.
Sebokeng in South Africa is second, followed by Accra, the Ghanaian capital, in third place.
The city of Vereeniging is fourth while Kampala in Uganda is fifth, followed by the South African cities of Soshanguve, Sasolburg, Pretoria, Springs, Midstream and Ga-Rankuwa. Secunda and Hartbeespoort, ranked 14th and 15th respectively.
South Africa recently struck a climate financing deal to move away from coal thermal power stations but is already among the biggest polluters in the world.
“In 2020, only 4.9% of South African cities met World Health Organisation (WHO) targets for annual pollution exposure. South Africa’s heavy reliance on coal-based energy and other fossil fuels, comprising 91% of the country’s energy mix, is a major source of ambient particle pollution,” notes the report.
Although SA features prominently on the list of 15 most polluted African cities, about “90% of cities in South Africa experienced improved air quality” in 2020. This has resulted in South African cities also dominating the index of 15 least-polluted cities in Africa.
Cape Town, Gqeberha and Mokopane are ranked as the three least-polluted cities in Africa followed by Ziguinchor in Senegal, Mahikeng, Potchefstroom, Phalaborwa and Mombasa in Kenya. Liphalale, Luanda in Angola, East London, Thabazimbi and Addis Ababa also make the list of the 15 least-polluted African cities.
For South Africa, the improvement in air quality by its cities in 2020 “is attributable to measures taken to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, namely reduced vehicular emissions as a result of shuttered businesses and facilities during lockdown periods and measures to protect the electricity power system from a total collapse” through load shedding.
Although there was reduced electricity demand during periods of lockdown for most of 2020, power utility Eskom “still had limited capacity and implemented load-shedding frequently” and this was deemed as “further contributing to the decline” in emissions for South African cities.
With populations across Africa expected to double in the next 30 years, balancing rapid growth, industrialisation, and urbanisation with clean air is becoming imperative.
Further worsening this are outbreaks of fire across much of the continent, resulting in NASA satellite data exposing Africa as the “fire continent” with an estimated 70% of global fires occurring in the region and further worsening pollution and health hazards.
The report by IQAir estimates that “air pollution claims up to 780 000 African lives” each year.
11 out of Africa’s 15 most polluted cities are all in South Africa – report | Fin24

Posted in Africa, Air Quality | Tagged Accra, Africa, Air Pollution, Bamako, Ghana, Kampala, Mali, Pretoria, Sasolburg, South Africa, Springs, Uganda, Vereeniging, World Heath Organization (WHO) | Leave a comment

Particulates from solid fuel burning pose threat to health, warns EPA

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution linked to about 1,300 premature deaths in State each year
Fine particulate matter arising from burning solid fuels remains the biggest contributor to poor air quality in Ireland, with “worrying localised issues” in cities, towns and villages, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Monitored levels of particulate matter were above World Health Organisation (WHO) air-quality guideline values – either annual or daily – at 38 of 67 monitoring stations last year, mainly as a result of pollution from the burning of solid fuel for home heating, according to the 2020 Air Quality in Ireland report from the agency.
While air quality was generally good, the main threat to public health is from tiny particles known as PM2.5 and PM10, the report concludes.
It reiterates that air pollution is responsible for an estimated 1,300 premature deaths in the State per year.
In a similar pattern to carbon emissions, air pollution from traffic fell at all monitoring stations last year, particularly at urban roadside locations, as a consequence of reduced traffic volumes due to Covid-19 restrictions, the report issued on Tuesday confirms.
Open fires
Ireland compares favourably with many of its European neighbours, the report finds. However, Ireland was above WHO air-quality guidelines for particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone at 52 monitoring sites, mostly due to the burning of solid fuel. The WHO standards are more demanding than EU limits though air pollution is the single biggest environmental health risk in Europe.
Burning coal, peat and wood in stoves, especially in open fires, is an inefficient process – a lot of heat is lost and not all the fuel is fully burned. Unburnt particles leave the fireplace or stove by the chimney or go directly into the room they are heating. This causes both indoor and outdoor PM air pollution.
It “greatly impacts respiratory and cardiovascular health. This is particularly problematic in or near villages, towns and cities because of the cumulative effects of multiple sources of the pollutant and the large numbers of people exposed,” the EPA points out.
“The choices we make in how we heat our homes and how we travel directly impact the quality of the air we breathe,” the report adds.
Ireland was compliant with EU legal limits in 2020, largely assisted by the significant reduction in traffic due to Covid-19 restrictions. Air pollution from traffic – nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – fell at all monitoring stations, but most notably at urban-traffic locations where levels fell by up to 50 per cent.
Urban areas
Levels of particulate matter, however, are of growing concern and are particularly high during the winter months when solid fuel use increases, the EPA warns. Any movement towards cleaner home-heating choices and less smoky solid fuel choices will result in a subsequent improvement on air quality, it adds.
Dr Micheál Lehane, director of the EPA’s office of radiation protection and environmental monitoring, said there were “dramatic and immediate decreases in air pollution in our urban areas due to reduced traffic volumes associated with Covid-19”.
He added: “As we now start to travel more, we must not lose sight of the obvious link between our journey choices and levels of traffic-derived air pollutants. Pollutants from traffic have a negative impact on people’s health and our actions, as individuals, do impact the air we breathe.”
With exceedances of WHO air-quality guideline values at many locations, EPA programme manager Pat Byrne said “it is imperative that we each, as individuals, make cleaner air choices when deciding how to heat our homes, as this can improve our local air quality and have associated health benefits”.
The Government has announced new regulations on the use of solid fuels will come into force in 2022 – all coal products sold will be required to be low-smoke and all wood sold for immediate use must have a moisture content of 25 per cent or less.
“This is a positive step for air quality, which will need to be supported by clear communications to ensure public engagement and the best outcome for air quality and health,” the report says.
Outdoor air pollution causes an estimated 4.2 million deaths per year worldwide due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. In children and adults, both short- and long-term exposure can lead to reduced lung function, respiratory infections and aggravated asthma.
Particulates from solid fuel burning pose threat to health, warns EPA

Posted in Air Quality, Europe, Health Effects of Air Pollution | Tagged Air Pollution, Environmental Protection Agency - EPA, Ireland, wood burning, World Heath Organization (WHO) | Leave a comment

More kids in hospital, schools shut as smog smothers Delhi

Posted on November 19, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

More children are in hospital with breathing problems as pollution levels remain dangerously high in New Delhi, doctors warned on Wednesday, and the government shut five power stations and extended school closures to try to contain the crisis.
The city of 20 million was the world’s most polluted capital for the third straight year in 2020, according to IQAir, a Swiss group, and air quality has hit hazardous levels there and in other parts of northern India this month https://www.reuters.com/world/india/why-air-quality-has-deteriorated-sharply-indias-capital-2021-11-08.
On some cloudless mornings the sun struggles to break through the smog, and landmarks just a few hundred metres away are barely visible.
Hospitals are seeing a sharp increase in the number of children https://www.reuters.com/world/india/respiratory-complaints-among-children-spike-delhi-pollution-worsens-2021-11-17 with respiratory complaints, raising concern among parents and doctors about their health in the short and long term.
Numbers have jumped threefold in the past seven to 10 days, according to Arvind Bountra, head of paediatrics at Max Super Speciality Hospital.
“This is directly linked to high levels of pollution that the city of Delhi and NCR are witnessing…” Bountra said, referring to the National Capital Region that includes Delhi’s satellite cities.
Extended exposure to pollutants, including lead, could lead to more severe complications.
“There is some study that shows that the cognitive functions of the brain (among kids) are also affected by these very small particles,” Bountra added.
On most days, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has stayed above 451 on a scale of 500, indicating “very poor” and “severe” conditions that affect even healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases, according to the federal pollution control board’s guidance.
The AQI measures the concentration of poisonous particulate matter PM2.5 in a cubic metre of air. The government prescribes a “safe” PM2.5 reading at 60 micrograms per cubic meter of air over a period of 24 hours.
TRUCKSSTOPPED, CONSTRUCTIONHALTED
India’s Supreme Court has rapped the government over its failure to mitigate pollution for residents who endure toxic air almost every winter when temperatures and wind speed drop and pollutants get trapped in thick smog.
The country’s top court also asked the Commission for Air Quality Management, a panel under the federal Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to come up with measures to cut pollution.
After the Court’s intervention, the Commission on Wednesday shut down five coal-fired power plants around New Delhi, banned trucks carrying non-essential goods and stopped construction in the capital and its satellite cities.
The panel also indefinitely extended the closure of schools, after the Delhi government ordered them to shut for a week last Saturday.
At least half of government employees should work from home until Nov. 21, it added.
November usually brings worsening pollution, with a surge in the concentration of tiny airborne particles, partly because farmers burn crop waste ahead of a new sowing season.
India’s efforts to reduce the burning of crop waste, a major source of air pollution during winter, have had little benefit, despite spending billions of rupees over the past four years.
More kids in hospital, schools shut as smog smothers Delhi | Euronews

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Respiratory complaints among children spike as Delhi pollution worsens

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Worsening air quality in India’s capital New Delhi has led to a spike in chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma among children, and prolonged exposure to deadly pollutants could impair their cognitive development, doctors said.
Pollution has been hitting dangerous levels across New Delhi and other parts of northern India this month. read more
On most days, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has stayed above 451 on a scale of 500, indicating “very poor” and “severe” conditions that affect even healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases, according to the federal pollution control board’s guidance.
The AQI measures the concentration of poisonous particulate matter PM2.5 in a cubic metre of air. The government prescribes a “safe” PM2.5 reading at 60 micrograms per cubic meter of air over a period of 24 hours.
A sharp increase in respiratory cases among children in the Indian capital has raised concerns among doctors and parents.
The number of children with respiratory ailments has gone up threefold in the past seven to 10 days, said Arvind Bountra, head of paediatrics at Max Super Speciality Hospital.
“This is directly linked to high levels of pollution that the city of Delhi and NCR are witnessing…” Bountra said, referring to the National Capital Region that includes Delhi’s satellite cities.
There’s been a significant increase in the number of cases with respiratory and bronchial issues, said Praveen Khilnani, director of Madhukar Rainbow Children’s Hospital.
While most children get treated by the outpatient department, some need oxygen and intensive care, Khilnani added.
“My son couldn’t sleep due to breathing difficulties,” said Anamika Gangwal, mother of a three-and-a-half-year-old son.
Extended exposure to pollutants, including lead, could lead to even more severe complications.
“There is some study that shows that the cognitive functions of the brain (among kids) are also affected by these very small particles,” said Bountra.
Respiratory complaints among children spike as Delhi pollution worsens | Reuters

Posted in Air Quality, Health Effects of Air Pollution | Tagged Air Pollution, Air Quality Index (AQI), Delhi, Health Effects of Air Pollution, India | Leave a comment

Exposure to air pollution impacts the brain performance and work capacity

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Even short-term exposure to air pollution impacts our brain performance and capacity to work, according to researchers from The University of Queensland and Carnegie Mellon University.
Dr Andrea La Nauze from UQ’s School of Economics said a data study indicated that air pollution damaged cognitive function in working-age adults.
“Our research used data from Lumosity brain training games to investigate the impact of air pollution on adults living in the United States.
The games we studied targeted seven cognitive functions: memory, verbal ability, attention, flexibility, maths ability, speed and problem-solving.
We found that exposure to moderately high levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) caused a player to drop by almost six points in a 100-point scale where 100 represents the score of the top one per cent of cognitive performers.
In fact, if you’re under 30 years old and you’re exposed to this level of pollution, your cognitive function declines by the same amount as aging by 15 years.”
Dr Andrea La Nauze, UQ’s School of Economics
PM2.5 are tiny particles 2.5 microns or less in size.
If inhaled, PM2.5 can penetrate the lungs, enter the bloodstream and cause serious health problems, including heart disease and respiratory issues.
Dr La Nauze said while the health effects of PM2.5 were widely understood, this research was the first to use brain training data to study the potential impact on cognitive performance.
“Cognitive functions are skills that we use to process, store and use information – they’re critical to tasks ranging from making a cup of tea to self-regulating,” she said.
“Economists are just beginning to study cognition, but recent research suggests changes in cognitive function impact workforce productivity.
“Our results show the effects of air pollution are largest for those under 50 – people of prime working age – which indicates that day-to-day performance in our jobs is also likely to be impacted.”
The study found the largest effects were on memory, meaning occupations that rely more on memory function are likely to be most affected.
Although the study used United States data, Dr La Nauze said the results are relevant to Australia.
“We believe our research has real implications for the average working-age Australian adult, particularly as bushfires become more frequent and contribute to air pollution levels,” she said.
“The 2019-2020 bushfire crisis subjected millions of Australians to the worst air pollution in the world.
“Although Australia’s air is pretty clean by international standards, the average Australian is still exposed to higher levels of air pollution than the latest World Health Organisation recommendations.”
Dr La Nauze said a combination of individual and policy measures could combat the effects.
“You can alter your exposure in small ways by staying indoors, using air filtration or moving to a less-polluted suburb,” she said.
“Fundamentally though, it comes down to government policy: reducing vehicle emissions, targeting sources of air pollution such as bushfires and revising air-quality standards.
“Air-quality standards in Australia and around the world should take into account the cognitive effects and their downstream productivity impacts.”
Exposure to air pollution impacts the brain performance and work capacity

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Delhi schools to close for a week due to smog

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Levels of PM 2.5 particulates hit 20 times safe levels as agricultural fires add to city’s air pollution crisis
Authorities in Delhi have announced that schools are to close for a week as the Indian capital’s pollution control body warned of a looming health emergency due to smog.
Delhi is ranked one of the world’s most-polluted cities, with a hazardous mix of factory and vehicle emissions and smoke from agricultural fires turning its air a toxic grey every winter.
On Saturday, levels of PM 2.5 particles – the smallest and most harmful, which can enter the bloodstream – topped 300 on the air quality index. That is 20 times the maximum daily limit recommended by the World Health Organization.
“Starting Monday, schools are being shut so that children don’t have to breathe polluted air,” Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, told reporters in the city of 20 million people.
Kejriwal said no construction activity would be allowed for four days, starting on Sunday, to cut down dust from vast open sites.
Government offices were asked to operate from home and private businesses advised to stick to work-from-home options as much as possible.
The central pollution control board on Friday told residents to “limit outdoor activities and minimise their exposure” and advised government authorities to prepare “for implementation of measures under ‘emergency’ category”.
It said the poor air quality would probably last until at least Thursday [18 November] due to “low winds with calm conditions during the night”.
Hospitals were reporting a sharp rise in patients complaining of breathing difficulties, the Times of India reported.
“We are getting 12 to 14 patients daily in the emergency, mostly at night, when the symptoms cause disturbed sleep and panic,” Dr Suranjit Chatterjee from Apollo Hospitals told the newspaper.
Earlier on Saturday, the supreme court suggested imposing a pollution lockdown on Delhi to help with the air quality crisis. “How will we live otherwise?” India’s chief justice, NV Ramana, said.
Delhi’s government has been vowing for years to clean up the city’s air. The burning of agricultural waste in neighbouring states – a major contributor to the city’s pollution levels every winter – has continued despite a supreme court ban.
Tens of thousands of farmers around the capital burn their stubble – or crop residue – at the start of every winter, clearing fields from recently harvested paddies to make way for wheat.
The number of farm fires this season has been the highest in the past four years, according to government data.
Earlier this year, the Delhi government opened its first “smog tower” containing 40 giant fans that pump 1,000m3 of air a second through filters.
The $2m installation halves the amount of harmful particulates in the air but only within a radius of one square kilometre (0.4 square miles), according to engineers.
A 2020 report by the Swiss organisation IQAir found that 22 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities were in India, with Delhi ranked the most polluted capital globally.
The same year, the Lancet said 1.67 million deaths were attributable to air pollution in India in 2019, including almost 17,500 in the capital.
In recent days the river flowing through Delhi, the Yamuna, has also been choked with sickly white foam.
The city government has blamed the blight on “heavy sewage and industrial waste” discharged into the river from farther upstream.
Delhi schools to close for a week due to smog | Delhi | The Guardian

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Air pollution in Europe still killing 300,000 a year: EEA

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Premature deaths caused by fine particle air pollution have fallen 10% annually across Europe, but the invisible killer still accounts for 307,000 premature deaths a year, the European Environment Agency said Monday (15 November).
If the latest air quality guidelines from the World Health Organisation were followed by EU members, the latest number of fatalities recorded in 2019 could be cut in half, according to an EEA report.
Deaths linked to fine particular matter – with a diameter below 2.5 micrometres or PM2.5 – were estimated at 346,000 for 2018.
The clear reduction in deaths for the following year were put down partly to favourable weather but above all to a progressive improvement in air quality across the continent, the European Union’s air pollution data centre said.
In the early 1990s, fine particles, which penetrate deeply into the lungs, led to nearly a million premature deaths in the 27 EU member nations, according to the report.
That figure had been more than halved to 450,000 by 2005.
In 2019, fine particulate matter caused 53,800 premature deaths in Germany, 49,900 in Italy, 29,800 in France and 23,300 in Spain.
Poland saw 39,300 deaths, the highest figure per head of population.
The EEA also registers premature deaths linked to two other leading pollutants, but says it does not count them in its overall toll to avoid doubling up.
Deaths caused by nitrogen dioxide – mainly from car, trucks and thermal power stations – fell by a quarter to 40,000 between 2018 and 2019.
Fatalities linked to ground-level ozone in 2019 also dropped 13% to 16,800 dead.
Air pollution remains the biggest environmental threat to human health in Europe, the agency said.
Heart disease and strokes cause most premature deaths blamed on air pollution, followed by lung ailments including cancer.
In children, atmospheric pollution can harm lung development, cause respiratory infections and aggravate asthma.
Seven million global death toll
Even if the situation is improving, the EEA warned in September that most EU countries were still above the recommended pollution limits, be they European guidelines or more ambitious WHO targets.
According to the UN health body, air pollution causes seven million premature deaths annually across the globe – on the same levels as smoking and poor diet.
In September, the alarming statistics led the WHO to tighten its recommended limits on major air pollutants for the first time since 2005.
“Investing in cleaner heating, mobility, agriculture and industry improves health, productivity and quality of life for all Europeans, and particularly the most vulnerable,” EEA director Hans Bruyninck said in a statement.
The EU wants to slash premature deaths due to fine air pollution by at least 55 percent in 2030 compared to 2005.
If air pollution continues to fall at the current rate, the agency estimates the target will be reached by 2032.
However an ageing and increasingly urbanised population could make that more difficult.
“An older population is more sensitive to air pollution and a higher rate of urbanisation typically means that more people are exposed to PM 2.5 concentrations, which tend to be higher in cities,” said the report.
Air pollution in Europe still killing 300,000 a year: EEA – EURACTIV.com