Delhi, Kolkata have worst air quality in India

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

With the World Heath Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer declaring air pollution as a major cause of cancer, its findings have put the focus on Indian hotspots like Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Jharkhand which showed high concentration of life-threatening air pollutants.

Air quality data of the government’s pollution watchdog, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), for 2010 – the last one in the series of such reports on air quality across the country – shows that Kolkata and Delhi are among the worst affected cities in terms of air pollution.

In fact, figures compiled by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for 2009-11 vindicate what the world health body has concluded while putting ‘air pollution’ in the same category as tobacco, UV radiation and plutonium as lung cancer causing agents.

Quoting the ICMR data which showed that the highest number of lung cancer cases was reported during 2009-11 in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, noted environmentalist and director general of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Sunita Narain said, “It is a worrying development. We need to take urgent steps to find ways to deal with the menace of air pollution which directly affects our health.”

She added, “It’s not that we can’t do it. Taking the message from what the WHO-backed scientific research has found, the government must immediately make Euro-IV norms in vehicles mandatory across the country and stop incentivizing car users. Government must also focus on public transport in a big way to minimize vehicular air pollution on priority basis.”

A CSE report pointed to a forecast of the National Cancer Control Programme which said more than 1.4 million people would suffer from some form of cancer in India by 2026. It also said that out of total number of cases reported during 2009-11 in Kolkata for 20 types of cancers, lung cancer had the highest share of 12%.

CSE executive director of research and advocacy on air pollution Anumita Roychowdhury termed WHO’s findings as a “wake up call” for India. She said, “This is the first time scientists have evaluated the air people breathe for its cancer-causing potential. This is a sharp departure from assessing only specific pollutants for cancer potency.”

Her report extensively quoted figures of the Delhi Cancer Registry, AIIMS, which said Delhi alone reported 13,000 new cases of cancer every year with 10% of them being lung cancer. It stressed that all those who suffered from lung cancer in recent years did not have any history of smoking.

Roychowdhury said, “The situation demands urgent and immediate policy intervention from the government to prevent exposure early in life to reduce risk as it takes long years for this toxic effect to surface.”

She called for “legally binding” targets for Indian cities to meet the air quality standard and gave an example of how it was being done in the US where cities have to face cut in their federal grants if they don’t meet the targets. “Why can’t we handle it through strict legal framework for cities/states in India?” she asked.

via Delhi, Kolkata have worst air quality in India: Report – The Times of India.

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Bushfire smoke sparks health warning

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Doctors are urging people to stay indoors as much as possible and avoid exercising outside as heavy smoke rises above bushfire-hit NSW.

More than 200 homes have been lost in fires west of Sydney since Thursday, and 59 fires were still burning on Monday morning.

NSW Health says many areas in the state are experiencing poor to very poor air quality, even hundreds of kilometres away from the fires.

The Australian Medical Association’s NSW president, Brian Owler, says heavy exercise should be avoided.

‘The last thing you want to do is to go out for a jog when you’re breathing in such heavy pollution,’ he told AAP.

Asthmatics should also ensure they have their puffers with them at all times, he added.

Professor Wayne Smith from NSW Health urged asthma sufferers to follow their asthma action plan.

‘Fine particles can irritate the lungs of healthy adults, so it is best to avoid any prolonged outdoor exercise,’ he said in a statement.

via Bushfire smoke sparks health warning | Sky News Australia.

Read on to find out local air quality levels where you are.

 

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Air pollution causes cancer, WHO concludes

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Fresh air polluted by exhaust fumes and industrial emissions causes lung cancer, a team of World Health Organisation experts has officially declared.

Outdoor air pollution was officially classified as carcinogenic to humans by the cancer arm of the WHO after a review of the latest scientific evidence from around the world.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) also highlighted an apparent link between air pollution and an increased risk of bladder cancer, although the findings were less conclusive.

Levels of pollution vary widely between urban and rural areas, but the working group said their findings applied to all regions of the world, and sent a “strong signal” to governments to tackle the problem immediately.

Dr Kurt Straif, head of the IARC Monographs Section which identifies environmental causes of cancer, said: “The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances.

“We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths.”

The latest available data suggest that in 2010, air pollution was responsible for the deaths of 223,000 lung cancer patients around the world.

Scientists from the IARC studied more than 1,000 academic papers on polluted air and, separately, small particles found in polluted air.

They found that the risk of developing lung cancer rises in tandem with increasing levels of either, concluding for the first time that outdoor air pollution is a cause of cancer.

Prof David Phillips of King’s College London, a member of the working group, said there was no particular threshold at which pollution becomes dangerous. “The higher the pollution, the greater the cancer risk,” he explained. “It does not suddenly kick in at a particular level.”

The programme had previously classed a variety of individual chemicals and mixtures found in polluted air as carcinogens, such as diesel engine exhaust, solvents, metals, and dusts.

Dr Dana Loomis, deputy head of the IARC monographs section, explained: “Our task was to evaluate the air everyone breathes rather than focus on specific air pollutants.

“The results from the reviewed studies point in the same direction: the risk of developing lung cancer is significantly increased in people exposed to air pollution.”

Although the findings do not come as a surprise, they are likely to significantly increase the pressure on governments around the world to tackle pollution, which has risen rapidly around the world during industrialisation and was already known to raise the risk of conditions like heart and respiratory diseases.

Traffic, power stations, industrial and agricultural emissions, and cooking and heating in the home are the main causes of air pollution.

Dr Christopher Wild, director of the IARC, said: “Classifying outdoor air pollution as carcinogenic to humans is an important step. There are effective ways to reduce air pollution and, given the scale of the exposure affecting people worldwide, this report should send a strong signal to the international community to take action without further delay.”

via Air pollution causes cancer, WHO concludes – Telegraph.

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EU air pollution poses health and climate risks

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

PMAir pollution poses a serious risk to the health and surrounding environment of European citizens, a new report warns.

The Air Quality in Europe assessment by the European Environment Agency (EEA) reveals 90% of residents in European cities are exposed to pollutants that the World Health Organisation deems as harmful.

An analysis of all 33 member states revealed levels of particulate matter (PM) are especially high in Poland, Italy, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Balkan regions.

Cities in Latvia, Sweden and the United Kingdom also exceeded the daily limit value for PM10 particles.

PM10 and PM2.5 are two common forms of air pollution particles, often created by fossil fuels and small enough to be inhaled by humans.

Overall, PM levels in the EU fell between 2002 and 2011, and EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx says the lack of thick smogs covering European cities indicates progress is being made.

But he added member states need to adopt more ambitious legislation to ensure PM levels and other forms of air pollution continue to drop.

“Air pollution is causing damage to human health and ecosystems. Large parts of the population do not live in a healthy environment, according to current standards,” he said.

Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik, who is working on a new Air Policy Review, said surveys indicate a growing desire for tougher action from the EU.

“A large majority of citizens understand well the impact of air quality on health and are asking public authorities to take action at EU, national and local levels,” he said.

The report emphasizes the links between air pollution and climate change, citing the effect Short-Lived Climate Pollutants like ozone and black carbon (soot) play in warming the planet.

But it warns that policymakers need to manage decarbonisation carefully, or risk a potential increase in air pollution due to a change in fuel sources.

“For example, substituting biomass burning for fossil fuel combustion is often considered a switch to a climate neutral fuel by the climate convention,” it says.

“However, increased biomass burning leads to increased emissions of PM and other carcinogenic substances.”

This study comes a day after a coalition of EU states led by Germany blocked legislation designed to ensure new cars emit lower levels of carbon dioxide.

via EU air pollution poses health and climate risks – report.

Read on: What does PM stand for? or find out about local air quality levels where you are.

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Air quality: Tata facing huge bill for improvements at Scunthorpe steelworks

Posted on October 16, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

TATA Steel could be faced with a bill running into tens of millions of pounds to improve air quality around Scunthorpe.

Tough new rules have been introduced by the European Union to tackle emissions – and the steel industry is the first to be targeted.

Company chiefs have presented a 95-point plan, but are asking for the laws to be relaxed in six areas where improvements would be either infeasible or too expensive.

As part of the measures, Tata Steel is proposing spending millions on building a desulphurisation plant alongside the coke ovens – and the company has promised there will be significant changes to current levels of emissions.

Tata Steel will need to satisfy Environment Agency bosses that they can meet the new directives in order to be granted a licence next March to carry on operating.

The company’s response is expected to go out to public consultation next week.

The tough rules come as the 4,000 employees in Scunthorpe have been urged to take immediate action to help the business deliver a profit by March 31.

The EU has issued the new directives for an improved clean-up programme to be in place by 2016.

The Environment Agency has been given the job of ensuring the improvements are carried out to improve the air quality in and around the town.

Team leader Steve Proffitt said: “We issued an information notice to Tata Steel in Scunthorpe in May, asking them to tell us how they are going to implement the best available techniques to limit the amount of pollution by 2016.

“We have received Tata Steel’s response and we are reviewing it to see if it is a valid application.

“Once this is duly made it will go out to the public for consultation, which we expect to be in the next week or so.”

As part of its submission, Tata Steel is seeking approval to relax the law on emissions in six areas, mainly involving the two ageing batteries of coke ovens on the Appleby site and in Dawes Lane.

Mr Proffitt said: “The company is seeking six derogations, four of them relating to the coke ovens.

“If the derogations are not agreed, then the bill for Tata Steel could run into tens of millions of pounds.”

Mr Proffitt said since taking over the Scunthorpe site in 2007, Tata Steel had invested and made improvements to prevent dust emissions.

But he added: “Tata Steel will have to make improvements to meet the required levels of hazardous substances known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The levels are higher than the so-called trigger value in the EU directive.

“But they are conservative limits and don’t pose an imminent threat.”

A Tata Steel spokesman said: “The forthcoming permit review will bring significant changes to some of our emission limits.

“Tata Steel has committed to meet these, with only a small number of exceptions, where exemptions have been applied for in line with the directive.

“In each such case, the improvements are either technically infeasible or else disproportionately expensive when set against the relatively minor environmental benefits they would yield.”

via Air quality: Tata facing huge bill for improvements at Scunthorpe steelworks | This is Scunthorpe.

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Air pollution ‘still harming Europeans’ health’

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is still continuing to damage European citizens’ health and the environment, latest figures show.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) listed tiny airborne particles and ozone as posing a “significant threat”.

However, the authors said nations had significantly cut emissions of a number of pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, lead and carbon monoxide.

In a separate study, research identified a link between low birth-weight and exposure to air pollution.

EEA executive director Hans Bruyninckx said that EU nations had made considerable progress over recent decades to reduce the visible signs of air pollution, with cities now no longer shrouded in blankets of smog.

However, he added: “Air pollution is causing damage to human health and ecosystems. Large parts of the population do not live in a healthy environment, according to current standards.

“To get on to a sustainable path, Europe will have to be ambitious and go beyond current legislation.”

The EEA report showed that data suggested that up to 96% of the EU’s urban population was exposed to fine particulate matter concentrations above UN World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

Even more, 98%, were subject to ground-level ozone concentrations above WHO recommended levels.

As well has urban outdoor air quality, the report also highlighted that the natural environment was also continuing to suffer.

It said ecosystem were subject to the pressure of air pollution impairing vegetation growth and harming biodiversity.”

The EEA also produced country-by-country breakdown of air quality data.

Responding to the report’s findings, Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said: “Air quality is a central concern for many people.

“Surveys show that a large majority of citizens understand well the impact of air quality on health and are asking public authorities to take action at EU, national and local levels.”

He added that he was willing to address those concerns in the Commission’s Air Policy Review.

Infant concerns

A separate study, also published on Tuesday, concluded that a substantial proportion of the cases of low birth-weight (less than 2.5kg at 37 weeks of gestation) “could be prevented in Europe if urban air pollution was reduced”.

The findings, published in the The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, said: “The population attributable risk estimated for a reduction in [particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less] concentration to 10 micrograms per cubic metre during pregnancy corresponded to a decrease of 22% in cases of low birth-weight at term.”

A team of European researchers carried out what they describe as one of the largest studies of its kind, collating data from more than 74,000 births between 1994 and 2011 across 12 European nations.

They explained that babies with low birth-weights were at greater risk of mortality and health problems than infants with higher birth-weights.

“Low birth-weight has been associated with wheezing and asthma in childhood, and with decreased lung function in adults,” they observed but added that there was inconsistency in the findings.

“In addition to active and passive smoking, atmospheric pollution exposure is a highly prevalent and controllable risk factor for low birth-weight.”

Lead author Dr Marie Pedersen from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Barcelona, Spain, observed: “The widespread exposure of pregnant women worldwide to urban ambient air pollution at similar or even higher concentrations than those assessed in our study provides a clear message to policymakers to improve the quality of the air we all share.”

Current EU legislation has sent the annual mean limit on fine particulate matter at 20 micrograms per cubic metre for particles measuring 2.5 microns (PM2.5) or less.

This is twice the concentration outlined in World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which recommends an annual mean limit for PM2.5 exposure to 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

These microscopic particles (the diameter of a human hair ranges between 15 and 180 microns) end up in the atmosphere from a range of sources, including road transport emissions, and have been linked to heart and lung disease, cancer and premature death.

Prof Bruyninckx described the Lancet paper’s findings as “very concerning”, adding that despite progress being made in some areas, more action was needed to tackle air pollution.

“It is the explicit goal of the European Commission to narrow that gap, and in the long run, close that gap because we are… concerned about citizens’ health,” he told BBC News.

But he explained: “Before you make binding legislation, you want to be on absolutely solid ground scientifically.

“Now, we know that [particulate matter] is having a significant impact so we need to adjust our rules and regulations accordingly.”

Commenting on the findings published in The Lancet, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists spokesman Dr Patrick O’Brien said the research was “very helpful in providing further evidence on the potential health impacts of air pollution”.

But he added: “Exposure to some level of air pollution is unavoidable in day-to-day life and the risk still remains fairly low.

“Other factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure or excessive alcohol consumption, may contribute more to the risk of having a low birth weight baby.”

via BBC News – Air pollution ‘still harming Europeans’ health’.

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Air pollution as great a risk as smoking during pregnancy

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Exposure to even low levels of common air pollutants during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of babies being born small, according to one of the largest studies of its kind.

The research, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal, found that exposure to air pollutants increased the risk of babies being born weighing less than 2.5kg, and reduced their average head circumference.

The risk was even increased at pollution levels well below those deemed unsafe by the European Union.

Babies born with low birth weight are at greater risk of dying in infancy. Low weight has also been associated with asthma in childhood and decreased lung function in adults, while the circumference of a baby’s head can affect brain development.

The study paid particular attention to fine particulate matter, invisible to the human eye. These carbon particles, known as PM 2.5s are around one-thirtieth the width of a human hair and are emitted from a variety of sources, including traffic fumes, and industrial air pollutants.

Researchers estimate that for every increase of 5 micrograms per cubic metre in exposure to these particles during pregnancy, the risk of low birth weight rises by 18 per cent. Researchers said that if levels of PM 2.5s were reduced to 10 micrograms per cubic metre, more than one in five cases of low birth weight deliveries could be prevented. The EU annual air quality limit is currently 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

“Our findings suggest that a substantial proportion of cases of low birth weight at term could be prevented if urban air pollution, particularly fine particulate matter, was reduced”, said lead author Dr Marie Pedersen, from the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Spain. She added that in some countries air pollution could pose as great a risk to a baby’s weight as a mother smoking during pregnancy.

The study pooled data from a dozen European countries and involved more than 74,000 women, who gave birth between 1994 and 2011. More than 10,000 of the women came from Bradford in the UK.

Professor John Wright, director of research at the Bradford Institute for Health Research, urged policy makers to re-think pollution limits. “We can give up smoking, cut down on alcohol and change your diet, and women in pregnancy are very good at doing all these things. But we can’t change the air that we breathe. That needs more political and societal intervention,” he said.

Professor Jonathan Grigg from the Blizzard Institute at Queen Mary, University of London, said the data embodied the “most robust estimate” of the effect air pollution has on pregnant women. He added that the effect on individual women remains small.

“Difficult decisions still need to be made,” he said. “The introduction of the low emission zone in London has had little effect on concentration of particulate matter, although the vehicle mix has been altered. UK policy makers have shied away from radical solutions… such as changing diesel-powered black cabs (which contribute 20 per cent of London’s locally generated particulate matter) to cleaner petrol-powered alternatives.”

via Air pollution as great a risk as smoking during pregnancy – Health News – Health & Families – The Independent.

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Air pressure high – air quality low

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

September is normally a good month for air pollution. By this time of year the sun is starting to weaken, making it hard for summertime smog to form and the nights are not yet long, or cold, enough for wintertime smog to form. Warm sunny weather at the start of the month led to some moderate levels of ground-level ozone across England as far north as Walsall. London and the south-east also suffered some particle pollution problems at this time.

However the big pollution event of the month happened around 25 September as a high pressure system over Belgium caused air to circulate slowly over the UK and the near continent. Polluted air settled over most of England as far north as Manchester, Leeds and Stockton and as far west as Bristol. In London particulate pollution reached level nine on the ten point UK air quality index. The city of Paris also issued a pollution alert. Later in the month nitrogen dioxide caused pollution problems in central Glasgow and industrial pollution affected Port Talbot in south Wales.

During September the UK sent its annual air pollution assessment to the EU. For air pollution purposes the UK is divided into 43 areas. During 2012, 38 of these areas breached the EU limits for nitrogen dioxide. These limits were set in 1999 but concentrations in London are still two and a half times the legal requirement. Only Preston, Blackpool and rural areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland achieved the standard.

via Pollutionwatch: Air pressure high – air quality low | Environment | The Guardian.

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