The health and climate benefits of reducing air pollution

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Air pollution is linked to more than 4 million deaths around the globe every year, according to the World Health Organization. Atmospheric pollutants like aerosols and ozone affect not only human health but also the global climate—though they stay in the atmosphere for significantly shorter time periods than carbon dioxide. Their short atmospheric life span makes aerosols, ozone, and methane—so-called short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs)—prime targets for rapid mitigation. But until now, there was little consensus on what impact SLCF mitigation might have on either the environment or human health.

In a new study published in GeoHealth, Zheng and Unger used a global Earth system model to simulate the impact of a 50% reduction in SLCFs on premature deaths linked to PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, which includes sulfate, nitrate, black carbon, organic carbon, clay, and other particles) pollution and global mean surface air temperatures. The authors couple the NASA ModelE2 global chemistry-climate model with the Yale Interactive Terrestrial Biosphere model, and they break down the atmospheric effects of reducing SLCF by sector, including agriculture, agricultural waste burning, domestic, energy, industry, transportation, waste management, and shipping.

The study shows that the benefits of SLCF mitigation vary by sector: for example, a 50% emission reduction in the energy sector had the largest impact on human health, avoiding some 4 million premature deaths over 20 years. Meanwhile, from a climate perspective, reductions in the domestic, agriculture, and waste management sectors had the largest impact, though the temperature reductions were modest (−0.085, −0.034, and −0.033 K, respectively). For the first time, the study shows that weather-driven variability in air pollution levels plays an important role in human health risk assessment.

Although the study has uncertainties in the climate impacts of aerosol pollutants and the sensitivity of health conditions to air pollution exposure, it provides insights that could help policymakers prioritize SLFC mitigation efforts. Reducing emissions in the agriculture and domestic sectors, for example, may have the most benefits for both climate and human health.

The health and climate benefits of reducing air pollution
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Breathing wildfire smoke during pregnancy raises risk of premature birth, study finds

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Stanford University research estimates that smoky California air may have resulted in as many as 7,000 preterm births

As California wildfires continue to rage and the Lake Tahoe area faces some of the highest air pollution levels in the world, a new study has found that breathing wildfire smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of premature birth.

The study from Stanford University, published in Environmental Research this month, estimates that the effects of wildfire smoke may have resulted in as many as 7,000 extra preterm births in California between 2007 and 2012.

Researchers combined more than 3m birth records with satellite and ground data on wildfire smoke exposures for each zip code in California. They found that the more days a mother was exposed to wildfire smoke during pregnancy, the more likely she was to face a preterm birth. The effects of moderate to severe exposure levels were significantly worse.

“We found that a week’s worth of smoke exposure (at these levels) was associated with a 5% increased risk and a month’s worth was associated with a 20% increase in preterm births,” said Sam Heft-Neal, the lead author on the study.

The findings compound growing evidence that smoke and the tiny particles of air pollution it produces, known as PM2.5, have dire health effects on the human body, ranging from heart attacks, strokes and asthma to mental illness.

“This stuff is tiny and it gets into the body, causes inflammation and creates a cascade of health effects,” said study co-author Marshall Burke, who is deputy director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment.

The findings come as fires continue to scorch California, with blazes such as the massive Dixie fire in the north of the state having already burned through 1.5m acres of drought-parched land. This week visitors to the Lake Tahoe region have seen air quality monitor readings shoot up into the hazardous 600 index range, far worse than current readings in some of the world’s most polluted cities including Delhi, India, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

The school district in the Reno, Nevada, area closed all public schools serving 67,000 students in Reno, Sparks and Incline Village on Monday because of the air pollution, according to the Associated Press. Residents were urged to remain indoors as much as possible.

The Stanford study attributed 2,000 preterm births to smoke in the state in 2008, the worst year of the study period. But, sadly, the authors said, wildfire smoke levels have gotten far worse since the end of the study period in 2012.

“The smoke exposure then was dramatically less back then,” said Burke. “Four of the last five years have seen worse smoke than any year in our sample.”

During California’s historic 2020 fire season, more than 4m acres burned and half of the state’s population experienced a month of unhealthy levels of wildfire smoke, according to a Stanford release on the study.

The study found that pregnant women in wealthy neighborhoods were just as likely to suffer the effects of the smoke as those in low income areas.

Heft-Neal said the findings indicate that pregnant women should take extra measures to protect themselves from wildfire smoke, such as staying indoors, and using air filtration systems and high quality masks.

Burke added that the societal costs of air pollution from wildfire smoke justify further steps from the state and federal government to prevent massive wildfires. He said each premature birth costs society an average of $70,000, so the benefits of reducing such early births alone could have “enormous societal benefits”.

Those benefits could go a long way toward paying for measures to reduce the fuel available for fires, like mechanically thinning forests and prescribed burns, he said.

“Our research highlights that reducing wildfire risk and the air pollution that accompanies it is one way of achieving these societal benefits,” he said.

Breathing wildfire smoke during pregnancy raises risk of premature birth, study finds | Climate crisis in the American west | The Guardian

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Caldor fire burns over 400 homes as smoke chokes Lake Tahoe

Posted on August 24, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

More than 440 homes have been destroyed by the raging Caldor fire, and smoke has created conditions so hazardous that the air quality around the blaze is the worst in the country.

Burning through rugged terrain east of Sacramento, the Caldor fire grew to more than 100,000 acres over the weekend as it creeps toward South Lake Tahoe. The fire was at 9% containment Monday night after spreading unchecked for more than a week.

Strong winds up to 40 mph spurred furious growth over the weekend, increasing the fire’s size by 15,000 acres Saturday and into Sunday morning.

The expansion of the blaze — now covering 114,116 acres — has slowed amid weakening winds, but flames continue to threaten more than 17,000 structures, according to the latest incident report.

Winds, now at 7 to 10 mph, are still pushing the flames north and east, toward the southern end of Lake Tahoe. Smoke has choked the region, spurring “hazardous” air quality throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin, according to the Air Quality Index.

On Monday afternoon, Tahoe Vista, a census-designated place on the north shore of the lake, had an AQI rating of 558, the worst in the country. Higher numbers represent more pollution; ratings of 300 and up are considered hazardous. The concentration of small particulate matter in Tahoe Vista — typically a picturesque haven — was 58 times the World Health Organization’s exposure recommendation.

Social media posts showed eerie, orange, ash-filled skies. Authorities advised residents to avoid outdoor exercise, shut windows to keep dirty air out and run air purifiers if possible. The air quality Monday was so bad from the fire that it spurred the closure of Nevada state parks in the Tahoe area and schools in Incline Village, located in Nevada along the northeastern edge of the lake. Forecasts showed that the unhealthy air quality could last through the weekend.

Nine national forests are closed amid the increasing fire danger. On Monday, it was confirmed that 447 homes have gone up in flames across the burn area. Six commercial buildings and 162 minor structures were also destroyed, and at least 26 large structures have been damaged.

Much of the destruction occurred in the Grizzly Flats area and surrounding communities, which the fire decimated several days after igniting Aug. 14, said Capt. Jason Hunter, a spokesperson for the Caldor fire.

The town was a smoldering moonscape Sunday. Scorched trees lined the road like blackened toothpicks, some still burning from the inside. The smoky silence was broken only by the occasional thundering crack of one falling to the ground.

Downed power lines snaked alongside the streets. The post office was gone, its wheelchair ramp leading to a pile of rubble. All that was left of the Grizzly Flats Community Church was its foundation and the twisted metal skeletons of chairs, still arranged in rows ready for service. The door was draped over the debris like a piece of melted cheese. Two Little Free Library kiosks near the road were untouched, the books inside them intact.

Firefighters are focusing on containing the blaze west of Highway 89, an artery that borders the western edge of Lake Tahoe.

Chief Mike Blankenheim, of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Amador-El Dorado unit, said the strategy will give personnel a wide area to attack the fire.

“We have no desire to let the fire get to Highway 89; we do not want to be fighting fire from Highway 89,” Blankenheim said during a community meeting Sunday. “The reason for making that move, like I said before, is to give our folks plenty of room to make different decisions and choose different places to fight the fire from.”

A spot fire ignited north of Highway 50 near the town of Kyburz and had grown to 250 acres by Monday morning. Firefighters were beating it back and protecting structures in the area, officials said.

“It’s still a concern; it’s still burning over there, but they were able to minimize the spread of it with those lines that are being put in — so more work on that today,” Hunter said.
Authorities have shut down a stretch of Highway 50 for the foreseeable future, and some nearby homes have lost power, fire officials said. New evacuation orders were issued Friday.
On Saturday evening, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office asked for help finding Marvin Hardy Creel, a 57-year-old who was expected to have evacuated from Grizzly Flats. Authorities said Creel phoned a family member Wednesday, but the call had poor reception. Repeated calls to his phone since have not been answered. Authorities found his white Dodge pickup truck abandoned in the Grizzly Flats area.
Nearly 30,000 people have been evacuated due to the Caldor fire, one of several large blazes in California. Among those who have hunkered down in evacuation shelters were Frank and Jeannette Castaneda, who have been living out of their truck in the parking lot of a community center.

Frank, 73, estimated that it was the sixth time they’d had to evacuate in the 35-plus years they’ve lived in the rural Pacific House community in the El Dorado foothills.
The Cameron Park Community Center was full Saturday, with 42 people staying inside and 27 more on the grounds. With the shelter at capacity, the Castanedas set up folding chairs under trees for the afternoon. Maggie, a Catahoula Leopard dog, was sprawled out on her bed between them. She had finally started to eat and was even sleeping a bit, said Jeannette, 70.
Although fires used to force them from their home every 10 years or so, the couple said, the pace has picked up recently, and the blazes have grown fiercer.
“The fires seem to be getting bigger and bigger every year,” Frank said.

Caldor is one of more than a dozen large wildfires raging across the state. More than 1.54 million acres have been charred this year, according to Cal Fire.

Caldor fire burns over 400 homes as smoke chokes Lake Tahoe – Los Angeles Times

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California lake becomes pool for air pollution during wildfire season

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Lake Tahoe has experienced “especially bad” air quality through the second half of this summer, and new data reveals the lake’s air quality is at its worst levels of this decade.

The intense wildfire season California has experienced so far and the bowl-like geography surrounding Lake Tahoe that can cause pollutants to linger after getting trapped in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range, are partially responsible for the lake’s poor air quality this year, The San Fransisco Chronicle reports.

“The second half of summer has been especially bad for air quality around Lake Tahoe,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Curtis said. “The first half of summer was not as bad, but things rapidly deteriorated by late July and August.”

According to AccuWeather Forecast Manager Bryan Sausman, summer tends to be the worst time for air quality due to less airflow. In addition, the wildfires throughout the state of California have played a role.

The Caldor Fire, currently affecting El Dorado County located directly southwest of Lake Tahoe, continues to burn over 68,000 acres. As of Thursday, the fire has been active for five days and is 0% contained. On Tuesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for El Dorado County due to the fire.

The Dixie Fire and Tamarack Fire, both of which erupted through Northern California this summer, have also played a role in the dwindling air quality of the lake. The Tamarack Fire has burned over 68,000 acres so far and is 82% contained as of Thursday while the massive Dixie Fire remains just 35% contained with more than 699,000 acres already burned.

“It’s been bad in the past, it’s bad now and it will be bad again in the future,” Dave Johnston, air pollution control officer for the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District, told the Chronicle. “Lake Tahoe is in a basin surrounded by mountains, so it is difficult for smoke to dissipate without some wind behind it.”

One way of measuring pollution is through particulate matter (pm). According to the California Air Resources Board, particulate matter is an airborne mixture of chemicals. Most of pm 2.5 is made up of emissions coming from the combustion of gasoline, oil, diesel fuel and wood, and it gets its name from being less than 2.5 microns in diameter.

In 2020, data from the board reveals that Lake Tahoe’s air basin had an average level of 5.3 pm 2.5 between June 1 and Aug. 17. The year prior, the basin had an average level of 1.1 pm 2.5 during the same time frame.

The air basin reported an average level of 18 pm 2.5 so far in 2021 — higher than any other year of this decade within the time frame of June 1 to Aug. 17.

Particulate matter can reduce visibility by affecting the way light is absorbed in the atmosphere and cause negative impacts to the climate and ecosystem when it deposits into water sources, also affecting water quality and clarity.

On Thursday, Lake Tahoe was experiencing “pretty good” air quality; however, with the presence of the Caldor fire just 40 miles away, the good air quality is not expected to last long, Curtis said. He added that forecasters are able to predict changes in air quality by observing changes in wind direction and patterns.

“Anyone visiting the area should take advantage of the nice weather and relatively clean air while it lasts because more smoke and haze will fill the atmosphere again by Friday,” he said. “Winds will shift out of the west-southwest Saturday afternoon, which will allow smoke particles from distant wildfires to drift toward Lake Tahoe.”

According to Curtis, individuals with underlying respiratory or cardiovascular conditions are at a bigger risk of being affected by poor air quality. He recommended that those who have underlying conditions avoid strenuous outdoor activity when the atmosphere is filled with smoke.

“The best thing to do is to stay inside as much as possible. Using an air filter inside the home will also be helpful because it continuously works to clean the air,” he said.

California lake becomes pool for air pollution during wildfire season

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Air pollution cuts Hanoian lifespan by 2.5 years: study

Posted on August 19, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Life expectancy among Hanoians is reduced by 2.49 years on average due to exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a recent study indicates.

“Research on the impact of air pollution caused by PM2.5 dust on public health in Hanoi in 2019” by the Hanoi-based non-profit organization Live and Learn for Environment and Community (Live&Learn), Hanoi University of Public Health (HUPH), and Vietnam National University’s University of Engineering and Technology is the first study to use data provided by local authorities to evaluate the burden of disease caused by impacts of PM2.5 dust pollution on public health in Hanoi.

The study was carried out within the framework of a project called “Joining Hands for Clean Air” funded and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2019-2022.

A report issued last week to announce the study’s results said total PM2.5 dust concentration across Hanoi in 2019 had exceeded the national standard threshold.

Specifically, the annual average concentration of PM2.5 dust in the city is in the 28.15 µg/m³ to 39.4 µg/m³ range compared to the threshold recommended by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment at 25 μg/m³.

Downtown districts Dong Da, Ba Dinh and Hai Ba Trung have the highest concentration of PM2.5.

PM2.5 is defined as ambient airborne particulates that measure up to 2.5 microns in size, just a fraction of the width of a human hair. Their microscopic size allows these particles to be absorbed deep into the bloodstream upon inhalation, potentially causing health effects like asthma, lung cancer, and heart disease. Exposure to PM2.5 has been linked to negative health effects like cardiovascular disease, respiratory illness, and premature mortality.

The study revealed the burden of diseases related to death and hospitalization due to exposure to PM2.5 dust in Hanoi in 2019 was “significant.”

The number of premature deaths due to exposure to PM2.5 dust hit 2,855 cases, equivalent to about 35.5 premature deaths per 100,000 people while the life expectancy lost from exposure to PM2.5 dust totaled 908 days, or 2.49 years for Hanoians, it stated.

The study also showed with the increase in the average annual concentration of PM2.5 dust in Hanoi, there are an average of 1,062 more hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease each year, and about 2,969 cases that must be hospitalized for respiratory diseases, equivalent to 1.2 percent and 2.4 percent of the total number of hospital admissions due to the two groups of diseases among Hanoi residents, respectively.

Researchers, however, noted the results in this study could be much lower than in reality “due to the lack of data.”

The study uses the assumption that the lowest annual average PM2.5 concentration value of Hanoi in an ideal area is 22.9 µg/m3, which is higher than the WHO recommendation (10 µg/m3) for community health and safety.

In addition, the results of PM2.5 dust mapping could have been affected by errors in data from air monitoring stations in Hanoi, they said.

Air pollution cuts Hanoian lifespan by 2.5 years: study – VnExpress International
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Wildfire smoke has caused rise in Covid infections and deaths, study finds

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Researchers speculate that smoke helps spread the virus and weakens lungs, making symptoms more severe

Pollutants in smoke billowing from huge wildfires in the west of America have probably caused an increase in Covid-19 infections and deaths across several US states, new research has found.

Last year more than 10m acres of land were torched by wildfires, with five out of the six largest fires ever documented in California occurring within just a few months. The burning trees, shrubs and buildings gave off enormous plumes of smoke containing small particles of soot.

The spread of these tiny particles, known as PM2.5, probably caused a spike in Covid cases and deaths in parts of the US west, the new paper has discovered. The smoke helped raise the coronavirus infection rate by nearly 20% in certain counties, with half of all Covid deaths in some places attributable to the pollution, according to the study. “

In some counties the association was very strong indeed – on days with lots of wildfire smoke the Covid cases went up by a lot,” said Francesca Dominici, a professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health who co-authored the research, which was led by Xiaodan Zhou, a researcher at Esri. “Combining wildfires with this pandemic can have a really disastrous effect. It’s disturbing.”

Previous research, which Dominici was also involved in, found that a small rise in people’s long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with an 11% increase in deaths from Covid. Another study from last year suggests that 15% of all Covid-19 deaths around the world are attributable to dirty air.

Researchers have said more work needs to be done to fully establish the connections but there was now compelling evidence that polluted air is exacerbating outbreaks of the coronavirus. It is thought that emitted pollutants can help spread the infection, while also weakening people’s lungs before they are infected with Covid, raising the likelihood they will get severely ill or die.

The latest paper, published in Science Advances, analyzed 92 counties across California, Washington and Oregon and sought to eliminate causes of Covid increases other than nearby wildfires. It found that the wildfires had the largest impact upon Covid cases in the counties of Butte, California, and Whitman, Washington. The greatest influence on Covid deaths, meanwhile, was found in Butte county and Calaveras county, California.

Last year’s spate of wildfires may well be surpassed in 2021, with huge blazes under way such as the Bootleg fire in Oregon, which at one point was the size of Los Angeles, and the Dixie fire in northern California, which is the largest in the state’s recorded history. The town of Greenville, California, was almost completely destroyed by fire last week.

Smoke from the fires has been detected from space, sweeping as far east as New York, where it turned the skies hazy. On Saturday, the city of Denver experienced the worst air quality in the world for several hours due to smoke from western wildfires.

“We only looked at counties in the west but I’d speculate that it doesn’t matter where you are, if you are getting high levels of PM2.5 from wildfire smoke in New York, you will get the same catastrophic effect,” said Dominici. “It’s very concerning. I’d say to anyone living in a place affected by wildfires to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Longer-term, this shows us, yet again, the importance of fighting climate change.”

Kristie Ebi, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington who was not involved in the research, said the study “adds to the weight of evidence that air pollution may increase sensitivity” to the coronavirus.

Ebi added that lockdowns and mask mandates were not fully factored into the paper, although the researchers did measure people’s mobility during the study period.

George Thurston, an expert in environmental medicine at New York University who also was not involved in the research, said: “The study findings are very plausible, in that tiny combustion particles are well known to pick up and carry other airborne toxins deep into the lung.”

Wildfire smoke has caused rise in Covid infections and deaths, study finds | Wildfires | The Guardian
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Nearly every London school in high air pollution area, report says

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Almost every London school is in an area where air pollution levels exceed World Health Organization limits, City Hall analysis suggests.

Figures show 98% of schools are in areas with toxic air quality, compared with 24% outside the capital.

Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah whose nine-year-old daughter died from pollution said “it was like lessons had not been learned”.

Across England 3.1m schoolchildren are affected.

Excessive levels of air pollution can stunt lung growth and worsen chronic diseases.

The analysis is based on figures from 2019, before the pandemic struck the UK.

City Hall said it shows the average concentration of particulate matter was a third higher at schools in London than in the rest of England.

Of the 30 local authorities with the highest particulate matter at schools, all but two were London boroughs.

‘Incredibly upset’

Air pollution was found to have caused the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debra in Lewisham, south-east London, a coroner ruled last December.

Her mother Rosamund, who has spent the last year campaigning on improving air quality, described the figures as “shocking”.

She said: “I am not surprised but incredibly upset about it. Doing nothing is not acceptable where I’m coming from.

“It’s the reality I have witnessed. It seems like lessons from my daughter’s death have not been learned.”

The ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) – where more polluting vehicles pay extra to travel in London – is set to expand in October to include areas inside the North and South Circular.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “I’m doing everything in my power to stop young Londoners breathing air so filthy that it damages their lungs and causes thousands of premature deaths every year.”

Nick Bowes, Chief Executive of the Centre for London think tank, described the figures as “shocking”.

He added: “The expansion of the ULEZ in the autumn will be a huge step, but City Hall could be bolder and adopt a pay-per-mile road user charging scheme which would deliver cleaner air, increase active travel and reduce congestion, as well as provide a substantial income stream to help plug Transport for London’s finances.”

Nearly every London school in high air pollution area, report says – BBC News

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Research Shows Regular Exercise, Even in Polluted Areas, Can Lower Risk of Death

Posted on August 16, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Regular exercise, even performed in areas with air pollution, can reduce the risk of death from natural causes, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

“Habitual exercise reduces the risk of death regardless of exposure to air pollution, and air pollution generally increases the risk of death regardless of habitual exercise. Thus, habitual exercise should be promoted as a health improvement strategy, even for people residing in relatively polluted areas,” writes Dr. Xiang Qian Lao, Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China, with coauthors.

They conducted a large study, over 15 years from 2001 to 2016, with 384 130 adults in Taiwan, seeking to understand the effects of regular exercise and long-term exposure to fine particle matter on the risk of death from natural causes. The researchers found that a higher level of regular exercise compared with inactivity was beneficial, even in polluted areas, although less exposure to pollution was better.

“We found that a high level of habitual exercise and a low level of exposure to air pollution was associated with lower risk of death from natural causes, whereas a low level of habitual exercise and a high level of exposure was associated with higher risk of death,” write the authors.

This study adds to several other smaller studies conducted in the United States, Denmark, and Hong Kong that found that regular exercise, even in polluted areas, is beneficial.

The authors say that “further studies in areas with more severe air pollution are required to examine the applicability of our findings. Our study reinforces the importance of air pollution mitigation, such as to reduce the harmful effects of air pollution and maximize the beneficial effects of regular exercise.“

In a related commentary, authors from the Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia, argue that physical inactivity and air pollution should be considered as “syndemics” as together they influence behavior and health outcomes. Recommendations for safe exercise in polluted areas, such as indoor exercise, and avoiding walking and biking on congested roads, can contribute to inequalities as people of lower socioeconomic status often lack these options.

“[R]isk reduction approaches that do not address the root causes of noncommunicable diseases could exacerbate health inequalities,” write Drs. Ding and Elbarbary. “People should not be forced to choose between physical activity and air pollution.”

“Both physical inactivity and air pollution have detrimental effects on health. Staying active should not be at the cost of compromised health from air pollution. Addressing both major public health issues through synergistic, upstream, system-level approaches would lead to long-term health benefits for humans and the planet,” write the commentary authors.

Research Shows Regular Exercise, Even in Polluted Areas, Can Lower Risk of Death
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