Beijing’s Murky Air-Pollution Measures

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Was January Beijing’s worst-ever month for pollution?

The question is no doubt on the minds of residents as February brings merely “unhealthy” levels of dangerous airborne particulate matter in place of a slew of January days officially classified as “hazardous”—or worse.

The search for an answer provides a glimpse into the difficulty of quantifying China’s pollution problems.

By some measures, January 2013 can claim a title to be at least a recent high. The U.S. embassy in Beijing has since February 2008 tracked dangerous small particles called PM2.5. However, the embassy doesn’t disclose historical readings.

Michael Isvy, a web developer who has tracked the data since 2011 for the foggybeijing.com website, says PM2.5 readings averaged 199 for January, easily the highest in his data set. The next highest is February 2011, with a PM2.5 reading of 158.

continue reading Beijing’s Murky Air-Pollution Measures – China Real Time Report – WSJ.

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FAQ: Do the filters need replacing, if so, how often?

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Do the filters need replacing, if so, how often?

Yes the filters do need replacing.

1. The effective working life of the City™ filter depends on a number of factors, such as; the breathing rate of the user; ambient levels of pollution; the length of time the filter is actively working; hygiene levels. Taking these factors into account we recommend that the filter should be replaced every month or every 69 hours, whichever is sooner.

2. Replacement of the Sportsta™ filter should be carried out every month or when the filter becomes noticeably discoloured.

For more FAQ,  go to Respro® Mask FAQ

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No wind means no respite from air pollution

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

The severe air pollution that engulfed Shanghai Wednesday will ease Thursday, though slowly, as the dead winds that have allowed pollutants to accumulate were not expected to pick up by much.

Shanghai’s Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures air pollution in the city, hit a record high of 273 as of 5 pm Wednesday, according to the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center. A reading over 200 indicates a heavy level of pollution.

The primary cause of the air pollution was the sand and smog that blew in late Tuesday from northern China, said Duan Yusen, the monitoring center’s chief forecaster.

“The lack of wind failed to disperse the particles Wednesday,” Duan told the Global Times. “The wind will pick up a bit Thursday, but not enough to effectively improve the air quality.”

A heavy haze descended Tuesday on a 1.3-million-square-kilometer swath of northern China, accounting for roughly one-seventh of the country, causing several highways to close due to the low visibility, according to the Beijing Times.

The sand and other pollutants added to the automobile exhaust and power plant emissions to raise the level of PM 2.5 in the city, which pushed up the AQI, Duan said.

PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter. The particles are considered dangerous to human health because their small size allows them to lodge deeply in the lungs, where they can cause or aggravate respiratory illnesses.

The local transportation authority imposed lower speed limits on some highways during the day due to poor visibility, according to a news report on Shanghai Television Station Wednesday.

The local environmental authority suggested Wednesday that children, senior citizens and people suffering from heart and respiratory diseases stay indoors.

via No wind means no respite from air pollution – Globaltimes.cn.

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Beijing smog: When growth trumps life in China

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Beijing’s air pollution has soared to hazardous levels, but cleaning up the problem is not straightforward, and is dependant on prioritising quality of life over economic growth.

When I wake up in the morning, I pause briefly before opening my curtains, and what I see out of my window is likely to set the tone for the rest of the day.

I am not checking up on the weather. Instead, I want to know exactly how bad the pollution is going to be. On some mornings, it is truly appalling. It is as if the whole city has been turned into a smokers’ lounge with a yellowish, nicotine colour staining the sky.

And this month, pollution in Beijing went from bad to… well, dangerous.

Air pollution soared past levels considered hazardous by the World Health Organisation (WHO). A quick disclaimer here – I was actually on the sunny island of Hainan breathing in fresh sea air, when the smog hit the capital.

But back in Beijing, hospitals were overrun by the young and the old, suffering from respiratory problems. People were warned to stay indoors. The capital’s streets were unusually quiet.

Continue reading: BBC News – Beijing smog: When growth trumps life in China.

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The future’s not bright: Low-level air pollution leads to drop in wildflower populations say Manchester scientists

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

The UK’s colourful countryside is in danger due to air pollution, according to a Manchester Metropolitan University researcher.

Air pollution caused by car exhausts, fertilizer and industry is killing off many of our plants – with numerous wildflowers being threatened with extinction.

The man-made processes release nitrogen into the atmosphere, which comes back down in rain or snow – acidifying the land.

Even low levels of pollution are now believed to result in declining plant populations, particularly wildflowers such as creeping buttercup, harebell, yarrow and autumn hawkbit.

High nitrogen levels are typically associated with declining populations, and Professor Nancy Dise’s research indicates the impacts of pollution may be more widespread than previously thought.

“We studied many grasslands along the natural gradient of pollution across Europe,” said the professor of biogeochemistry.

“Our results showed that even at the cleanest sites, low levels of pollution affected the abundance of some plant species.”

The biology and conservation ecology group’s Dr Richard Payne and Professor Dise collaborated with the Open and Lancaster Universities to examine 153 European grassland sites.

Levels of nitrogen found at the cleaner sites was below the legally-recognised ‘safe’ level, and prompted Professor Dise to advise against further pollution of clean areas.

The new research was conducted across sites with a variety of pollution levels to prevent skewing the data as previous studies may have.

via The future’s not bright: Low-level air pollution leads to drop in wildflower populations say Manchester scientists | Mancunian Matters.

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FAQ: These bendy nose things, how far should I bend them?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

These bendy nose things, how far should I bend them?

The malleable nose clip deforms easily so that a good fit can be formed around the bridge of the nose. Continuous or exaggerated deformation will eventually cause failure in the metal – it will snap. Once a good fit has been found, it is best to maintain the shape, rather than folding it flat when storing it or when not in use.

For more FAQ,  go to Respro® Mask FAQ

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China’s air pollution again at danger levels

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Dangerously high pollution levels have shrouded Beijing in smog for the second time in about two weeks, forcing airlines to cancel flights because of poor visibility and prompting the city government to warn residents to stay indoors.

The outlines of buildings in the Chinese capital receded into a white mist as pedestrians donned face masks to guard against the thick, caustic air. The US embassy reported a level of PM2.5, one of the worst pollutants, at 526 micrograms per cubic metre, or “beyond index”, and more than 20 times higher than World Health Organisation safety levels over a 24-hour period.

The Beijing city government advised residents to stay indoors as much as possible because the pollution was “severe”. It said that because there was no wind, the smog probably would not dissipate quickly.

Visibility was less than 100 metres (109 yards) in some areas of eastern China, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Air China cancelled 14 domestic flights in or out of the Beijing airport, and an airport in the eastern city of Qingdao was closed, cancelling 20 flights.

The disruptions came in the first week of the country’s peak, six-week period for travel, linked to the 10 February lunar new year. Every year, China’s transport system bursts at the seams as tens of millions of people travel for the holiday, in the world’s largest seasonal migration of people.

Celebrity real estate developer Pan Shiyi, who has previously pushed for cities to publish more detailed air quality data, called for a clean air act on Tuesday and said he would use his status as a delegate to the National People’s Congress to propose such legislation.

In less than three hours, his post was forwarded more than 2,300 times and received 14,184 votes, with 99.1% in favour.

Beijing also had exceptionally high pollution two weeks ago, with the US embassy readings of PM2.5 reaching as high as 886 micrograms per cubic metre.

via China’s air pollution again at danger levels | World news | guardian.co.uk.

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Air pollution fears in Leicester and Nottingham

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Respro® UK Ltd

Two of the Midlands’ biggest cities are breathing in record quantities of nitrogen dioxide.

According to a recent study, Leicester has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide in England, with Nottingham recording the second highest.

Both have some of the highest levels in Europe, putting them 9th and 11th in a table of European cities.

The majority of the pollution is caused by vehicles on the road and experts say reducing traffic in the cities is the best way of improving air quality.

A BBC Inside Out investigation has found that the concentration of nitrogen dioxide outside of a primary school in Leicester is above recommended levels set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A team of researchers from the University of Leicester found that the concentration of nitrogen dioxide outside the school during peak hours, was above the levels that the WHO lists as damaging to humans.

The health risks of inhaling this gas are not fully understood but it is known to cause problems for people with respiratory conditions like asthma.

via BBC News – Air pollution fears in Leicester and Nottingham.

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