32 per cent of Hyderabad traffic cops suffering from lung disorders due to automobile pollution: Study

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

Quite often, people raise a lot of hue and cry over the increasing automobile pollution in the urban areas causing severe health hazards, but little do they know that the worst sufferers of the pollution are the traffic police personnel.

In Hyderabad, the fifth largest metropolitan city in the country, 32 per cent of the traffic police personnel are suffering from lung-related disorders like pneumonia and bronchitis because of severe air pollution, while 25 per cent of them are facing hearing impairment due to high-level of noise pollution and another seven per cent of the traffic cops are complaining about eye-related problems due to dust particles.

According to the official figures, there are in all, 3,236 traffic police personnel in Hyderabad in various cadres – including 19 inspectors, 77 sub-inspectors, 13 assistant SIs, 172 head constables, 846 constables and 1,276 home guards.

This was revealed by Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) C V Anand at a presentation made before the parliamentary standing committee on science, technology, environment and forests last week. He explained to the committee members and officials at length how increasing air pollution due to automobile exhausts and noise was affecting the health of traffic cops in Hyderabad over the years.

via 32 per cent of Hyderabad traffic cops suffering from lung disorders due to automobile pollution: Study : South, News – India Today.

Posted in Air Quality, India | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

FAQ: How to fit a Respro® mask?

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

For more FAQ,  see Respro® Mask FAQ

Posted in Respro® Products | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Speed limits on cargo ships could reduce their pollutants by more than half

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

Putting a speed limit on cargo ships as they sail near ports and coastlines could cut their emission of air pollutants by up to 70 percent, reducing the impact of marine shipping on Earth’s climate and human health, scientists have found. Their evaluation of the impact of vessel speed reduction policies, such as those proposed by the California Air Resources board, appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

David R. Cocker III and colleagues explain that marine shipping is the most efficient form of transporting goods, with more than 100,000 ships carrying 90 percent of the world’s cargo. However, engines on these vessels burn low-grade oil that produce large amounts of air pollution. Because fuel consumption and smokestack emissions increase exponentially with speed, the authors explored how speed limits could reduce pollution.

via Speed limits on cargo ships could reduce their pollutants by more than half.

Posted in Air Quality | Tagged | Leave a comment

Air of concern: Study seeks to identify sources of airborne nitrates

Posted on October 24, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

While efforts are under way to deal with nitrate pollution in groundwater in the Lower Yakima Valley, concern is now being raised about airborne nitrates that contribute to poor air quality, which, in turn, can impact human health.

Elevated levels of nitrates in Yakima air samples are substantially higher than elsewhere in the state, which has prompted the state Department of Ecology and other stakeholders to launch a study to try to find out why and suggest possible solutions.

Nitrates form in the atmosphere through chemical processes involving the presence of “precursor compounds,” including nitrogen oxide, ammonia and volatile organic compounds. Sources of these precursor compounds are numerous.

As much as 30 percent of the air pollution in Yakima can come from nitrates. Elsewhere in the state — Tacoma, Seattle and Vancouver, for example — nitrates make up as little as 
5 percent, Ecology officials said, citing results from speciation monitors that pinpoint amounts of individual pollutants.

Jeff Johnston, manager of science and engineering in Ecology’s Air Quality Program, said the purpose of the study is to try to find the sources of Yakima’s higher levels of aerosol nitrates.

“We don’t know enough at this point. Certainly, there are a lot of agriculture emissions in the Upper Valley and Lower Valley. It might be related to that,” he said. “Where we have speciation monitors, there’s not the concentration of agricultural activity as there is in Yakima. It’s too early to speculate on that.”

A majority of the overall pollution in Yakima’s air comes from wood smoke, vehicle exhaust and dust.

via Air of concern: Study seeks to identify sources of airborne nitrates | Yakima Herald-Republic.

Posted in Air Quality, USA & Canada | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Air pollution study clears the air on diesel versus gas emissions

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

Are gasoline-fueled cars or large diesel trucks the bigger source of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), a major component of smog? UC Berkeley researchers have stepped into this debate with a new study that says diesel exhaust contributes 15 times more than gas emissions per liter of fuel burned.

The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, elucidates the contributions to air pollution from the two types of fuel emissions. The authors estimate that diesel exhaust is responsible for 65-90 percent of a region’s vehicular-derived SOA, depending upon the relative amounts of gasoline and diesel used in the area.

For example, the researchers noted that in the San Francisco Bay Area, about 10 times more gas is used compared with diesel.

SOA contributes to respiratory problems and poor air quality, so pinpointing the major sources of the pollutant is important in evaluating current and future policies to reduce smog in the state.

The new findings contradict previous research that put the blame on gasoline-fueled vehicles as the predominant source of precursors that form secondary organic aerosol.

via Air pollution study clears the air on diesel versus gas emissions.

Posted in Air Quality, Health Effects of Air Pollution, World News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

City coughs up for hi-tech sensors to track pollution

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

Edinburgh is to become the first local authority area in Scotland to track levels of pollution hourly in a bid to cut down on harmful emissions.

Environment chiefs are to install 20 advanced sensors along the A8 through Corstorphine – the main road to and from Edinburgh from the west – to track the presence of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

After failing a series of environmental tests, Edinburgh City Council managed to control breaches of air purity guidelines with the use of existing sensors by managing traffic flow differently.

The new advanced monitoring units, which the local authority is currently tendering for, are to be installed on a stretch of road close to the current permanent monitoring site at St John’s Road.

They will also monitor temperature, noise and vibration created by traffic and gauge the impact on nearby residential areas and businesses.

Depending on data gathered, transport officials would adjust the traffic management in the area if required, such as speed and light changes, in order to keep traffic flowing smoothly.

via City coughs up for hi-tech sensors to track pollution – Latest news – Scotsman.com.

Posted in Air Quality, UK | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

India: Pollution monitoring station for Vyttila soon

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

The Kerala State Pollution Control Board will soon invite expressions of interest (EoI) from reputed companies to set up a continuous (online) ambient air quality monitoring station at Vyttila.

The board hopes that the online ambient air quality monitoring station will help ascertain the pollution levels in Vyttila. Real-time data will be displayed at a place near the station. All analysers will work round-the-clock. The station will have sophisticated instruments including analysers to detect sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and benzene.

The unit will also measure meteorological parameters like wind speed, wind direction, temperature, relative humidity and solar radiation. Data generated by the stations will be available on the website of the Central Pollution Control Board.

The board is also in talks with KELTRON to develop the software for displaying real-time water and air quality data at its proposed ambient air and water quality monitoring stations along the Periyar river.

via The Hindu : Cities / Kochi : Pollution monitoring station for Vyttila soon.

Posted in Air Quality, India | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hong Kong to tighten power plant emission limits

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Respro® UK Ltd

Hong Kong announced new targets in its bid to cut emissions from power plants, part of an ongoing effort to tackle air pollution in the Chinese city that is regularly covered in smog.

The government said it aims to slash emissions of three of the five main air pollutants measured by authorities by between 6 and 17 percent from 2017, compared to their 2015 targets announced two years ago.

The power generation sector accounts for 50 percent of the city’s sulfur dioxide (SO2), 25 percent of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 16 percent of respirable suspended particulates (RSP) emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Department.

via AFP: Hong Kong to tighten power plant emission limits.

Posted in Air Quality, Asia, China | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment