Before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there were widespread fears about the effects of air pollution on the performance, and even the health, of participating athletes. It is an issue that has followed the summer Olympics around the globe, from the high altitudes of Mexico City in 1968 to the crowded roads of Athens in 2004.
Beijing implemented an extraordinarily varied series of measures to achieve a level of air quality accceptable for athletic competition. Factories were closed – in some cases permanently, traffic levels controlled, and consumption of coal reduced in order to meet targets set by the World Health Organisation and the International Olympic Committee.
via Beijing and London: air quality and the Olympics – Web Exclusive Article – Significance Magazine.
Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau are going to work together to try to improve air quality in the Greater Pearl River Delta region.
The three governments said in a joint statement yesterday that they have agreed on a plan to reduce polluting emissions in the region by 2020.
via Breath of fresh air sought in tackling delta pollution – The Standard.
To find out current air quality levels in Hong Kong, visit CAN (Clean Air Campaign).
New groundbreaking research by scientists at Trinity College Dublin has found that exposure to nanoparticles can have a serious impact on health, linking it to rheumatoid arthritis and the development of other serious autoimmune diseases. The findings that have been recently published in the international journal Nanomedicine have health and safety implications for the manufacture, use and ultimate disposal of nanotechnology products and materials. They also identified new cellular targets for the development of potential drug therapies in combating the development of autoimmune diseases.
via Nanoparticles in polluted air, smoke & nanotechnology products have serious impact on health.
Traffic-related air pollution follows a simple formula: The more vehicles on the road, the more air pollution.
The longer those cars are stuck in traffic, idling their engines in traffic jams during rush hour, the more pollutants and greenhouse gases they emit.
A simple formula | Burlington Free Press | burlingtonfreepress.com.
Forest fires are still sweeping the Western part of the United States. Click below to see a map of the areas that are badly affected and keep up to date with the measures currently being employed by the rescue services to curtail the spread of the fires. As always with such large scale fires, air quality is an issue not only for the fire and rescue services, but the local population at large.
Wildfire Today | News and commentary about wildland fire.
Have a look at www.respro.com for our FB1 range used by Fire and Rescue workers around the globe. Available in the US via Forestry Suppliers Inc.
Representatives from Defra, Environment Agency and the GLA to face questions over UK performance against air quality targets, writes Amy North
Government officials are set to appear before MPs next week (June 27) to be questioned over the action the UK government is taking to meet air quality targets.
via MPs to questions officials over air quality | AirQualityNews.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation is warning of potentially unhealthy air across the state Thursday.
DEC has issued an air quality health advisory based on predicted high amounts of ground-level ozone. The advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. It covers most of the state, including Broome, Chenango, Tioga, Cortland, Tompkins, Chemung, Steuben, Schuyler, Seneca, and Cayuga counties in central New York and the Southern Tier.
An air quality health advisory is issued when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ground-level ozone or fine particulate matter, are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100.
via DEC issues air quality warning across New York | The Ithaca Journal | theithacajournal.com.
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