A Department of Environment statement attributed the bad air quality in the Klang Valley and Perak today to the haze coming in from across the border from Sumatera, Indonesia.
The haze is expected to last for several days due to the forecast of a continued dry spell in several northern and west coast states at the moment.
via Haze drifting in from Riau – Latest – New Straits Times.
Smoke from the High Park fire has sent particulate pollution to some new peaks in Fort Collins, pushing the warning bar into the full, red “unhealthy” range. Previously, the highest spikes had been in the orange, “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category.
Time to start paying attention, even if you were feeling healthy before and were shrugging off the smoke warnings, according to local respiratory experts.
via Air quality in Fort Collins reaches “unhealthy” level – The Denver Post.
The World Health Organisation WHO has inadvertently contributed to the debate about diesel cars in India by confirming that diesel engine exhaust fumes can cause cancer.Environmental groups are demanding that India take note of this new evidence and draw up a roadmap for clean diesel.
via India must heed warning of WHO on diesal-cancer link | Mail Online.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer – IARC, which is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO) have classified diesel exhaust fumes as carcinogenic to humans, based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.
Read the report here: Diesel Engine Exhaust Carcinogenic
Residents in Toronto and the surrounding area are being warned to expect high levels of air pollution on Monday, as a smog advisory remains in effect for the second-straight day.
The advisory, jointly issued by Environment Canada and Ontarios ministry of the environment, warns of a “stagnant weather pattern” that will see hot, sunny weather and light winds. Pollutants from the U.S. and Ontario are expected to accumulate through the day and cause elevated smog levels across the region. The warning comes as Toronto prepares for an extended heat wave. Mondays temperature is expected to reach as high as 30 C by the afternoon, with a UV index of 8 very high.
via Southern Ontario remains under smog advisory | CTV Toronto.
Shanghai may have experienced its longest period of June pollution over the past few days since it launched its air quality index in 1997.
The city experienced more than 60 hours of pollution, caused by PM2.5 particles. According to the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center’s PM2.5 measurements, fine particles exceeded the national standard and even reached a peak of three times the standard on Friday night.
via Heat and pollution make it a weekend to forget – China.org.cn.
What does PM stand for?
The effects of air pollution on athletes came to the fore during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where Steve Ovett collapsed with reparatory problems after the 800 meters final, citing air pollution as a major trigger for his exercise induced asthma. In 2008, images of smog shrouding Beijing’s birds’s nest stadium were shown around the world and this summer the spotlight will be on London.
Pollutionwatch: Olympic athletes vulnerable to bad air quality | Environment | The Guardian.
A new competition has been launched to find a portable personal sensor which can monitor air pollution.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Service (HHS) have announced the “My Air, My Health” challenge that invites researchers and tinkerers alike to develop plans for wearable gadgets that collect data about the purity (or lack thereof) of the air in and around a specific community and then gauge the impact of that air on that community’s health. The sensor system must meet the specific needs of that particular community, which means competitors are expected to get feedback from their target population as they work on their projects.
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