PM2.5 air pollution claims 160,000 lives in five cities

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Delhi, Mexico and São Paulo are the cities with the highest death tolls, new research finds

Fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) was responsible for approximately 160,000 deaths in the world’s five largest cities in 2020.

Exposure to PM2.5 is considered the most important environmental risk factor for deaths globally and was attributed to 4.2 million premature deaths in 2015.

New research by Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the air quality technology company IQAir, suggests Delhi saw an estimated 54,000 deaths due to PM2.5 air pollution last year, or one death per 500 people.

Mexico, São Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo followed India’s capital in the list of cities with the highest number of air pollution-triggered deaths.

The report also estimates that more than $5 billion (£3.6bn) was the economic cost of PM2.5 in 14 cities.

Of the included cities, the highest estimated total financial cost from air pollution was recorded in Tokyo, which suffered approximately 40,000 avoidable deaths and an economic loss of $43 billion (£31bn).

Avinash Chanchal, Climate Campaigner at Greenpeace India, said: “When governments choose coal, oil and gas over clean energy, it’s our health that pays the price.

“Air pollution from burning fossil fuels increases our likelihood of dying from cancer or stroke, suffering asthma attacks and of experiencing severe Covid-19.”

PM2.5 air pollution claims 160,000 lives in five cities – Energy Live News
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Air pollution significantly raises risk of infertility, study finds

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Exposure to air pollution significantly increases the risk of infertility, according to the first study to examine the danger to the general population.

The analysis of 18,000 couples in China found that those living with moderately higher levels of small-particle pollution had a 20% greater risk of infertility, defined as not becoming pregnant within a year of trying.

The study design did not enable the scientists to determine how air pollution might damage fertility, but pollution particles are known to cause inflammation in the body, which could damage egg and sperm production, the scientists said. Another recent study of 600 women attending a US infertility clinic found that increased exposure to air pollution was associated with a lower number of maturing eggs in the ovaries.

Infertility affects many millions of couples around the world but relatively little research has been done on the impact of air pollution. However, dirty air is already known to increase the risk of other aspects of reproduction, including premature birth and low birth weight. Common levels of nitrogen dioxide are as bad as smoking in raising the risk of miscarriage and pollution particles have been found on the foetal side of placentas.

Qin Li, at the Centre for Reproductive Medicine at Peking University Third hospital in China, who led the infertility research, said prospective parents should be concerned about air pollution. “Numerous studies have noted that air pollution is associated with lots of adverse pregnancy events,” he told the Guardian.

“Approximately 30% of infertile couples have unexplained infertility,” Li and colleagues wrote, noting that age, weight and smoking were well-known factors. “[Our study] indicates that small-particle pollution could be an unignorable risk factor for infertility.”

Previous studies have produced mixed results but were based on groups of people that excluded infertile couples or were conducted in infertility clinics, Li said: “Our study samples were recruited from the general population, so our findings may be more generalisable.”

“The size of the effects they observe seem pretty high, which would be concerning if borne out in future studies as well, particularly in low pollution environments,” said Tom Clemens, at the University of Edinburgh, UK. The pollution levels in China are relatively high, he said, but harmful effects have been reported on reproduction at much lower levels. “So clearly poor air quality impacts the reproductive system in general,” he said.

Prof Mireille Toledano at Imperial College London, UK, said new research on this important topic was very welcome as there were not many previous studies. She said lower levels of air pollution might affect infertility, but that more research was needed.

The research, published in the journal Environment International, was based on data from interviews and questionnaires from 18,571 couples who were part of the large China Fertility Survey of Married Women. In China, women are required to register with the authorities before attempting to become pregnant, enabling the researchers to request information from all women who were aiming to conceive.

The researchers found that women exposed to small particle pollution that was 10 micrograms per cubic metre higher over a year had a 20% greater risk of infertility. The average pollution level for the Chinese couples was 57µg/m3. In London, UK, the average is about 13µg/m3.

The results also showed that the proportion of women not becoming pregnant after 12 months of trying rose from 15% to 26% when comparing the quarter exposed to the lowest pollution with the quarter suffering the highest. The researchers took account of other factors including age, weight, income, smoking, alcohol drinking, and exercise levels.

Previous studies of dirty air and fertility have used data on sperm quality, perhaps because this is easier to obtain, with a 2017 review concluding air pollution has a “negative impact”.

“While there are certainly steps that individuals can take to reduce exposure, such as air filtration systems in high pollution locations and avoiding exposure to high traffic, they are unlikely to result in substantially different long-term exposures,” he said. “They are also not realistic for many people because of socio-economic constraints, including work patterns and transport opportunities.”

Air pollution significantly raises risk of infertility, study finds | Air pollution | The Guardian
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Deadly Smog Over India Won’t Lift Until March, Copernicus Says

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

The forecast by Europe’s Earth observation agency comes after a new Harvard study showing high mortality rates from air pollution

A toxic-dust cocktail that has engulfed large swathes of India since October isn’t expected to lift until next month, prolonging the exposure of people to emissions that can dramatically reduce their lifespan.  

This week’s forecast by the Copernicus Climate Change Service follows a new study by scientists at Harvard University showing that some 2.5 million Indians die annually from air pollution. Smog season recurs yearly in cities like New Delhi as burning farmland combines with fossil fuel exhaust, enveloping urban centers during cold months when demand for heat is high and air circulation is muted. 

“This winter haze could potentially continue until the spring when increased temperature and changes in the weather will help to dissipate the pollution,” said Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at Copernicus. The danger arises from “activities such as traffic, cooking, heating and crop stubble burning which are able to accumulate over the region due to topography and cold stagnant conditions.”

The Harvard study published this month in Environmental Research concluded that previous estimates of deaths caused by long-term exposure to airborne toxic particles were too low. 

“Often, when we discuss the dangers of fossil fuel combustion, it’s in the context of carbon dioxide and climate change and overlook the potential health impact of the pollutants co-emitted with greenhouse gases,” author Joel Schwartz said in a statement. “By quantifying the health consequences of fossil fuel combustion, we can send a clear message to policymakers and stakeholders of the benefits of a transition to alternative energy sources.” 

Populations in Lahore, Dhaka and Kathmandu are being similarly impacted by the smog, according to Copernicus, which estimates that chronic exposure to pollution can reduce lifespans by two years in the worst-impacted cities.

Deadly Smog Over India Won’t Lift Until March, Copernicus Says – Bloomberg

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Pollen season grows 20 days in 30 years as climate crisis hits hay fever sufferers

Posted on February 15, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Pollen released by plants is also more intense than in 1990 in bad news for those with allergies, research in US and Canada finds

The climate crisis is multiplying the miseries faced by people with allergies, with new research finding that the pollen season in North America is now an average 20 days longer than it was three decades ago.

Rising global temperatures are helping lengthen the period of time, typically in spring, when pollen is released by plants, trees and grasses, according to the study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

In an analysis of 60 pollen-collecting stations across the US and Canada, the pollen season is now 20 days longer on average than it was in 1990. The season is also becoming more intense, with significantly larger quantities of pollen being detected.

This increase is strongly coupled with global heating, with the researchers using climate modeling to show that climate change is responsible for at least half of the additional days of pollen activity. There is also some evidence the growing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may in itself be helping spur the increase.

“We are getting warmer winters, warmer springs and earlier springs and that is driving a lot of this,” said William Anderegg, co-author of the study and a scientist at the University of Utah, who became personally interested in the topic because of his own seasonal hay fever. “This is a really clear example that climate change is already here, in essence it’s here in every breath we take. The health impacts are with us and likely to get worse.”

Tiny pollen grains, expelled to propagate plants, can trigger seasonal allergies in some people, causing sneezing, itchy red eyes and runny noses. Pollen season can also worsen other conditions, such as asthma, and such ailments have been linked to poor school performance and knock-on economic impacts.

Anderegg said the pollen season was probably lengthening in other parts of the world, too, although some regions would be limited by water availability. “We don’t really know how far it will go from here, we don’t have a lot of pollen monitoring compared to other types of air pollution,” he said, adding that a public health response could include warnings on high pollen days and air filters for buildings.

The study is the first to be able to attribute the growing pollen season to climate change, according to Kristie Ebi, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington who was not involved in the research. “As the climate continues to change, without additional adaptation to prepare for and manage the impacts … the numbers of cases of asthma and allergies due to aeroallergens would be expected to increase,” she said.

Aaron Bernstein, an academic at Harvard’s school of public health and a doctor at Boston children’s hospital, said he was seeing more and more children suffering from allergies and asthma.

“The future is now,” he said. “We are seeing the health harms of climate change more clearly each year. The worsening allergy season is one of many reasons for major climate action now, not merely to prevent immense harms, but to promote a healthier, more just, and sustainable world.”

Pollen season grows 20 days in 30 years as climate crisis hits hay fever sufferers | Environment | The Guardian
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Air pollution caused 1 out of 5 deaths in 2018—that’s more than 8 million, study says

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Microscopic, and sometimes larger, particles of soot, smoke and dust that spew out of gas-guzzling factories, ships, cars and aircraft are responsible for 18% of total global deaths in 2018—that equals more than 8 million people, a new study found.

That number far surpasses previous estimates of the amount of people killed globally by all types of air pollution, including dust and smoke from wildfires and agricultural burns. The most widely accepted estimate stands at 4.2 million, according to a Harvard University news release.

But the researchers from Harvard and several other institutions in England wanted to learn how many global deaths could be tied to pollution from the burning of fossil fuels alone.

So, they collected pollution emissions and meteorology data from 2012—a year not influenced by a climate phenomenon called El Niño that can naturally worsen air pollution in some regions—and dropped that into a global 3-D model.

A study on the findings was published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Research.

“Often, when we discuss the dangers of fossil fuel combustion, it’s in the context of CO2 and climate change and overlook the potential health impact of the pollutants co-emitted with greenhouse gases,” study co-author Joel Schwartz, a professor of environmental epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a news release.

“We hope that by quantifying the health consequences of fossil fuel combustion, we can send a clear message to policymakers and stakeholders of the benefits of a transition to alternative energy sources.”

Past research on global deaths due to air pollution has relied on satellite and surface observations that cannot differentiate where particles came from, such as from fossil fuels or wildfires. “With satellite data, you’re seeing only pieces of the puzzle,” said study co-author Loretta Mickley, a senior research fellow in the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The researchers attempted to overcome this issue by integrating data on atmospheric chemistry driven by everyday weather and climate patterns with estimates of emissions from multiple sources such as power plants, ships, aircraft and ground transportation.

This model, called GEOS-Chem, also allowed the scientists to divide the world into grid-like boxes to accurately map pollution levels in individual regions, “so we could know more exactly what people are breathing,” study first author Karn Vohra, a graduate student at the University of Birmingham in England, said in the release.

The team then developed a separate “risk assessment” model to understand how these pollution levels affect people’s health across the globe.

They found that more than 8 million people died in 2018 from fossil fuel pollution, or a little less than one out of five people. Regions with the most greenhouse gas emissions were Eastern North America, Europe and South-East Asia, the release said.

Particulate matter from fossil fuel pollution can lead to significant health problems such as nonfatal heart attacks, irregular heart beat, asthma and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

And the smaller the particles, the more danger they pose “because they can get deep into your lungs, and some may even get into your bloodstream,” the EPA said.

Air pollution caused 1 out of 5 deaths in 2018—that’s more than 8 million, study says
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Toxic air puts six million at risk of lung damage

Posted on February 11, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Around six million people aged over 65 in England are at high risk of lung damage and asthma attacks because of toxic air, according to a new report.

It finds that older people and those with lung disease who are most vulnerable to the effects of pollution are often the most exposed. The new document is from the British Lung Foundation (BLF) and Asthma UK.

It comes as MPs also demand the government sets tougher targets for air pollution.

Improving air quality needs to be “at the core” of the UK’s post-pandemic rebuild, say members of a House of Commons committee that focuses on environmental issues.

The new report by two of the UK’s leading respiratory charities finds that a quarter of all care homes and a third of all GP practices and hospitals in England are in places where particulate pollution exceeds the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the new report.

The focus is on exposure to fine particulate matter.

This consists of tiny particles known as PM2.5s which have a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres across – that is one-four-hundredth of a millimetre, or about 3% of the diameter of a human hair.

PM2.5 particles are so small they can lodge in the lungs and even pass into the bloodstream. There’s evidence they can damage blood vessels and other organs.

Particulate pollution affects us all, but older people are more likely to suffer lung disease or have weakened lungs from ageing.

There are no safe limits for PM2.5s, but the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that concentrations should not exceed 10 micrograms per cubic metre.

The BLF and Asthma UK report used data on PM2.5s collected in 2019. They found air pollution blackspots across the country that affected care homes.

In 36 local authorities, every single care home is located in areas with PM2.5 levels above the limits recommended by the WHO. These include Epping Forrest, Luton, Thurrock, Reading, Slough, Spelthorne, Broxbourne, Dartford and Watford.

Air pollution is a major health issue in the UK, says Dr Nick Hopkinson, the medical director of the BLF.

He estimates that between 30,000 and 40,000 premature deaths each year are caused by exposure to toxic air.

Air pollution also increases the chances of a person developing lung cancer and cardiovascular disease and may be associated with cognitive decline, including dementia.

“We know that older people are more likely to be exposed to particulates and we know that air quality is worse where poor people live”, Dr Hopkinson told BBC News.

It also found that 3,000 hospitals and GP practices are in areas where particulate pollution exceeds WHO recommended levels.

The current legal limit for PM2.5 in the UK is twice the WHO recommendation, at 20 micrograms per cubic metre.

The BLF and Asthma UK are demanding the government reduce that to the 10 micrograms per cubic metres limit recommended by the WHO.

The advice has been echoed by the Commons environment, food and rural affairs (Efra) select committee.

The charities behind the report are also calling for the government to appoint a minister with specific responsibility for improving air quality in the UK and to publish a national health protection plan to safeguard those most at risk from toxic air.

Kimberlee Cole from Eastbourne is one of those people.

She has a lung condition called bronchiectasis, which is exacerbated by air pollution.

Her lungs are so sensitive she can tell how polluted it is just by breathing in the air when she opens the door in the morning.

When the particulate count is high, it irritates her lungs, making them produce excess mucus which leads to violent coughing fits that can last hours.

“Sometimes my lungs actually bleed”, Kim says. “Sometimes it can be so bad I’m actually sick because of the coughing.”

Responding to the report, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010 with emissions of fine particulate matter falling by 9% and emissions of nitrogen oxides are at their lowest level since records began. However, we know there is more to do.

“Our landmark Environment Bill will set at least two ambitious legally-binding air quality targets, with a primary focus on reducing exposure to particulate matter pollution. As part of this, we will consider the World Health Organization’s guidelines for PM2.5.

“PHE (Public Health England) also continues to support health professionals improve our understanding of links between air pollution and health, including working with the National Institute for Care Excellence to develop guidelines and standards to better protect vulnerable people from air pollution.”

Alastair Lewis, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of York, welcomed the report’s focus on the impact of air pollution on vulnerable communities.

“The largest inequalities arise based on issues like health and deprivation and deprived communities typically have the worst air quality,” he says.

However, he cautions that the figures for particulate pollution in the report are based on atmospheric models, rather than measurements made on the ground.

He also points out that much of the PM2.5 in the atmosphere is often formed in the atmosphere by chemical reactions of other gases.

These gases move between regions and even between countries so there may not be a local solution to the problem.

Dr Heather Walton, an expert in air pollution from Imperial College London, also welcomed the findings. She told BBC News: “The summary of the health evidence is well balanced and the modelling used is a standard model used by Defra.”

She said the WHO guidelines provided a useful focus, but added: “Nonetheless, it is important to note that health effects continue down to concentrations below the WHO guidelines and so it is always beneficial to reduce PM2.5 concentrations in whatever way possible.”

She said that bringing levels down long-term would take a mixture of international, national and local policies.

via Toxic air puts six million at risk of lung damage – BBC News

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Sahara dust causes air pollution spike in Europe

Posted on February 10, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

A plume of Sahara dust that has blanketed parts of southern and central Europe in recent days caused a short, sharp spike in air pollution across the region, researchers said Tuesday.

The European Commission’s Copernicus satellite monitoring program said measured levels of particles smaller than 10 micrometers, so-called PM10s, increased in places such as Barcelona, Spain and in the French cities of Lyon and Marseille on Sunday.

The cloud of fine sand blown northward from Algeria tinted skies red and mixed with fresh snowfall in the Alps and Pyrenees, leaving slopes looking orange.

While PM10 particles can enter the lungs, causing breathing difficulties, asthma attacks and other health problems, the concentration of Sahara dust didn’t reach levels considered harmful.

More than three years ago, Storm Ophelia turned skies a spooky shade of sepia across parts of Britain.

That storm brought dust from the Sahara and smoke from wildfires in southern Europe. Ophelia caused two deaths in Ireland, where it was the worst storm in half a century. Social media users shared photos of ominous clouds blocking out the sun, prompting the Science Museum in London to joke on Twitter: “It’s not the apocalypse!”

Many people expressed concern about this phenomenon, while others have noted that it looks like something from a science fiction movie.

Sahara dust causes air pollution spike in Europe | Daily Sabah

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Air pollution from fossil fuels responsible for ‘one in five deaths worldwide’

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Respro® UK Ltd

Number of deaths connected to fine particulate matter from fossil fuel burning could be twice as high as previously thought, research says

Air pollution from fossil fuels could account for nearly one in five deaths globally, a new study suggests.

The research finds air pollution from fossil fuel burning accounted for around 10 million premature deaths in 2012 – with China and India seeing the largest number of lives cut short.

The number of deaths associated with air pollution from fossil fuels fell to 8.7 million in 2018, the study estimates, as a result of significant improvements to air quality in China. This figure represents around 18 per cent of the total number of deaths recorded in 2018, the researchers say.

Published in the journal Environmental Research, the study focuses specifically on deaths attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution. “PM2.5 can penetrate deep into our lungs,” Karn Vohra, study lead author and a PhD student in environmental health sciences at University of Birmingham, told The Independent. 

Evidence suggests exposure to PM2.5 is linked to a range of serious health problems, including respiratory illnesses, strokes and heart attacks.

“We estimate a global mortality burden of 8.7 million premature deaths in 2018 from fossil fuel PM2.5 pollution,” Mr Vohra said.

“The highest mortality burdens are estimated over regions with substantial fossil fuel combustion, notably India, China and parts of eastern US, Europe and Southeast Asia.”

For the research, the scientists used a high-resolution mathematical model to study global concentrations of PM2.5 specifically from fossil fuel burning.

They also made use of a new health risk assessment model to estimate the total number of premature deaths that can be attributed to PM2.5 pollution from fossil fuel burning.

The finding that PM2.5 pollution from fossil fuels could account for 8.7 million – or one in five – premature deaths a year is more than double that of previous estimates. (This estimate is for 2018, before the start of the Covid pandemic.)

The most recent assessment on the global causes of mortality published by The Lancet found that all “outdoor particulate matter” – which includes dust and smoke from fires as well as fossil fuel burning – accounted for 4.2 million deaths globally each year.

In the UK, the number of deaths attributable to air pollution from fossil fuels could also be higher than thought, according to the results.

The new research estimates that, in 2012, around 99,000 people died prematurely as a result of air pollution from fossil fuels in the UK. Previous estimates had suggested that between 28,000 and 36,000 people will die each year as a result of exposure to all types of air pollution in the UK.

Mr Vohra said the uptick in the global number of deaths attributable to fossil fuel pollution was linked to the high-resolution models used in the research.

Dr Thomas Smith, an assistant professor in environmental geography at the London School of Economics who wasn’t involved in the study, said the modelling techniques used by the researchers marked “an important step forward”.

“A key advance is related to the model,” he told The Independent. “This has a fine spatial resolution which allows it to better represent ‘pollution hotspots’, such as cities. Previous studies using lower-resolution models that might have ‘smoothed-out’ these pollution hotspots.”

However, there is still uncertainty around the global number of deaths attributable to air pollution from fossil fuels, Mr Vohra added.

The study provides a central estimate of 8.7 million premature deaths a year, but notes a possible range of between -1.8 million to up to 14 million.

“The uncertainty is due to the relatively limited number of epidemiological studies of the very high PM2.5 concentrations typical of China,” said Mr Vohra.

“The wide range of uncertainty at these higher PM2.5 concentrations should be an incentive for additional studies to improve our estimates at these high concentrations.”

Overall, the findings add to “the urgency to shift to cleaner sources of energy”, he added.

In addition to causing air pollution, fossil fuels also damage human health by driving the climate crisis. A recent report found that the health of millions of people is already being affected by the impacts of the climate crisis, which include worsening extreme weather events and shifts to disease risk.

“The lethal health impacts of climate change and air pollution – two of the most pressing global health issues of our time – have to be arrested,” said Dr Ronald Law, an affiliate professor at the University of Washington and chief of health emergency preparedness in the Philippines.

“Bold actions to shift to clean energy sources is a must if we are to better protect the health of our planet, society and people, now and in the future.”

Air pollution from fossil fuels responsible for ‘one in five deaths worldwide’ | The Independent

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