Study finds even a short-term visit to a severely polluted city is bad for your health

Posted on November 27, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

There are many things people research when planning a vacation or business trip abroad—such as the weather, how to get around a city and where to access free Wi-Fi. But one important piece of information that some people don’t look at is a city’s air pollution levels.

A new study by researchers at UCLA shows that even a short-term visit to a severely polluted city can be detrimental to one’s health. The study involved 26 non-smoking, healthy adults (with a mean age of 23.8 years) who traveled from Los Angeles to Beijing during the summers of 2014 and 2015 over a 10-week period. The study participants were split into two groups and blood samples were taken in the first group at eight weeks and in the second group at six weeks after arrival in Beijing. The study was done in collaboration with Peking University in Beijing.

The study participants experienced significant health changes during their time in Beijing, including higher levels of oxidized fats, causing increased heart inflammation; and a change in enzyme function, which is associated with heart disease. The study also found that these individuals had up to an 800 percent greater concentration of air pollutants in their bodies than they did when in Los Angeles.

The good news is that when they returned to Los Angeles, most of the negative health effects largely reversed within four to seven weeks. The research is published in the journal Circulation from the American Heart Association.

“It’s widely known that long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased cardiovascular disease. But it was unknown whether a short-term visit to a location with severe air pollution could have any significant impact,” said the lead author of the study, Dr. Jesus Araujo, professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is also a professor of environmental health sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.

Araujo’s interest in this topic stemmed from previous research he conducted on air pollution exposure in animals. His research showed pronounced health effects in animals within just two weeks of exposure to pollution. His new study is the first to look specifically at the cardiovascular health effects of short-term air pollution exposure in humans, and notably, in healthy humans.

“It’s likely that the health effects would be even more prominent after longer exposure to air pollution, repetitive travels, or among individuals with preexisting health conditions,” said Yan Lin, first author of the study and now a postdoctoral associate at Duke University’s Global Health Institute.

Neither Beijing nor Los Angeles is known for its clean air, but Beijing’s air quality is significantly worse. The concentration of airborne particles in Beijing was on average 371 percent higher than in Los Angeles during the time of the study.

“Los Angeles used to be nearly as polluted as Beijing is today,” said Yifang Zhu, co-lead author of the study and professor of environmental health sciences at the Fielding School. “A city’s air quality can improve markedly when effective environmental policies are put into place,” Zhu said.

It’s important to note that Beijing is only one of many highly polluted cities that draws millions of tourists and business travelers each year. Several other cities in China and India are among the most polluted in the world. Even London and Paris have pollution levels that exceed the legal limits set by the World Health Organization.

Frequent travelers may find it reassuring to know that the study’s participants returned almost completely to their normal, healthy states after getting back to Los Angeles. However, some might think twice before boarding a plane for an extended visit to one of the aforementioned cities.

There are some ways to mitigate the risk of developing health issues when traveling to polluted cities. Araujo recommends avoiding intense physical activity, such as running outdoors or hiking. For individuals with preexisting cardiovascular health conditions, avoiding travel to these locations for extended periods of time is another consideration, especially around peak times of high air pollution levels. If one must travel for extended periods of time, the doctor recommends staying indoors as much as possible with air purifiers running.

via Study finds even a short-term visit to a severely polluted city is bad for your health

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Air pollution ‘linked to higher glaucoma risk’

Posted on November 26, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

Living in a more polluted area was associated with a greater likelihood of having the debilitating eye condition, a study suggests.

Air pollution could be linked to a higher risk of glaucoma, according to a new study.

Scientists observed that living in a more polluted area was associated with a greater likelihood of having the debilitating eye condition that can cause blindness.

The research team found that people in the most-polluted 25% of areas were at least 6% more likely to report having glaucoma than those in the least-polluted quartile.

They were also significantly more likely to have a thinner retina, one of the changes typical of glaucoma progression.

Experts suggest particulates may damage the nervous system and contribute to inflammation.

According to the study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, eye pressure was not associated with air pollution.

The researchers say this suggests air pollution may affect glaucoma risk through a different mechanism.

Lead author Professor Paul Foster, of University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology, said: “We have found yet another reason why air pollution should be addressed as a public health priority and that avoiding sources of air pollution could be worthwhile for eye health alongside other health concerns.

“While we cannot confirm yet that the association is causal, we hope to continue our research to determine whether air pollution does indeed cause glaucoma, and to find out if there are any avoidance strategies that could help people reduce their exposure to air pollution to mitigate the health risks.”

The findings were based on 111,370 participants of the UK Biobank study cohort who underwent eye tests from 2006 to 2010 at sites across Britain.

The participants were asked whether they had glaucoma and underwent ocular testing which measured intraocular pressure, and a laser scan of the retina.

Their data was linked to air pollution measures for their home addresses, from the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, with the researchers focusing on fine particulate matter – equal or less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter, or PM2.5.

The study’s first author, Dr Sharon Chua of UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital, said: “Air pollution may be contributing to glaucoma due to the constriction of blood vessels, which ties into air pollution’s links to an increased risk of heart problems.

“Another possibility is that particulates may have a direct toxic effect damaging the nervous system and contributing to inflammation.”

Particulate matter exposure is one of the strongest predictors of mortality among air pollutants, scientists say.

Prof Foster added: “We found a striking correlation between particulate matter exposure and glaucoma. Given that this was in the UK, which has relatively low particulate matter pollution on the global scale, glaucoma may be even more strongly impacted by air pollution elsewhere in the world.

“And as we did not include indoor air pollution and workplace exposure in our analysis, the real effect may be even greater.”

via Air pollution ‘linked to higher glaucoma risk’ | BT

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Living near busy road stunts children’s lung growth, study says

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

Research reveals that living in proximity of traffic increases risk of lung cancer by 10%

Living near a busy road stunts lung growth in children and increases the risk of lung cancer, research has revealed.

The analysis by King’s College London is the first to examine a wide range of health conditions linked to living near areas of air pollution from traffic. It compared 13 different health conditions, including heart disease, stroke and bronchitis, across 13 cities in the UK and Poland.

The study reveals that living within 50 metres of a busy road may increase the risk of lung cancer by 10%, and stunt lung growth in children by 3–14%.

Examining different cities in the UK, the research suggests levels of roadside air pollution restrict lung growth in children by approximately 14% in Oxford, 13% in London, 8% in Birmingham, 5% in Bristol, 5% in Liverpool, 3% in Nottingham and 4% in Southampton.

One third of Londoners – about three million people – are estimated to live near a busy road.

The coalition of 15 health and environment NGOs who released the report, including ClientEarth and the British Lung Foundation, are calling for legal levels of particulate pollution to be reduced to World Health Organization limits by 2030.

The WHO limit is that small particles known as PM2.5 should not exceed an annual mean of 10μg/m3 (10 micrograms per cubic metre), or a 24-hour mean of 25 μg/m3.

Existing UK legal limits for PM2.5 are more than double the WHO limit. No political party has committed to bringing the limit to within WHO guidelines by 2030.

Lucy Harbor, a mother from north London who founded Clean Air 4 Schools, said the findings were deeply worrying.

“Me and my family live by the A10 and my kids go to a school on a busy main road. Sadly, this report confirms many of my worst fears – that where we live and go to school could seriously be affecting our health.

“We are these statistics – one of my children was hospitalised with pneumonia and has had asthma. That my children’s lung growth could be stunted by 12.5% makes me seriously question whether enough is being done to urgently bring pollution levels down on main roads in London.”

The research suggests that reducing air pollution by one fifth could see the lung cancer cases go down by 7.6% in London, 6.4% in Birmingham, 5.9% in Bristol, 5.3% in Liverpool, 5.6% in Manchester, 6.7% in Nottingham, 6% in Oxford and 5.9% in Southampton.

Research shows living near a busy road can trigger bronchitic symptoms among children with asthma. The study – which examines symptoms that affect a larger number of people – suggests 3,865 fewer children could be affected in London if pollution was reduced by one fifth, with other cities also seeing significant reductions.

Dr Heather Walton, senior lecturer in environmental health at King’s College London, said it was the first time that health impact calculations for such a wide range of health conditions and cities had been included in one report.

“Previous calculations have concentrated on deaths, life expectancy and broad types of hospital admissions. Our report includes symptoms that affect a larger number of people such as chest infections [acute bronchitis] in children and effects on specific groups of people such as asthmatics.”

Andrea Lee, clean air campaigns and policy manager at ClientEarth, which has successfully taken the government to court over illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution from traffic, said: “Toxic air puts an unfair burden on people’s lives. The good news is that solutions are available. The UK’s first clean air zone in London is already having an impact. But much more needs to be done to help people across the country move to cleaner forms of transport.”

via Living near busy road stunts children’s lung growth, study says | Environment | The Guardian

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Sydney weather: Sydney air quality worse than China as NSW records worst ever air pollution

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

NSW has succumbed to the highest levels of air pollution from smoke ever recorded, as Sydneysiders wake to air quality conditions worse than Shenzhen, China. Some of the smoke is reaching as far away as South America.

Air quality in the harbour city was ranked ninth poorest in the world on Friday when compared with other cities, with the visibility index at every suburban monitoring station reaching “hazardous” levels, thanks to the state’s unrelenting drought and intense bushfire season.

The Environment, Energy and Science unit of the NSW government said the past two months “have been the dustiest on record”.

“The impacts of the severe and ongoing drought have led to the highest levels of dust recorded in NSW since our rural air quality monitoring networks began during the millennium drought,” a spokeswoman for the unit said.

Smoke-related particulate pollution, including those below 2.5 microns in size – known as PM2.5, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream – has also been off the charts.

“Smoke from the current bushfire emergency is having widespread impacts across northern NSW, the North Coast, Northern Tablelands and into the Hunter and Sydney regions,” the spokeswoman said.

“PM2.5 pollution levels from this smoke are the highest ever recorded in NSW.”

The outlook will be little improved for areas close to the bushfires and in locations impacted by smoke blown from the fires, she said.

The smoke plumes have been wafting over the Tasman to New Zealand, but as NASA shows, reaching even as far away as South America.

Screen Shot 2019-11-22 at 09.10.15.png

Poor air quality set in across the city on Thursday as a result of strengthening northerly winds blowing smoke from the state’s north over greater Sydney and the Illawarra.

On Friday morning, air quality was the most hazardous across Sydney’s north-west, in Parramatta North, Richmond, St Marys, Prospect, Rouse Hill, and in parts of the south west.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Abrar Shabren said the smoke would remain thick and “persistent” in Sydney throughout Friday.

“The smoke in greater Sydney has been driven by bushfires in the north, with changes in wind direction over the past few days pushing it further down south from the actual fire ground,” he said.

“The thickness will change as we go through the course of the day as easterly winds push the smoke over the inner and west of sydney…where conditions will be the worst.”

The bureau issued road weather alert on Friday morning, warning motorists about dangerous driving conditions due to reduced visibility on Friday.

So when can greater Sydney expect relief from the smoky haze?

“It’s a good question. The fires are still burning and with onshore and offshore winds the smoke might go away, only to come back again. It’s all going to be affected by the wind,” Mr Shabren said.

“Bushfires will continue to degrade air quality for large parts of NSW. Looking into tomorrow and the next couple of days there will be smoke around Sydney, the Illawarra and the north coast.”

On Friday morning, southerly winds blew in across the city about 6am, with gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour.

NSW Health has advised all residents in areas of “hazardous” air quality to significantly cut back on outdoor physical activities and for sensitive groups to remain indoors.

Where air quality is “poor”, people from susceptible groups are advised to monitor their condition and keep reliever medication nearby.

There are no total fire bans in NSW on Friday, however the Rural Fire Service said there is “widespread very high fire danger for areas in the north and through central NSW”.

At 9pm on Thursday night, there were 62 bush and grass fires burning in NSW, 24 still to be contained. On Friday, all fires are now back at “advice” level.

Dry storm cells are moving across southern and western parts of NSW, with little to no rain forecast.

Firefighters will use favourable conditions on Friday to work on strengthening and consolidating containment lines.

via Sydney weather: Sydney air quality worse than China as NSW records worst ever air pollution

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Tens of thousands of deaths linked to weak US air pollution rules – study

Posted on November 21, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

Researchers linked nine causes of death with a certain type pollution when reviewing medical records of deceased veterans

US air pollution rules could be hugely insufficient in preventing deaths, experts are concluding from a new study of the likely causes of death of 4.5 million veterans.

Published in the peer-reviewed journal Jama, the research finds that 99% of deaths from illnesses linked to a certain type of air pollution occur in people who are exposed to lower levels than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) currently deems acceptable.

But Donald Trump’s EPA could be set to maintain the current standard – thus leading to continued air pollution-associated deaths. The agency is also reconsidering the established science linking particle pollution from fossil fuels and other sources with a host of illnesses.

About 200,000 Americans are thought to die from air pollution each year, but scientists previously couldn’t pinpoint the specific causes of death for almost half of those people.

The new research reviewed the medical records of veterans who died and compared them with the air pollution levels in their zip codes. They focused on PM 2.5, or inhalable particulate matter pollution that is 2.5 micrometers or smaller – a fraction of the width of a human hair.

They linked nine causes of death with the pollution: cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, lung cancer and pneumonia.

Three of those conditions were newly identified associations: chronic kidney disease, hypertension and dementia.

Miles Keogh, the executive director of a group that represents state and local air regulators, said: “We know people are harmed from exposure levels lower than the [current standards].

“The question is whether the trade-offs for society are worth it. If only a few people are harmed, maybe society accepts the risk,” Keogh said. “But when a study shows 99% of death occurring at exposure levels below that threshold, that should make us look much harder at whether the threshold protects people effectively enough.”

Because scientists cannot ethically expose subjects to air pollution and test the results, they must rely on existing epidemiological data. Veterans offered a massive source of detailed records held by the federal government.

“The skeptics will always tell you this is correlation and correlation is not causation, but in environmental epidemiology, that’s really the best you could do,” said co-author Dr Ziyad Al-Aly, who directs the clinical epidemiology center at Washington University in St Louis and is chief of research at Veterans Affairs St Louis Health Care System.

Al-Aly explained that researchers examining only death records could only see “the tip of the iceberg”. His team reviewed the illnesses people struggled with before death to get a clearer picture of their overall health.

The research also confirmed striking inequities in how air pollution hurts black Americans more than white Americans. Black Americans were more likely to be exposed to higher levels of PM 2.5. But they also got sicker than white people even when they were breathing the same air. That could be because of socio-economic factors, such as poverty and access to healthcare.

“I went into it thinking pollution is color blind … it turns out to be it’s not true,” Al-Aly said. “Actually, pollution itself does discriminate. For the same level of pollution, black people tend to be affected more. And on top of that, black people get exposed to more pollution than white people.

“It’s kind of like a double-whammy,” he said. “It’s really unfair.”

New research is consistently revealing broad health threats from air pollution. Another study published on Wednesday in Brain further confirmed the links between air pollution and cognitive problems. Women in their 70s and 80s who were exposed to higher levels of air pollution experienced greater declines in memory and more Alzheimer’s-like brain atrophy, according to researchers at the University of South Carolina.

“This is the first study to really show, in a statistical model, that air pollution was associated with changes in people’s brains and that those changes were then connected with declines in memory performance,” said Andrew Petkus, an assistant professor of clinical neurology.

via Tens of thousands of deaths linked to weak US air pollution rules – study | Environment | The Guardian

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Australia fires: Sydney blanketed by smoke from NSW bushfires

Posted on November 20, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

People in Sydney woke up to a city shrouded in smoke on Tuesday, as scores of bushfires rage across the region.

Strong winds overnight brought smoke from fires inland, pushing the air quality in Australia’s largest city to beyond “hazardous” levels at times.

On social media, locals have described hazy skies and the stench of smoke in their homes.

About five million people live in the state capital of New South Wales, which has been affected for weeks by fires.

Six people have died in bushfires in the state’s north since October.

Sydney residents were warned about severe fire danger on Tuesday, as temperatures soared to 37C (98.6F) in the city’s west.

Parts of the city recorded air pollution levels at eight times higher than the national benchmark.

Health officials advised people to stay indoors and avoid physical activity. They also shared first aid guides on how to help asthma sufferers and others with respiratory problems.

“The smoke is likely to hang around for the next few days,” warned the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

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Last week, Sydney faced unprecedented bushfire danger when blazes hit its suburbs and parts of its outskirts.

Authorities said the source of the smoke on Tuesday came from a blaze in Wollemi National Park, 150km (93 miles) north-west of the city, which had grown to 150,000 hectares in size.

What’s happening with the fires now?

Close to 50 bushfires continue to burn in populated coastal and inland regions to the city’s north. Authorities say 468 homes have been destroyed since blazes flared up on 8 November.

Four people were confirmed to have died in the fires since then: Vivian Chaplain, 69, Julie Fletcher, 63, Barry Parsons, 58, and George Nole, whose age is unknown. They were found in separate locations in rural NSW.

A couple, Bob Lindsey, 77, and Gwen Hyde, 68, were killed in a bushfire in the same regions in October.

Many of the affected areas have experienced thick smoke and extremely poor air quality for weeks.

Officials have warned that blazes could escalate later this week when heatwave conditions reach New South Wales and neighbouring Queensland, where scores of fires are burning.

Meanwhile, a “catastrophic” fire danger warning has been issued for parts of South Australia. The state capital, Adelaide, is forecast to reach 42C on Wednesday.

via Australia fires: Sydney blanketed by smoke from NSW bushfires – BBC News

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Air pollution kills five people in Bristol each week, study shows

Posted on November 18, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

Toxic air contributes to health conditions such as asthma, cancer and stroke, say experts

Five people die each week in Bristol as a result of high levels of air pollution, a study has revealed.

Researchers at King’s College London examined the combined impact of PM2.5, which is mainly from domestic wood and coal burning and industrial combustion and nitrogen dioxide, which mainly comes from older polluting vehicles.

The fine particulates and nitrogen dioxide that pollute Bristol’s air cause about 260 people to die each year, the scientists calculated. These pollutants could cause up to 36,000 deaths across the UK each year, and also contribute to several health conditions including asthma, lung cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

This is the first time that new government guidance on “mortality burdens” of air pollution developed by a government advisory committee have been applied to the largest city in the south-west.

Bristol had higher levels of PM2.5 pollution than Liverpool and Greater Manchester, the study found, but a lower death rate – partly because it is less densely populated.

The research revealed that a child born in 2011 could die up to six months early if exposed over their lifetime to air pollution in the city.

The study was published as the Bristol mayor hosts an air pollution summit on Monday.

This month the city announced radical plans to address air pollution, including a proposal to ban diesel cars from central areas between 7am and 3pm from 2021. The plans are subject to government approval and consultation with residents and businesses.

The study found the annual cost of the health impact of air pollution in Bristol was up to £170m a year.

Public Health England assessed in a 2018 report that the total national cost to the NHS and social care budgets of air pollution could be up to £5.56bn for PM2.5 and NO2 combined.

Marvin Rees, the Bristol mayor, said: “We have a moral, ecological and legal duty to clean up the air we breathe. This research emphasises how vital it is that we act quickly to improve health and save lives in Bristol.”

David Dajnak, the principal air-quality scientist in the environmental research group at King’s College London, said: “This report shows that more needs to be done to address the level of threat air pollution poses to health in Bristol.

“It highlights that the highest level of air pollution in Bristol coincides with zones of exceptional population growth and areas having the highest black and minority ethnic population.”

Bristol is one of several areas in the UK with illegal levels of air pollution. The most recent government data submitted to the EU revealed that 83% of reporting zones in the UK had illegal levels.

via Air pollution kills five people in Bristol each week, study shows | Environment | The Guardian

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New Delhi schools closed as air pollution worsens

Posted on November 15, 2019 by Respro® UK Ltd

The air quality in New Delhi was rated as “severe” for the third day in a row. A thick gray haze covers the city, making travel and outdoor activities both dangerous and difficult.

Schools in New Delhi shut on Thursday after the air quality was rated as “severe” for the third consecutive day.

“Keeping in mind the hazardous exposure to children … all schools must remain shut for the next two days,” Bhure Lal, the chairman of the Environmental Pollution Prevention and Control Agency, said in a letter to the city government of Delhi and to its neighboring states.

The Central Pollution Control Board said that the air quality index was 472, nine times the level recommended by the World Health Organization. The maximum possible rating is 500.

Running through the smog

Air pollution in northern India peaks in the winter due to smoke from agricultural fires. The smoke from fields mixes with vehicle emissions and construction dust, making it the world’s most polluted capital.

The smog was not enough to put off the more than 1,000 children participating in a race on Thursday morning. The annual “Run for Children” event is organized by a not for profit group called Prayas. Asian news network ANI reported on the run.

“The children did not run a long distance. It was a short run,” said Prayas’ general secretary, Amod K. Kanth.

Kanth has received criticism for allowing the run to go ahead in such conditions.

via New Delhi schools closed as air pollution worsens | News | DW | 14.11.2019

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