Is “Clean Coal” an Oxymoron when it comes to Health Impacts from Coal Power Generation?

The Unpaid Health Bill – how coal power plants make us sick(46 page pdf, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL),  March 2013)

Also discussed here: Air pollution: Europe’s avoidable health risk(1 page pdf, Lancet, Mar. 16, 2013)

Today we review a report that calls for an end to coal powered plants in the EU by 2040, although the same reasons for doing so apply elsewhere, particularly in the United States, because of the impact of coal power emissions not only on human health, but also on the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from carbon sources as soon as possible to mitigate climate change. Over 18,000 premature deaths/year in the EU can be linked to coal emissions which make up 20% of the GHG emissions for Europe. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, touted as the vanguard of “clean coal”, is found to have even more emissions of NO2 with lower SO2.

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Exposure to Air Pollution after a Heart Attack

Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with survival following acute coronary syndrome(6 page pdf, Cathryn Tonne and Paul Wilkinson, European Heart Journal, Jan. 19, 2013)

Also discussed here: Exposure to Air Pollution Is Associated With Increased Deaths After Heart Attacks(Science Daily, Feb. 20, 2013)

Today we review an extensive investigation of the impact of exposure to varying levels of PM 2.5 on the survival rate of patients who have had a heart attack. Results indicate that exposure for as little as a year to a 10mg/m3 increase was linked to a 20% higher death rate and the reverse was also true. Even more important to survival rates than air pollution were a number of socio-economic  factors such as smoking and income levels.

Serious air pollution (Photo credit: Andrew.T@NN)

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Health Impacts of Nanoparticles (NPs)

Nanoparticles in the environment: assessment using the causal diagram approach(11 page pdf, Suchi Smita, Shailendra K Gupta, Alena Bartonova, Maria Dusinska, Arno C Gutleb, Qamar Rahman, Environmental Health, Jun. 28, 2012)

Today we review research into the impacts of naturally occuring (NNPs)and man-made nanoparticles (ENPs)which range from impacts on high level noctiluent clouds (and from this climate warming) to impacts on vegetation and human health. Their very small size (less than 100 nm) poses a potentially greater threat than the particulate matter that has been studied in depth because of their greater reactivity potential and a number of diverse health impacts have been identified ranging from heart and lung diseases to impacts on vital organs, including the brain, via NPs in the bloodstream.

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How Do Tobacco Smoke and Air Pollution Affect Asthma in Young Children?

Wreaths of tobacco smoke. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Air pollution, fetal and infant tobacco smoke exposure, and wheezing in preschool children: a population-based prospective birth cohort(23 page pdf, Agnes MM Sonnenschein-van der Voort ,Yvonne de Kluizenaar, Vincent WV Jaddoe, Carmelo Gabriele Hein Raat, Henriëtte A Moll, Albert Hofman, Frank H Pierik, Henk ME Miedema, Johan C de Jongste, Liesbeth Duijts, Environmental Health, Dec. 11, 2012)

The key conclusion drawn by the study under review today is that early exposure to tobacco smoke makes the lungs of children more vulnerable to air pollution. Also short term exposure to air pollutants alone could affect development of respiratory while long term exposure has greater impact when combined with tobacco smoke

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How Does Air Pollution Affect Your Thinking Ability?

Bad Air Means Bad News for Seniors’ Brainpower(1 page pdf, Press Release, The Gerontological Society of America, (GSA) 65th AnnualScientific Meeting, Nov. 16, 2012)

Also discussed here: Bad Air Means Bad News for Seniors’ Brainpower(ScienceDaily, Nov. 16, 2012)

And here: Does Air Pollution Hurt Memory of Older Adults?(WebMD, Nov. 16, 2012)

And here: Air pollution in towns and cities ‘ages brains of over-50s by three years’(MailOnline, Nov. 16, 2012)

And here: Exposure to particulate air pollution and cognitive decline in older women(Abstract, Weuve J, Puett RC, Schwartz J, Yanosky JD, Laden F, Grodstein F. , Arch Intern Med, Feb. 13, 2012)

Today’s feature review article takes a new look at the impact of air pollution on how well people over 50 think after analyzing tests assessing word recall, knowledge, language, and orientation. The results indicate that an increase of 10 micrograms/cubic meter of fine particulate matter (roughly the difference between living in a typical built-up cities to living in rural areas) translates into an additional aging of 3 years.  This comes in addition to the other well documented effects of air pollution on health which shorten life expectancy (by 7-8 months in the UK for example). This prompts one to consider if the rise in dementia and Alzheimer’s might also be associated this in urban areas, along with the large increase in the population of seniors in many countries.

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Roadside Air Quality as a Priority Research Issue

Why are we concerned with near-road air quality?(11  page pdf, Rich Baldauf, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Apr. 27, 2010)

Also discussed here: Freeways Don’t Need to be a Housing Show-Stopper(The Greater Marin, Aug. 13, 2012)

Today we highlight a summary of the issues and research priorities and recent findings in the scientific literature for air pollution near major roads from the perspective of the Environmental Protection Agency in the USA. Among other points, the use of vegetation along roads to contain the pollution is seen as a promising approach for the future.

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Can Plants Reduce Urban Pollution?

Effectiveness of Green Infrastructure for Improvement of Air Quality in Urban Street Canyons (Abstract, Thomas A. M. Pugh, A. Robert MacKenzie, J. Duncan Whyatt, and C. Nicholas Hewitt, Environ. Sci. Technol., Jun. 4, 2012)

Also discussed here: Green Plants Reduce City Street Pollution Up to Eight Times More Than Previously Believed (ScienceDaily, Jul. 18, 2012)

The question whether trees  reduce or add to urban pollution is frequently debated with the answer seeming to be that in a highly polluted atmosphere, some coniferous trees add aromatic gases to the mix. Today we review an interesting article that suggests that foliage (not trees) will absorb pollution through  their plant surface which is more effective than the hard surfaces that make up street canyons – with reductions of 40-60% in terms of the concentrations of NO2 and PM.

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Monitoring Pollution below the Clouds from Space

Improving aerosol distributions below clouds by assimilating satellite-retrieved cloud droplet number (Abstract, Pablo E. Saide, Gregory R. Carmichael, Scott N. Spak, Patrick Minnis, and J. Kirk Ayers, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA (PNAS), Jul. 9, 2012)

Also discussed here: Researchers Develop Technique to Help Pollution Forecasters See Past Clouds (ScienceDaily, Jul. 10, 2012)

Today we review research aimed at deducing how much particulate pollution exists below clouds, as observed by satellites which normally have their air quality sensors blocked by the opaqueness of the clouds. The technique is based on comparing the number of droplets observed in a region which does not have particulates with one that does and then accounting for the difference. If applied and found successful, this would overcome one of the main difficulties in monitoring particulates near the ground from space.

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Soot’s Impact on Lungs

Experimental determination of deposition of diesel exhaust particles in the human respiratory tract(Abstract, Jenny Rissler, Erik Swietlicki, Agneta Bengtsson, Christoffer Boman, Joakim Pagels, Thomas Sandström, Anders Blomberg, Jakob Löndahl, Journal of Aerosol Science, June 2012)

Also discussed here: Half of Inhaled Soot Particles from Diesel Exhaust, Fires Gets Stuck in the Lungs (ScienceDaily. Jun. 27, 2012)

According to the research reviewed today, soot particles from diesel engines present a greater  heath hazard because there more small particles from this source are absorbed into the lungs,  compared to emissions from wood stoves and coal-driven power stations.  In addition, soot particles impact on climate change and reduction must accompany action to reduce greenhouse gases.

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Collecting and Distributing Air Quality Data in Europe in Near Real-Time

Map of the Member States of the European Union (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reporting and exchanging air quality information using e-Reporting (62 page pdf,  European Environment Agency,  EEA Technical report No 5/2012)

Also discussed here: EIONET – the Ambient Air Quality Portal

And here: EIONET- Reporting Obligations Database (ROD)

Today we review a report concerned with the more timely reporting, processing and distribution of air quality data in Europe via an E-Reporting system to come online on January 1, 2014. It makes a number of recommendations concerning data formats, standardized procedures and making the data more easily absorbed into air quality models. What is most interesting to this observer who comes from a country with the same challenges involved in different (provincial) jurisdictions where similar agreements and coordination is needed to ensure timely delivery of air quality information and warnings.

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Diesel Exhaust and Lung Cancer

The Diesel Exhaust in Miners Study: A Nested Case–Control Study of Lung Cancer and Diesel Exhaust (18 page pdf, Debra T. Silverman, Claudine M. Samanic, Jay H. Lubin, Aaron E. Blair, Patricia A. Stewart, Roel Vermeulen, Joseph B. Coble, Nathaniel Rothman, Patricia L. Schleiff, William D. Travis, Regina G. Ziegler, Sholom Wacholder and Michael D. Attfield,  Journal of the National Cancer Institute,  Mar.5, 2012)

Also discussed here: IARC: Diesel Engine Exhaust Carcinogenic (4 page pdf, World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Jun. 12, 2012)

And here: Diesel exhaust found to cause lung cancer (Carly Weeks , Globe and Mail, Jun. 12, 2012)

And here: Diesel fumes cause cancer (The Connexion, June 13, 2012)

And here: WHO: exhaust fumes more cancer causing than secondhand smoke ( Yukio Strachan, Digital Journal, Jun. 13, 2012)

Today we review a report from the WHO stating that there is “sufficient evidence” to link diesel exhaust directly to lung cancer and “limited evidence” to a link with bladder cancer which is stronger than earlier statements on health risk. The report goes on to recommend worldwide measures to reduce or eliminate exposure to diesel exhaust as a priority.

Main sites of metastases for some common cancer types. Primary cancers are denoted by “…cancer” and their main metastasis sites are denoted by “…metastases”. List of included entries and references is found on main image page in Commons: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Nanoparticles and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Citrullination of proteins: a common post-translational modification pathway induced by different nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo (15 page pdf, Bashir M Mohamed, Navin K Verma, Anthony M Davies, Aoife McGowan, Kieran Crosbie Staunton, Adriele Prina-Mello, Dermot Kelleher, Catherine H Botting, Corey P Causey, Paul R Thompson, Ger JM Pruijn, Elena R Kisin, Alexey V Tkach, Anna A Shvedova  & Yuri Volkov, Nanomedicine,  May 25, 2012)

Also discussed here: Nanoparticles in Polluted Air, Smoke & Nanotechnology Products Have Serious Impact On Health (ScienceDaily, Jun. 11, 2012)

Nanoparticles found in smoke, dust and in diesel  vehicle exhaust are known to have significant health impacts. Today we review research using animals that links the breakdown of the autoimmune system by nanoparticles which in turn may lead to rheumatoid arthritis .

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Childhood Asthma and Ambient Air Pollution

Satellite-based Estimates of Ambient Air Pollution and Global Variations in Childhood Asthma Prevalence (32 page pdf, H Ross Anderson, Barbara K. Butland, Aaron van Donkelaar, Michael Brauer, David P. Strachan, Tadd Clayton, Rita van Dingenen, Markus Amann, Bert Brunekreef, Aaron Cohen, Frank Dentener, Christopher Lai, Lok N. Lamsal, Randall V. Martin, ISAAC Phase One and Phase Three study groups, Environ Health Perspect , May 1, 2012)

Today we review research aimed at testing the hypothesis that variations in asthma world-wide can be explained by variations in long term ambient pollution at the community level (O3, PM2.5 and NO2) which was in turn estimated using satellite-derived estimates. Although short term variations appear to be linked, the results indicate no such link over the long term.

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Harvard Six Cities Study Update on Mortality from Exposure to Fine Particles

Chronic Exposure to Fine Particles and Mortality: An Extended Follow-Up of the Harvard Six Cities Study from 1974 to 2009 (31 page pdf, Johanna Lepeule, Francine Laden, Douglas Dockery, Joel Schwartz, Environ Health Perspect,  Mar. 28, 2012)

The research article of interest today is an update of the famous 1993 Six Cities Study (in the USA) that established links between long term exposure to fine PM and mortality. The newer research continued to showed a significant relationship between PM 2.5 and both lung and cardiovacular mortality, without any lower safe threshold and points to the public health benefits of further reductions in PM 2.5 levels.

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Characteristics and Components of Particulate Matter

Characterization of Fine Particulate Matter and Associations between Particulate Chemical Constituents and Mortality in Seoul, Korea (34 page pdf, Ji-Young Son, Jong-Tae Lee, Ki-Hyun Kim, Kweon Jung, Michelle L. Bell, Environ Health Perspect ,  Mar.22, 2012)

Today we review some leading edge research into the make-up of particulate pollution from the aspect of what associated chemicals are found with PM 2.5 and how do they affect their impact on human health. Results indicate higher concentrations of PM 2.5 in winter than summer when rain cleans the atmosphere and higher in late morning and evening because of vehicle emissions. Magnesium (Mg) was found to increase mortality rates at least in South Korea where the data were gathered.

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Slight Decreases in Air Quality and Higher Risk of Strokes

Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Acute Ischemic Stroke (Abstract, Gregory A. Wellenius, Mary R. Burger, Brent A. Coull, Joel Schwartz, Helen H. Suh, ScD; Petros Koutrakis, Gottfried Schlaug, Diane R. Gold, Murray A. Mittleman,  Arch Intern Med., Feb. 13, 2012)

Also discussed here: Even Moderate Air Pollution Can Raise Stroke Risks (Science Daily,Feb. 13, 2012)

Also here: Air pollution may increase stroke, heart attack risk (Anne Harding, CNN Health, Feb. 15, 2012)

Today, we review research that looked at the increased risk of short term exposure to slightly higher levels of air pollution (i.e. “moderate” compared to “good”), measured at hourly intervals. Results indicated that the onset of stroke occurs within 12-14 hours and that the most hazardous type of pollution (NO2 and PM2.5)comes from vehicles and traffic.

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Canadian Health Impacts to Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter

Risk of Non-accidental and Cardiovascular Mortality in Relation to Long-term Exposure to Low Concentrations of Fine Particulate Matter: A Canadian National-level Cohort Study (29 page pdf, Dan L. Crouse, Paul A. Peters, Aaron van Donkelaar,Mark S. Goldberg, Paul J.Villeneuve, Orly Brion, Saeeda Khan, Dominic Odwa Atari, Michael Jerrett, C. Arden Pope III, Michael Brauer, Jeffrey R. Brook, Randall V. Martin, David Stieb, Richard T. Burnett, Environ Health Perspect, Feb.7,  2012)

Today, we review a study that assesses the mortality health risk for native born Canadians from long term exposure to fine particulate matter which is higher in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto-Windsor corridor than elsewhere in the country. The authors concluded that there is a 31% increased risk of ischemic heart disease with an increase of 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, a higher increase in health risk than previously estimated (12-14%).

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Monitoring Air Pollution in Beijing, China

Beijing to put clean-air plan into action (He Dan, China Daily, Jan. 13, 2012)

Also discussed  here: Beijing releases key air pollution data (USA Today, Jan. 21, 2012)

And here: Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center (in Chinese)

And here: Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center (in English)

Today, the focus is on efforts by the municipal government in Beijing to both monitor and reduce local pollution sources, among which vehicle emissions are a major contributor like many other urban areas.  Beijing is a large city both in terms of population (19,612,368 in 2010) and area (16,801 km2) so that the 24 monitors to monitor PM10 and PM2.5 in future are about the same ratio one sees in Canada and the USA.  Even this is far from the monitor density needed to adequately estimate roadside emissions as, for example,  in the UK where  over 200 local authorities have declared over 500 Air Quality Management  Areas(AQMA).  Also noteworthy is the pledge to make public hourly air pollution in real time- another  indication of the seriousness taken of air pollution by governmental officials.

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Hamilton’s Air Pollution Hot Spots

Mobile Air Quality Monitoring to Determine Local Impacts  (39 page pdf, Denis Corr, Rotek Environmental Inc. July 2011)

Also discussed here: Unique study maps neighbourhood air pollution  (Hamilton Spectator, Jan. 20, 2012)

And here: A Public Health Assessment of Mortality and Hospital Admissions Attributable to Air Pollution in Hamilton  (3 page pdf, School of Geography and Geology and McMaster Institute of Environment and Health, 2011)

From the city of Hamilton, a leader among Canadian cities in the assessment of urban health, comes a report on a local neighbourhood air quality monitoring study. Results indicate almost 12% increased mortality risk as an average across the city for all pollutants, with the highest increased risk (+18%) near the 6 lane highway (403) that bisects the city. The breakdown of risk by pollutant may also be used to identify and reduce pollution sources.

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Reducing Emissions from Wood Burning Stoves

Wood-burning stoves – harmful or safe? (Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Jan. 16, 2012)

Also discussed here: Wood-Burning Stoves: Harmful or Safe? (Science Daily, Jan. 16, 2012)

And here: Guidebook Effective and environmentally friendly firing of firewood  ( 8 page pdf, Edvard Karlsvik, SINTEF Energy Research, Norway and Heikki Oravainen, VTT, Finland, EU-project Quality Wood,  )

As we reach the depth of winter’s cold in northern climates, today’s focus is on some timely research from Norway that examines the combustion conditions of wood burning stoves that affect emissions and the resulting health impacts.  Recommendations include using dry (not wet) wood and modern stoves that ensure complete combustion.

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The Better Air Quality at Beijing Olympics- government controls or lucky weather conditions?

 

 

Emission controls versus meteorological conditions in determining aerosol concentrations in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games (15 page pdf, Y. Gao, X. Liu, C. Zhao, and M. Zhang^, Atmos. Chem. Phys.,  Dec. 28, 2011)

 

Also discussed here: Weather Deserves Medal for Clean Air During 2008 Olympics (Science Daily, Dec. 28, 2011)

 

And here: Impact of Changes in Transportation and Commuting Behaviors During the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta on Air Quality and Childhood Asthma (9 page pdf,  Michael S. Friedman, Kenneth E. Powell, Lori Hutwagner, LeRoy M. Graham,W. Gerald Teague, Journal American Medical Association,  Feb. 21, 2001)

 

Credit for the surprisingly good air quality at the 2008 Beijing Olympics has been given to the Chinese government for various steps taken to reduce pollution sources, especially vehicle emissions, during and before the games- as they had been, with equally good health results, at the Atlanta, USA Games in 1996. A more detailed analysis of the added effect of meteorology, summarized in the article under review, shows that favourable winds and well-timed rainfall had at least as much to do with the  results. The lesson to be learned from this, especially for those cities with unhealthy air, with or without Olympic fever, is that major reductions in pollution and improvements in health are possible with enough government will to engage public support.

 

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Health Impact of Exposure to Particulate Matter in Beijing, China

Effects of Particulate Air Pollution on Blood Pressure in a Highly Exposed Population in Beijing, China: A repeated-measure study (32 page pdf, Andrea Baccarelli, Francesco Barretta, Chang Dou, Xiao Zhang, John P McCracken, Anaite Diaz, Pier Alberto Bertazzi, Joel Schwartz, Sheng Wang, Lifang Hou, Environmental Health, Dec. 21, 2011)

Today’s review article looks at the link between traffic-related particulate matter on the blood pressure of truck drivers, using both personal and ambient measurements. The ambient levels are as much as an order of magnitude greater in Beijing than in average American cities. Results indicate that the greatest impact in blood pressure occurs about a week after exposure rather than in one or a few days for those examined, noting that they already have higher than average blood  pressure levels due to diet, obesity and exercise (or lack)- perhaps indicating that PM pollution has its greatest impact on those already suffering from high blood pressure.

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Health Impacts from Road Dust and Coarse Particulates

Image via Wikipedia

Estimated Short-Term Effects of Coarse Particles on Daily Mortality in Stockholm, Sweden (27 page pdf, Kadri Meister, Christer Johansson, Bertil Forsberg, Environ Health Perspect, Dec. 19. 2011)

The focus today is on the short term health impacts from coarser particles that come from traffic and roads other than through emissions- an aspect not as well studied as the impacts from fine particles. For a number of reasons, both these types of particle and the health impacts from them  are highest in the winter and spring.

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Estimating Health Impacts on Major Streets Using Oxidative Potential of Particulates

Contrasts in Oxidative Potential and Other PM Characteristics Collected Near Major Streets and Background Locations (32 page pdf, Hanna Boogaard, Nicole A.H. Janssen, Paul H. Fischer, Gerard P.A. Kos, Ernie P. Weijers, Flemming R. Cassee, Saskia C. van der Zee, Jeroen J. de Hartog, Bert Brunekreef, Gerard Hoek, Environ Health Perspect, Oct. 20, 2011)

Today’s review article looks at how particulates near heavy traffic on major streets generates hydroxyl radicals and how this in turn may be a better measure of health impacts than simply monitoring PM 2.5 or PM 10. The results indicate the oxidative potential near heavy traffic was 4 to 6 times greater than in suburban locations.

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Particulate Hot-Spot Analyses

Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas (143 page pdf, Transportation and Regional Programs Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dec. 2010)

Today’s focus is on a guide to analyse PM hotspots in order to assess non-compliance with federal air quality standards for emissions from roads and highways in the USA.

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Scrubbing the Air with Trees- London’s BRIDGE Program

Estimating the removal of atmospheric particulate pollution by the urban tree canopy of London, under current and future environments (Abstract, Matthew Tallis,  Gail Taylor, Danielle Sinnett, Peter Freer-Smith, Landscape and Urban Planning, Sep. 1, 2011)

From London comes research on the capability of trees in an urban setting to remove PM10 from the air through accumulation of it on their leaves or needles. The article under review also presents a method to estimate how future implications of climate change on air pollution may be mitigated using urban tree growth. Previous research on the link between trees and pollution suggested that some trees when exposed to heavy pollution, particularly near heavy traffic, add volatile organic chemicals to the pollution.

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Cities of World Ranked by Exposure to Particulates

Database: outdoor air pollution in cities (World Health Organization – Public Health and Environment)

The focus today is on a list of cities in the world with the most and least pollution. Not surprisingly, those with the least pollution are small cities located some distance from industry in western Canada and USA and in southeast Australia, while the most polluted are in developing industrialized countries in Asia and Central America. The measure used for this comparison is particulate matter which comes from a number of sources in industry and from (diesel) vehicle emissions. IMHO, a better measure in cities afflicted with traffic air pollution might be nitrogen and carbon oxides (NO2 and CO2).

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Which Sources of Fine Particulates Have the Most Health Impacts?

Image via Wikipedia

The Effects of Particulate Matter Sources on Daily Mortality: A Case-Crossover Study of Barcelona, Spain (28 page pdf, Bart Ostro, Aurelio Tobias, Xavier Querol, Andrés Alastuey, Fulvio Amato, Jorge Pey, Noemí Pérez, Jordi Sunyer, Environ Health Perspect, Aug. 16, 2011)

The focus today is on the results of an investigation into eight sources of particulate matter as they impact human health and which ones have the greatest impact. As pointed out, previous research on this topic have been challenged on the second question because the sources tend to be cross-correlated on effect and hard to isolate. Despite this, the article points to sulphur particulates from traffic diesel fuel and minerals from brake wear and road dust as the main culprits.

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Traffic Air and Sound Pollution Impacts on Blood Pressure and Hypertension

Long-Term Urban Particulate Air Pollution, Traffic Noise and Arterial Blood Pressure (30 page pdf, Kateryna Fuks, Susanne Moebus, Sabine Hertel, Anja Viehmann, Michael Nonnemacher, Nico Dragano, Stefan Möhlenkamp, Hermann Jakobs, Christoph Kessler, Raimund Erbel, Barbara Hoffmann, |Environmental Health Perspectives, Aug. 9, 2011)

The focus today is on research into the impacts of long term exposure to emissions and noise from heavy traffic (greater than 22,000 vehicles/day) on blood pressure. The results point to a link  even when the increase in PM concentration is small, because even a small increase over the long term has large impacts in population health terms.

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What is the Better Indicator of Health Impacts from Particles- Black Carbon or PM?

Image via Wikipedia

Black carbon as an Additional Indicator of the Adverse Health Effects of Airborne Particles Compared to PM10 and PM2.5 (44 page pdf, Nicole AH Janssen, Gerard Hoek, Milena Simic-Lawson, Paul Fischer, Leendert van Bree, Harry ten Brink, Menno Keuken, Richard W Atkinson, H Ross Anderson, Bert Brunekreef, Flemming R Cassee, Environmental Health Perspectives, Aug. 2, 2011)

Particulate Matter (PM) has long been used as a basis for indicating health impacts from vehicle emissions. In the report reviewed today, another indicator, Black Carbon (BCP), was found to have a greater sensitivity to proximity to roads and on mortality and is being recommended as an additional pollutant standard.

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Diesel Exhaust Particulates and Heart Disease

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Combustion-derived nanoparticulate induces the adverse vascular effects of diesel exhaust inhalation (12 page pdf, Nicholas L. Mills, Mark R. Miller, Andrew J. Lucking, Jon Beveridge, Laura Flint, A. John F. Boere, Paul H. Fokkens, Nicholas A. Boon, Thomas Sandstrom, Anders Blomberg, Rodger Duffin, Ken Donaldson, PatrickW.F. Hadoke, Flemming R. Cassee, and David E. Newby. European Heart Journal Advance Access, Jul. 13, 2011)

Today’s review article explores the various gaseous and particulate components of exhaust from diesel motors in terms of vascular response and test various filters used to reduce health impacts.

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Comparing the Health Risks of Smoking and Air Pollution

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Lung Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Associated with Ambient Air Pollution and Cigarette Smoke: Shape of the Exposure-Response Relationships (31 page pdf, Pope CA III, Burnett RT, Turner MC, Cohen AJ, Krewski D, Jerrett M, et al, Environ Health Perspect, Jul. 19, 2011)
Today’s review article looks at how the health response of exposure to tobacco smoke and particulate matter compare in terms of the intensity and duration. The main finding is that projections or extrapolations of fatality risk from exposure to low levels can be underestimated while risks from higher levels may be overestimated, thus pointing to the need to monitor and develop public health policies for relatively low levels of ambient air pollution.

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Traffic Air Pollution and Health Impacts in Urban Italy

Urban air pollution and emergency room admissions for respiratory symptoms: a case–crossover study in Palermo, Italy (39 page pdf, Fabio Tramuto, Rosanna Cusimano, Giuseppe Cerame, Marcello Vultaggio, Giuseppe Calamusa , Carmelo M Maida and Francesco Vitale, Environmental Health 2011, 10:31, Apr.13, 2011)

 

Today’s review article takes us to Palermo, Italy which happens to have a good data base of 10 air pollution monitoring stations and the characteristic (seen only in a few large cities with little local industry, such as Ottawa in Canada) of pollution coming mainly from traffic- although it was acknowledged that some SO2 comes from vessels in its port. The conclusions point to high correlations between poor respiratory health and high levels of air pollution, particularly PM10.

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Triggering of Inflammation Response by Fine Particulate Matter

Image by AJC1 via Flickr

Dysfunction via NADPH Oxidase and TLR4 Pathways – Chronic Fine Particulate Matter Exposure Induces Systemic Vascular (29 page pdf, Qinghua Sun, Henning Morawietz and Sanjay Rajagopalan, Nitin P. Padture, Sampath Parthasarathy, Lung Chi Chen, Susan Moffatt-Bruce, Deiuliis, Xiaohua Xu, Nisharahmed Kherada, Robert D. Brook, Kongara M. Reddy, Thomas Kampfrath, Andrei Maiseyeu, Zhekang Ying, Zubair Shah, Jeffrey A., Circulation Research, Jan. 27, 2011)

 

Today’s review article discusses the way that fine particulate matter interacts with white blood cells (in mice) to cause widespread inflammation which in turn has impacts on the lungs and circulation.

To see Key Quotes and Links about this post, visit the new internet platform for Pollution Free Cities by clicking HERE

Impacts of Nano Particulates from Urban Traffic on the Brain

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Glutamatergic Neurons in Rodent Models Respond to Nanoscale Particulate Urban Air Pollutants In Vivo and In Vitro (31 page pdf, Todd E Morgan, David A Davis, Nahoko Iwata, Jeremy A Tanner, David Snyder, Zhi Ning, Winnie Kam, Yu-Tien Hsu, Jeremy W Winkler, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, Nicos A Petasis, Michel Baudry, Constantinos Sioutas, Caleb E Finch, Environmental Health Perspectives, Apr. 7, 2011)

 

Although today’s review article is highly technical and the result of experiments conducted on mice, the implications for the impact of nano-sized vehicle emissions on human brain development is clear. “The evident neurotoxicity of nPM suggests links between urban air pollution and brain health across the lifespan”. Two areas need further study: definition for nano particles within the Ultra Fine Particle (UFP) category of air quality standards and the accumulation of nPM in the brain over time.

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Proximity to Traffic Air Pollution and Birth Outcomes

Increased traffic exposure and negative birth outcomes: a prospective cohort in Australia (24 page pdf, Adrian G Barnett, Kathryn Plonka, W. Kim Seow, Lee-Ann Wilson and Craig Hansen, Environmental Health, Apr. 1, 2011)

 

Today’s focus is on a paper that assessed the impact of the proximity of pregnant women to traffic with the birth weight of their children. The paper concluded a clear association up to 400 m from busy roads and speculated that one cause might be the impact of particulate matter on the growing fetus.

To see Key Quotes and Links to relevant reports, visit the new internet platform for Pollution Free Cities by clicking HERE

Measuring Ultrafine Particle Emissions

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Challenges and Approaches for Developing Ultrafine Particle Emission Inventories for Motor Vehicle and Bus Fleets (21 page pdf, Diane U. Keogh and Darrell Sonntag, Atmosphere 2011, 2(2), 36-56, Mar. 24, 2011)

 

The research reviewed today looks at the factors that need to be considered when developing a system to collect and archive ultrafine particle data, taking into account both the characteristics of their emission and the potential health risks they pose for human health. Only one such inventory exists in the world – in Brisbane, Australia. As no air quality regulations exist for these particles and many cities depend on diesel buses for public transit, the requirement seems clear in order to begin to define and address this health threat.

To view Key Quotes and Links to relevant reports, go to the new internet platform for Pollution Free Cities by clicking HERE

Hockey, Indoor Rinks and Health Risks

Hidden Dangers at Indoor Ice Rinks (NBC 7 minute video)

 

Today’s review post comes thanks to the blog on “Effects of Air Pollution on Health” which highlighted the health risks faced by skaters in indoor rinks from fuel-powered resurfacing machines- known in Canada as Zambonis-  which emit CO2 and PM (as opposed to electric powered). The video is startling in showing how long dangerously high pollution levels persist in unventilated rinks.

To see Key Quotes and Links about this post, visit the new internet platform for Pollution Free Cities by clicking HERE

Diesel Emissions and Lung Damage

Road RAGE? The Role of Diesel Particulate Matter in Lung Inflammation (Betts KS, Environ Health Perspect 119, March 1, 2011)

 

The research reviewed today examines the components of diesel particulates found in environments close to truck and bus traffic that are particularly harmful to health through biological interactions in the lungs.

To read more about this post and see Key Quotes and relevant reports and links, visit the new internet platform for Pollution Free Cities HERE

Health Threats from Wood Smoke Particles

Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, and Inflammation Induced by Ambient Air and Wood Smoke Particulate Matter in Human A549 and THP-1 Cell Lines (Abstract, Chemical Research in Toxicology, Feb. 5, 2011)

Also discussed here:  Air Pollutants from Fireplaces and Wood-Burning Stoves Raise Health Concerns (Science Daily,  Feb. 5, 2011)

And here: Where there’s fire, there’s smoke (Pollution Free Cities, July 22, 2009)

And here: Health Risks from Burning Wood and Coal (Pollution Free Cities, Sep. 28, 2010)

Today’s journal review article is very timely for northern communities such as Ottawa or Montreal in Canada, where wood burning stoves and fireplaces are widely used. And yet as the article points out, the health impacts of the fine particulates in wood smoke are not as well reseached or recognized as the health threats from pollution from diesel trucks and buses.

Key Quotes:

“abundant scientific evidence linking inhalation of fine particles of air pollution — so-called “particulate matter” — from motor vehicle exhaust, coal-fired electric power plants, and certain other sources with heart disease, asthma, bronchitis and other health problems. However, relatively little information of that kind exists about the effects of wood smoke particulate matter (WSPM)”

“We assessed a wide spectrum of toxicity end points in human A549 lung epithelial and THP-1 monocytic cell lines comparing WSPM from high or low oxygen combustion and ambient PM collected in a village with many operating wood stoves and from a rural background area”

“the invisible particles inhaled into the lungs from wood smoke may have several adverse health effects”

“Airborne particles in the village and pure WSPM tended to be of the most potentially hazardous size — small enough to be inhaled into the deepest parts of the lungs”

“WSPM contained higher levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which include “probable” human carcinogens. When tested on cultures of human cells, WSPM also caused more damage to the genetic material, DNA; more inflammation; and had greater activity in turning on genes in ways linked to disease”

Related articles

• Beware! Your wood-burning stove may be harming your health (news.bioscholar.com)
• Air pollutants from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves raise health concerns (yubanet.com)
• Air pollutants from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves raise health concerns (eurekalert.org)
• Is It Unhealthy to Use a Wood Stove to Heat Your Home? (bizcovering.com)
• Research Exposes Fatal Risk of Wood-Burning Stoves (first4lawyers.com)
• Wood-burning stoves ‘can cause cancer and heart disease’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Wood-burning stoves ‘deadly as exhaust fumes’: Smoke can cause heart disease (dailymail.co.uk)
• Wood-burning stoves ‘can be as deadly as exhaust fumes’ by producing smoke that can cause heart disease (dailymail.co.uk)
• Counting Particles from Wood Stoves (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• “Wood-burning Stoves Can Cause Heart Disease” and related posts (topnews.us)
• Your Fireplace Could Give You Cancer (newser.com)

Traffic Pollution Impacts on Older Men

Image by SEDACMaps via Flickr

Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Cognitive Function in a Cohort of Older Men (31 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, Dec.20, 2010)

Also discussed here: Car Emissions Cloud the Mind (MedPage Today, Dec. 28, 2010)

And at podcast(MP3 file): HERE

The aging of society in many countries has also resulted in an increase in the number of sufferers from dementia and alzheimers disease. The journal article under review today confirms an association between particulate matter emitted by vehicles in traffic and cognitive thinking ability in older men, although the same association has already been shown with children and pets. This is yet another reason to limit exposure to traffic-related pollution and to limit or reduce traffic volume.

Key Quotes
“A doubling of exposure to black carbon — a marker for traffic pollution — was associated with a 30% greater chance of having a low score on a screening test for dementia”

“This is the first study to find an association between traffic-related air pollution and cognition in older men, and only the second to consider the relationship in older adults,”

“Children and dogs residing in a highly polluted city were also more likely to exhibit white matter hyperintensities in the prefrontal cortex than those residing in a city with lower levels”

“if traffic-related air pollution is causally related to cognitive impairment in older adults, implementation of interventions to reduce exposure, including establishment of more stringent emissions standards, would be expected to have substantial benefits,”

“They noted that traffic pollution could affect the central nervous system either directly or indirectly.”

Related articles

• Traffic-Related Air Pollution Impact on Brain Development (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Traffic, Pollution and Scales of Exposure (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Traffic, Air Pollution and Heart Disease in Vancouver (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Long Time Exposure to Traffic Pollution and COPD (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)

Mortality Impact from Particulates in the UK

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The Mortality Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution in the United Kingdom (108 page pdf, Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP), Dec. 21, 2010)

Also discussed here: EPUK calls for action to prevent air pollution deaths (Environmental Expert, Dec.21, 2010)

Key Quotes:

Questions addressed:

1) “What are the benefits expressed as an effect on mortality of a sustained reduction in annual average air pollution across the UK by a small fixed amount ?

Answer: A policy which aimed to reduce the annual average concentration of PM2.5 by 1 µg/m 3 would result in a saving of approximately 4 million life years or an increase in life expectancy of 20 days in people born in 2008.”

2) “If anthropogenic air pollution in 2008 were to be removed and pollution sustained at low non-anthropogenic levels, what would be the benefits in terms of effects on mortality?

Answer: The current (2008) burden of anthropogenic particulate matter air pollution is, with some simplifying assumptions, an effect on mortality in 2008 equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths in the UK at typical ages and an associated loss of total population life of 340,000 life-years. The burden can also be represented as a loss of life expectancy from birth of approximately six months.”

“PM2.5 is understood to be a ‘no safe threshold pollutant’ – it is harmful to health at any level in the air. The impacts of PM2.5 are particularly felt in out towns and cities, where concentrations of the pollutant are high and many people live close to busy roads”

“’This shocking new report is unequivocal about the massive impact that air pollution has on the health of the UK public. It is high time the issue was taken seriously – action to mitigate pollution must be prioritised immediately”

“In light of this new evidence, which suggests thousands of Londoners are dying premature deaths every year due to air pollution, the Mayor’s decision to scrap the Western Extension of the Congestion Charge and delay the implementation of Phase 3 of the London Low Emission Zone looks even more deplorable”

“We have concluded that in the unrealistic scenario where all human-made particulate air pollution (PM2.5 ) is removed, as a central estimate, 36.5 million life years could be saved across the UK population, including new births, over the next 106 years”

Related articles

• Traffic, Air Pollution and Heart Disease in Vancouver (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Polluted air linked to 29,000 early deaths a year (dailymail.co.uk)
• Air Pollution in the World’s Megacities (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Air pollution ‘shortens lives of 200,000 people’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• The 10 Cities With the World’s Worst Air (dailyfinance.com)

Counting Particles from Wood Stoves

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Tracking Down Particulates (Science Daily, Dec. 14, 2010)

For northern countries in winter and tropical countries year round, particulates released from the burning of wood as a fuel is a major pollution problem and contributes to the health impacts from particulate matter. The new probe described in the article under review today seems to provide a reliable way of monitoring particulates directly at source in the flue. This in turn suggests a potential way of regulating “low emission” wood stoves in the future.

Key Quotes:

“When pellets, logs or briquettes are burnt, fine dust particles that are hazardous to health are released into the atmosphere.”

“[in Germany]Wood use by private individuals has gone up by 60 to 80 per cent since the year 2000..fine dust particles reduce average life expectancy in Germany by approximately ten months.”

“To date there is no validated method for measuring the dust content in flue gases. The Bosch smoke count method used with oil-fired heating systems is not appropriate, as it looks primarily at soot particles, and soot is not the principal component of emissions from wood-fired combustion”

“we simply place a sampling probe developed by us in the stove flue. The probe draws off some of the flue gases, which are diluted with pre-treated air at the tip of the probe and then cooled in a conditioning unit. The conditioned flue gases are subsequently fed through two optoelectronic sensors which use different measuring techniques.. An algorithm combines the electrical signals from both these sensors to produce a definitive reading”

“This innovative technology provides heating engineers with a cost-effective tool for determining the precise concentration of particulate matter.”

Related articles

• Tracking down particulates (eurekalert.org)
• Tracking down particulates (physorg.com)
• What is Isokinetic Sampling ? (brighthub.com)
• Micro-Environmental Monitoring (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Clean Air Agency bans burning in wood stoves, fireplaces (theolympian.com)
• Climate Change Strategy to Curtail Short-lived Pollutants (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Change in weather brings end to burn ban (theolympian.com)
• Wood stoves bad for air and people’s lungs (timesunion.com)

Traffic Impacts on Health in Italian Cities

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Health Impact Assessment of Air Pollution in the Eight Major Italian Cities (65 page pdf, WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, 2002)

Key Quotes:

“these results confirm the findings from several investigations worldwide: in large cities of industrialized countries, a sizeable proportion of several adverse health effects, including mortality, is due to bad air quality”

“In Italy the characteristics of the monitoring stations are indicated by a law that defines four main types, based only on qualitative criteria:

• urban background station;
• high density population station;
• high traffic station;
• suburban photochemical”

“Each city has a different number of stations (ranging from 7 in Bologna and Palermo to 19 in Genoa)

“Among people older than 30, 4.7% of all deaths are attributable to PM10 concentrations in excess of 30 ug/m3. The attributable proportion of mortality range from 3.5% in Palermo to 5.7% in Turin”

“4.7% of mortality (95%CI: 1.7 – 7.5) is attributable to PM10 concentrations higher than 30 ug/m3. This proportion increases to 7.0% using 20 ug/m3 as reference. The numbers of yearly attributable deaths are 3,472 and 5,108 respectively”

“the estimates provided in this report rely on effects of PM only, in order to preclude double counting of health effects related to air pollution. As a result, it is likely that the total effect of air pollution is underestimated”

“The main source of PM10 in Italian cities is motor vehicle traffic, including diesels and two-stroke motorcycles”

“Health consequences of urban transport policies largely based on private motor vehicles are likely to be more severe, and that reducing emissions from motor vehicles (the main source of PM10 in cities of industrialized countries) would benefit the health of urban populations”

Related articles

• Traffic, Pollution and Scales of Exposure (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Trends in Traffic Congestion, Emissions and Health (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Modelling Air Quality in an Urban Canyon (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Air Pollution in the World’s Megacities (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Air pollution ‘shortens lives of 200,000 people’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• Health Impact Assessment: A Tool That Can Build A Healthier America (thehealthcareblog.com)

London’s Air Quality Strategy

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Clearing the air – The Mayor’s draft air quality strategy for public consultation (131 page pdf, Greater London Authority, March 2010)

Also discussed here: Air Quality (City of London)

And here: The Mayor’s backwards steps have left me with no confidence (MayorWatch, Nov. 26, 2010)

And here: London’s Cycle Superhighways (Pollution Free Cities, Oct. 14, 2010)

Key Quotes:

“In central London, 40 per cent of PM10 pollution is blown in from outside the capital. The vast majority of London is already compliant with targets for PM10, but there are a few locations in central London that are at risk of exceeding the targets in 2011 if further action is not taken”

“NO2, however, is a problem across much of inner London and around Heathrow Airport, and these areas, along with most urban areas in the UK, are exceeding targets for this pollutant.”

“The 2009 Londoner Survey1 found that pollution from traffic was one of the top environmental concerns for Londoners, second only to litter”

“around 4,300 deaths per year in London are partly caused by long term exposure to PM_2.5 (which is widely acknowledged as being the pollutant which has the greatest effect on human health)”

Some of the measures underway:

• Development of electric vehicle infrastructure
• Congestion charging and the London Low Emission Zone
• Smarter travel initiatives to encourage a shift to cleaner modes of transport
• Funding and supporting car clubs (especially hybrid and electric cars)
• Improving road maintenance (to reduce particles from road disintegration)
• Smoothing traffic
• Bus emissions programme..every new bus will be diesel-electric hybrid
• London Best Practice Guidance for controlling dust and emissions from construction.

“this Strategy focuses on interventions that will reduce concentrations of PM (PM₁₀ and the smaller fraction PM_2.5) and NO₂ in particular, although in most cases these interventions will result in reduced concentrations of the other five ‘local’ pollutants”

What more is needed:

• “Reducing emissions from transport: – Encouraging smarter choices and sustainable travel behaviour; Promoting technological change and cleaner vehicles; Reducing emissions from the public transport and public transport fleets; Using emissions control schemes to reduce emissions from private vehicles.
• Targeting air quality priority locations: Adopting local measures, including trialling new processes (such as the use of dust suppressants) ; Using action days and special measures to reduce the number and length of periods of high pollution.
• Reducing emissions from homes, business and industry; Promoting and delivering energy efficiency schemes; Using the planning system to reduce emissions from new developments; Updating and implementing best practice on construction and demolition.
• Increased awareness of air quality issues; Improving access to information about the health impacts of poor air quality;Targeting information about poor air quality to those most at risk”

Related articles

• First zero-emission bus just the ticket to help air quality (thisislondon.co.uk)
• UK first as innovative trial to reduce London’s air pollution gets under way (tfl.gov.uk)
• Road-spraying trial aims to improve London air quality (roadtransport.com)
• London’s dirty streets trial sticky solution (cnn.com)
• Wireless Roadside Air Quality Monitors (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• South London bottleneck eased with major improvements (london.gov.uk)

Traffic, Air Pollution and Heart Disease in Vancouver

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Long-Term Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Hospitalization and Mortality (39 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect., Nov. 16, 2010)

Key Quotes:

“To identify specific traffic-related air pollutants that are associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality to support evidence-based environmental policy making”

“used a high-resolution LUR model combined with residential histories to estimate individual exposure to traffic-related air pollutants including black carbon, PM2.5, NO2, and NO during the 5-year exposure period”

“Long-term exposure to traffic-related fine particulate air pollution, indicated by black carbon, may partly explain the observed associations between exposure to road traffic and adverse cardiovascular outcomes”

 

Related articles

• Impact of Air Pollution on Health (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• The 10 Cities With the World’s Worst Air (dailyfinance.com)
• Long Time Exposure to Traffic Pollution and COPD (pollutionfree.wordpress.com)
• Breast Cancer Linked to Traffic Pollution (doyourpart.com)
• 7 interesting findings of recent study on air pollution in US cities (iipalbanjary.net)
• Urban pollution found to raise blood pressure (truthonmedecine.wordpress.com)
• Air pollution ‘costs us 6 months of our lives’ (news.bioscholar.com)
• Air pollution exposure increases risk of severe COPD (sciencedaily.com)

Micro-Environmental Monitoring

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Monitoring of long-term personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (9 page pdf, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, Apr. 23, 2010)

Advances in air quality monitors:  accuracy, portability and allied technologies to locate the observations (GIS and GPS) have progressed to the point where it is possible to continuously monitor personal exposure to air pollution over significant time periods and short time intervals. In today’s review article, the results of such “micro-environmental” monitoring is analyzed with some surprises as to the impact of a few high intensity periods notably in association with wood-burning stoves or a smoking environment indoors or close to traffic outdoors.

Key Quotes:

“A battery-operated, fast-responding nephelometer [(DustTrakTSI model 8520) ]was worn by the individual for a period of 10 months, recording PM2.5 concentration every 5 min..Since no important industrial sources are present in Prague or in its close surroundings, traffic is considered the main source of PM in the urban and suburban region of this city”

“Of the total time monitored, 84.3% was spent indoors, 10.6% outdoors, and 5.1% in transit.”

“both the indoor and outdoor PM2.5 concentrations exhibited high variability and that the averages are affected by extremely high values, again in the indoor and, to a certain extent, also in the outdoor microenvironments.”

“We also recorded high concentrations and high exposures in indoor microenvironments with traditional stoves burning wood and coal. Peak PM2.5 events belong to the highest of all 5-min concentration intervals included in our dataset”

“The overall average of the year-long measurement was 14.9±52.5 µg.m−3 .. The highest PM2.5 average concentration was detected in restaurant microenvironments (294.4 µg.m−3),.The lowest mean aerosol concentrations were detected outdoors in a rural/natural environment (7.0 µg.m−3) and indoors at the monitored person’s home (9.3 µg.m−3).”

Advantages of personal monitoring:

1. “personal samplers are smaller, pollutant specific, more accurate, and able to run for longer time than previously;
2. sophisticated methods of surveying, such as GPS and GIS, allowing tracking of the movement of the target individual, are well-established and accessible;
3. an ever-increasing number of specific and sensitive biomarkers can be used together with new methods for their detection and analysis; and
4. comprehensive databases of human activity are available for use in epidemiological studies”

Related articles

• DEP Issues Report on Short-Term Air Quality Impacts from Marcellus Shale Operations in Southwest PA (prnewswire.com)
• Twittering Bad Air Particles in Beijing (time.com)
• N.B. needs stricter air quality monitoring rules (cbc.ca)
• NCBI ROFL: Churchgoing may be hazardous to your health. | Discoblog (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
• Keep Warm This Winter on Red Air Quality Days by Burning Wood with EPA Wood Stoves from Home and Hearth Outfitters (prweb.com)
• National Study Finds Strong Link Between Diabetes And Air Pollution (lockergnome.com)
• AppliedSensor Air Monitor Plugs Into USB Port to Help Consumers Identify Unhealthy Indoor Air; Distributor Evaluation Units Now Available (eon.businesswire.com)

Who has the Greatest Health Impacts from Particulate Matter?

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Particulate Matter Induced Health Effects: Who’s Susceptible? (43 page pdf, Environmental Health Perspectives, 20 Oct 2010)

Key Quotes:

“To identify populations potentially at greatest risk for particulate matter (PM)- related health effects by evaluating epidemiologic studies that examined various characteristics that may influence susceptibility”

“definition for the term ‘susceptible population’ as it relates to PM: Individual- and population-level characteristics that increase the risk of PM-related health effects in a population including, but not limited to: genetic background, birth outcomes (e.g., low birth weight, birth defects), race, sex, lifestage, lifestyle (e.g., smoking status, nutrition) preexisting disease, SES (e.g., educational attainment, reduced access to health care), and characteristics that may modify exposure to PM (e.g., time spent outdoors).”

“Children exposed to comparable levels of PM are more susceptible than adults due to greater: time spent outdoors, activity levels, minute volume per unit body weight and lung surface area leading to an increased dose, all of which could lead to adverse effects on their developing lungs”

“Older adults also represent a potentially susceptible population compared to children or younger adults due to the higher prevalence of preexisting cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, which may also confer susceptibility to PM.”

“A multicity study found upwards of 75% greater risk of hospitalization for cardiac diseases with PM10 exposure in individuals with diabetes compared to non-diabetics”

“Overall, the epidemiologic studies evaluated in this review, ..identified characteristics of populations that may lead to increased susceptibility to PM-related health effects. This includes lifestage, specifically children and older adults; preexisting cardiovascular (i.e., CAD) and respiratory (i.e., asthma) diseases; genetic polymorphisms; and low SES, as measured by educational attainment and income”

Related articles

• Study: ‘Safe’ Levels of Soot Linked to Diabetes (nytimes.com)
• Air pollution appears to foster diabetes (sciencenews.org)
• Polluted Air and Diabetes: A Link (green.blogs.nytimes.com)
• Particulate Air Pollution Strongly Linked With Increased Diabetes Prevalence in US Study (treehugger.com)
• NASA Maps Global Air Pollution (wired.com)
• “I want those workers to be as safe as those shrimp” – What we still don’t know about Deepwater Horizon response health impacts [The Pump Handle] (scienceblogs.com)
• Pollution Takes its Toll on the Heart (prweb.com)

Hazardous air pollutants- Highlights from EPA Workshop

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Estimating the Benefits of Reducing Hazardous Air Pollutants: Summary of 2009 Workshop and Future Considerations

(26 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect., Oct. 4, 2010)

Key Quotes:

“Challenges related specifically to benefits analysis for air toxics include uncertainties in emissions information, air quality and exposure modeling, effects estimation, and economic valuation, as well as distribution considerations”

Summary:

• “Emissions. EPA maintains an inventory of emissions for most of the 187 air toxics, although the data are less reliable than the inventory for the six criteria pollutants.
• Air quality and exposure modeling. Exposure assessment of average or cumulative exposures may miss significant acute exposures…NATA does not provide estimates of ingestion risks (which are important for certain air toxics like mercury and lead)

• Health and environmental effects estimation…characterizing the health effects of air toxics at ambient levels can be subject to a very high level of uncertainty and therefore more difficult for use in economic benefits assessments.
• Economic valuation…Currently benefits are estimated by aggregating reduced mortality risks to an expected number of “deaths avoided” which are then multiplied by an aggregate willingness-to-pay (WTP) figure called the “value of a statistical life” (VSL)
• Efficiency vs. Distributional Considerations…protecting the most exposed individuals rather than maximizing risk reduction over the entire exposed population may be the guiding objective”

Conclusions

• “A clear definition of the purpose(s) of HAPs benefits analysis to frame long-term research priorities is needed
• Grouping by emissions sources would address more closely the issue of hotspots or highly exposed populations
• accounting for the heterogeneity in temporal and spatial distribution, specifically for emissions and receptors (e.g., children and other vulnerable populations) is critical for benefits analysis.
• The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey work on exposure distributions could be used to inform both exposures and health endpoints
• Analytical methods to define and measure equity considerations should be better supported.
• critical need to improve dose-response estimations
• More research on surveillance and bio-monitoring is needed
• More support is needed for research on the use of predictive biomarkers of exposure and health effects would allow for an early measurement of the impact in reduction of air toxics”

Related articles

• New Clean Air Standards Coming from EPA (public-healthcare-issues.suite101.com)
• New Report Shows Electric Sector Able to Manage Tighter Environmental Standards (eon.businesswire.com)
• Bill Chameides: Energy Industry Verklempt Over EPA Regs (huffingtonpost.com)
• Texas Refuses to Accept EPA GHG Emissions Permitting Rules (environmentalleader.com)
• Trip Van Noppen: Still a long way for the Clean Air Act and the EPA to go (yubanet.com)
• EPA’s E15 waiver–even EPA knows it threaten the air we breathe (switchboard.nrdc.org)
• Deadly deception: How some industry lobbyists peddle deception to block clean air protections (grist.org)
• EPA Goes Easy on Pollution from Chrome Plating Facilities; Public Health Suffers (treehugger.com)

Health Risks of Living near Traffic

Urban planning could cut air-pollution woes (Environmental Research Web –news, July 22, 2010)

Also discussed here: Healthy Neighborhoods: Walkability and Air Pollution (8 page pdf, Environ Health Perpect 117(11), Nov. 2009)

And here: Traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma (14 powerpoint slides, AllerGen, Dec 16-18, 2009)

And here: Traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma (32 page pdf, AllerGen, Spring 2010)

Key Quotes:

“They’ve mapped people’s exposure to eight major pollutants – CO, NO, NO2, SO2, ozone, PM2.5, PM10 and black carbon – according to post code, and used medical records to analyse the link with health”

“results showed that “mums-to-be” who lived within 50 m of a major road were 26% more likely to have a low-birth-weight baby and had a greater chance of a premature birth, compared with women living more than 50 m from a major road”

“This then puts children at increased risk for a large number of health problems throughout their lives.. children living near busy highways were 13% more likely to develop asthma, 6% more likely to develop bronchiolitis and around 8% more likely to experience middle-ear infections.”

“We show that people who move away from high-traffic roads reduce their risk of cardiovascular-disease death compared with people who do not.. people who move from within 50 m of a major highway reduce their risk by 45%”

“Within cities, careful urban and transport planning, such as setting roads back from pavements, improving accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians, having dedicated truck routes and congestion charging can make an immense difference”

Related articles

• From the bums of babes: Clues to childhood illness (canada.com)
• Air pollution exposure increases risk of severe COPD (eurekalert.org)
• Traffic pollution may raise emphysema risk, study finds (nationalpost.com)
• Traffic Pollution Tied to Increased Emphysema Risk (nlm.nih.gov)
• Breast Cancer Linked to Traffic Pollution (doyourpart.com)
• Asthma and Pollution Increase The Suicide Rate (socyberty.com)
• Killer Air: Pollution Linked to Cardiac Arrest (health.change.org)
• Air pollution exposure increases risk of severe COPD (physorg.com)
• Breast cancer linked to traffic-related air pollution (theglobeandmail.com)
• Air pollution could increase breast cancer risk: study (news.nationalpost.com)
• Breast cancer, traffic pollution link examined in Montreal study (canada.com)