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December, 2011:

Air Pollution in Hong Kong and PRD-the state of science

Dec 19th, 2011
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Chak K. Chan
Division of Environment,
Department of Chemical Engineering, and
Institute for the Environment
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Clear Water Bay, HONG KONG1

Chak K. ChanDivision of Environment,Department of Chemical Engineering, andInstitute for the EnvironmentHong Kong University of Science and TechnologyClear Water Bay, HONG KONG

Download PDF : presentation_S7_Prof_Chak_K_Chan

UK admits breach of EU pollution laws

Dec 19th, 2011
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http://www.euractiv.com/climate-environment/uk-admits-breach-eu-pollution-laws-news-509785

With seven months to go before the London Olympics, the British government has admitted in court that it violated European Union air quality laws by missing deadlines to address high levels of urban pollution.

Lawyers for the UK environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, acknowledged the failure to meet the EU Air Quality Directive’s requirements in a complaint brought by the environmental advocacy group ClientEarth.

Alan Andrews, a ClientEarth lawyer in the case, accused the government of breaching the 1 January 2010 deadline for enacting air quality plans for London and 16 other cities. He said the pollution-reduction obligations under EU law would unlikely be met for at least another decade.

However, a High Court judge dismissed the case against the government at a hearing in London on 13 December, saying that it was up to the European Commission – not a national court – to take corrective action.

Although no resounding victory for environmentalists, the case is a potential bellwether for grass-roots conservation groups to challenge national governments that violate their EU obligations – a role played almost exclusively by the Commission itself.

“These cases are very rare and they shouldn’t be,” said Andrews.

“The problem is that governments are happy to willfully ignore these rules,” Andrews told EurActiv. “There is a myopic focus on climate change whilst air quality doesn’t even register.”

UK already under pressure

A spokesman for Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik said the EU executive already has already filed infringement proceedings against Britain for violating some air quality provisions and that London was granted an extension to update its pollution statistics.

But worries about air quality have grown in the lead-up to the 2012 London Olympics that begin in July, with some environmentalists warning of a repeat of the stifling smog that threatened the Beijing Games in 2008.

Those concerns were reinforced in a damning British Parliament Environmental Audit Committee report accusing the government of “putting thousands of lives at risk by trying to water down EU air quality rules”.

Both the parliamentary report and ClientEarth contend that chronic pollution and air quality problems in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow and other cities kill upwards of 30,000 people annually.

ClientEarth hailed its case before the High Court for leading the government to publicly admit its failures to comply with European law.

“We’re extremely pleased that our case has forced the government to admit that they are failing in their legal duty to protect the British people from the harmful effects of air pollution,” James Thornton, chief executive of ClientEarth, said in a statement.

The ClientEarth case, filed in July, dealt with Britain’s failure to produce plans that will bring nitrogen dioxide (NO2) within legal limits and to reduce particulate pollution, or PM10.

Next steps:

  • January to mid-2012: Consultation phase on revisions to the EU’s air quality directive.
  • Early 2013: Revised directive to European Parliament for consideration.
  • 2013: ‘Year of Air’ as declared by Environment Commissioner Janez Potočnik.

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EU adopts stricter air quality rules

Dec 19th, 2011
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http://www.euractiv.com/climate-environment/eu-adopts-stricter-air-quality-rules-news-219762

The EU Council of Ministers has endorsed a new directive setting binding EU-wide limits for fine particle emissions, which cause respiratory diseases thought to reduce European life expectancy by up to three years.

The new EU air quality directive was approved on 14 April 2008, following an agreement reached by the Council and the Parliament at the end of 2007. The directive sets EU-wide limits on fine particle emissions (PM2.5) for the first time ever.

These microscopic particles, emitted mainly by cars and trucks, pose health risks due to their ability to pass unfiltered through the nose and mouth, penetrating deep into human lungs and bloodstreams, where they can cause potentially fatal respiratory and/or pulmonary diseases.

“Air pollution is serious,” said EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas’s spokesperson Barbara Helfferich, adding that, according to studies, an average European lives eight months less as a result of fine particle matter in the air. “In more polluted areas of the EU, the figure goes up to 36 months,” she said on 14 April 2008.

Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said the directive’s adoption was “a decisive step in tackling a major cause of environmental and health problems”. He added that the new directive provides “ambitious but realistic standards for fine particle PM2.5 pollution” in the EU.

The directive obliges member states to reduce exposure to PM2.5 in urban areas by an average of 20% by 2020 based on 2010 levels, bringing the exposure levels below 20 micrograms/m3 by 2015. In other areas, the member states will need to respect the PM2.5 limit value set at 25 micrograms/m3 by as early as 2010 if possible – and at the latest by 2015.

In a statement annexed to the directive, the Commission announces a number of new legislative proposals it plans to put forward in 2008 for ever improved air quality. These include further reduction of the member states’ permitted national emissions of key pollutants, reduction of emissions associated with refuelling of petrol cars at service stations, and addressing the sulphur content of fuels, including marine fuels.

The Commission also notes that it is currently studying the feasibility of improving the eco-design and reducing the emissions of domestic boilers and water heaters as well as reducing the solvent content of paints, varnishes and vehicle refinishing products.

Study finds link between air pollution and increase in DNA damage

Dec 19th, 2011
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http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/research/data/122968-study-finds-link-between-air-pollution-and-increase-in-dna-damage.html

DNA damage can trigger cancer in later life

A study in the Czech Republic has found a link between exposure to certain air pollutants and an increase in DNA damage for people exposed to high levels of the pollution.

They found that breathing small quantities of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), called benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), caused an increase in the number of certain ‘biomarkers’ in DNA associated with a higher risk of diseases, including cancer.

Air pollution is a major problem around the world, particularly in urban areas. In attempt to control regional air pollution levels, the EU has introduced legal limits for exposure to a variety of different airborne pollutants. For B[a]P , the EU air quality standard is 1 nanogram per metre3 (ng/m3) as an annual average that has to be attained where possible throughout the EU.

To measure the risk of DNA damage and risk to health caused by exposure to chemicals, such as PAHs, researchers sometimes use ‘biomarkers’ – these are biological features that can provide an indicative picture of risk and disease.

Previous studies have suggested that ‘DNA adducts’ can be used as biomarkers to measure exposure to PAHs. These are, in effect, small molecules, such as PAHs, bound to the DNA. Similarly, ‘chromosomal aberrations’ – structural changes to a stretch of DNA – can be used as biomarkers to demonstrate the effect of some pollutants on DNA.

To test whether there was a possible link between exposure to PAHs and the frequency of DNA adducts and chromosomal aberrations, the researchers, supported by the EU EnviRisk and INTARESE projects, examined DNA from 950 police officers and bus drivers in Prague.

The participants, drawn from three separate studies conducted over a five-year period, all worked outdoors for more than eight hours a day. Each carried a device to measure their personal exposure to PAHs and DNA was extracted from the participants’ white blood cells.

The researchers also tested a new technique for identifying chromosomal aberrations called ‘fluorescence in-situ hybridisation’, or FISH, which is much more sensitive than previous techniques.

The results revealed, for the first time, a significant relationship between exposure to PAHs, the number of DNA adducts and the number of chromosomal aberrations detected using FISH. In particular, PAH levels and the occurrence of the two biomarkers were higher in winter than in summer.

In one of the studies, average personal exposure to B[a]P and PAHs in January was measured as 1.58 ng/m3 and 9.07 ng/m3, respectively. In June, this dropped to 0.18 ng/m3 and 1.92 ng/m3.

The number of B[a]P-like DNA adducts and chromosomal aberrations were correspondingly much higher in January than in June. In fact, the number of DNA adducts strongly mirrored exposure to PAHs in the past 30 days.

These findings are of concern because exposure to more than 1 ng/m3 of B[a]P has been found to put people at higher risk of developing cancer later in life.

Previous studies have shown that DNA adducts can be an indicator for cancer several years after exposure and the findings of this study indicate that DNA adduct biomarkers and chromosomal aberrations measured using FISH could help health authorities identify individuals at higher risk of disease.

Lethal fine particulate matter emissions need urgent regulation – not prevarication

Dec 19th, 2011
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Download CTA letter to Legco Members : CTAPM2.5news

PM2 5 Allstns (2011) Middleton (2)

The characteristics of PM2.5 in Beijing, China

Dec 19th, 2011
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Abstract
Weekly PM2.5 samples were simultaneously collected at a residential (Tsinghua University) and a downtown
(Chegongzhuang) site in Beijing from July 1999 through September 2000. The ambient mass concentration and
chemical composition of the PM2.5 were determined. Analyses included elemental composition, water-soluble ions, and
organic and elemental carbon. Weekly PM2.5 mass concentrations ranged from 37 to 357 mg/m3, with little difference
found between the two sites. Seasonal variation of PM2.5 concentrations was significant, with the highest concentration
in the winter and the lowest in the summer. Spring dust storms had a strong impact on the PM2.5. Overall, organic
carbon was the most abundant species, constituting no less than 30% of the total PM2.5 mass at both sites.
Concentrations of organic and elemental carbon were 35% and 16% higher at Tsinghua University than at
Chegongzhuang. Ammonium, nitrate and sulfate were comparable at the sites, accounting for 25–30% of the PM2.5
mass. r 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

AbstractWeekly PM2.5 samples were simultaneously collected at a residential (Tsinghua University) and a downtown(Chegongzhuang) site in Beijing from July 1999 through September 2000. The ambient mass concentration andchemical composition of the PM2.5 were determined. Analyses included elemental composition, water-soluble ions, andorganic and elemental carbon. Weekly PM2.5 mass concentrations ranged from 37 to 357 mg/m3, with little differencefound between the two sites. Seasonal variation of PM2.5 concentrations was significant, with the highest concentrationin the winter and the lowest in the summer. Spring dust storms had a strong impact on the PM2.5. Overall, organiccarbon was the most abundant species, constituting no less than 30% of the total PM2.5 mass at both sites.Concentrations of organic and elemental carbon were 35% and 16% higher at Tsinghua University than atChegongzhuang. Ammonium, nitrate and sulfate were comparable at the sites, accounting for 25–30% of the PM2.5mass. r 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

download PDF : He 2001 PM25 in Beijing

Residents cry foul at city’s blue skies boast

Dec 19th, 2011
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South China Morning Post – 19 Dec. 2011

Microbloggers liken Beijing authorities’ claims of decreasing air pollution to an April fool’s day joke

Beijing’s environmental authorities said yesterday that air quality in the capital city in 2011 was better than during the Olympics year of 2008, and that they had already met their target of “blue sky” days for this year, despite growing public concern that officials are covering up worsening problems of air pollution.

“Beijing has seen an overall decline in the concentration of various pollutants in 2011,” said Zhuang Zhidong, the deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

The city had 274 days of “grade one or two” air quality, according to a statement posted on the Beijing government’s official news portal yesterday. China uses a five-grade classification system to rate its air quality, with one being the best and five the worst. Days graded one or two are considered “blue sky days”.

Overall air quality in Beijing was better than last year, and there were 22 more days of grade-one air quality than were recorded in 2010, and 11 more than in 2008, when Beijing hosted the Olympics, Zhuang said.

Zhuang admitted that the capital also saw “several days of poor air quality as a result of bad weather conditions”. Factors such as weaker winds and a rise in humidity can raise the presence of atmospheric pollutants, according to the bureau.

The environment ministry is under pressure to change the way it measures air quality after thick smog blanketed Beijing earlier this month, forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights and triggering a surge in sales of face masks.

Public anger over heavy pollution has been compounded by official data showing air quality is good, or only slightly polluted, on days with obvious heavy smog that the US embassy rated as “very unhealthy”.

Beijing authorities use a method known as PM10, focusing on larger air particles. The bureau said that PM10, or particulate matter under 10 micrometres, decreased to 114 micrograms per cubic metre this year, the lowest in four years.

But there have been growing public calls for the government to adopt the tighter PM2.5 standard, which measures much smaller particles that are considered more hazardous to people’s health as they penetrate deeper into the lungs.

CCTV anchorwoman Zhang Quanling posted on Sina weibo, a popular microblog site, that it was “ridiculous” that [the Beijing environmental authorities] never changed their measurements on air pollution. “They’re indulged in self-praise,” she wrote.

Many internet users expressed doubt or anger over the authorities’ assessment of the city’s air quality.

The Beijing environmental bureau deserves to be described as “shameless’, said one weibo user.  Another post read: “A rubbish government without any credibility.”

“Is today April Fool’s Day?” asked another weibo user. “I suggest that Beijing’s environmental authorities wear sunglasses with a blue lens, so that every day is a blue sky day!”

fiona.tam@scmp.com

Fine particle health risks calculated for roughly city size areas in California

Dec 17th, 2011
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Dec. 9, 2011

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/12/fine-particle-health-risks-calculated.html

Three new studies released today by the California Air Resources Board reveal that exposure to airborne fine-particulate matter significantly elevates the risk for premature deaths from heart disease in older adults and elevates incidence of strokes among post-menopausal women. Heart disease is the number one killer in California and is responsible for approximately 35% of annual deaths.

“We’ve long known particulate matter is a major component of California’s air pollution problem,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. “These new studies underscore the need to eliminate the threat from California’s air.”

Particulate matter is a complex blend of substances ranging from dry solid fragments, solid-core fragments with liquid coatings, and small droplets of liquid. These particles vary in shape, size and chemical composition, and can contain metals, soot, nitrates, sulfates and very fine dust. One source of particulate matter, including PM2.5 or fine-particulate –matter, is exhaust from vehicles, especially from diesel engines. PM 2.5 is particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter – a human hair is about 60 microns in diameter.
Michael Jerrett, Ph.D., of the University of California, Berkeley, found that exposure to fine particulate matter significantly elevated the risks for premature death from heart disease. The most frequent cause of death associated with PM2.5 in this study was ischemic heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks and heart failure. The findings of this study are based on the California participants in a large study sponsored by the American Cancer Society, which tracked 76,000 adults from 1982 to 2000.

In another study, Michael Lipsett, M.D., of the California Department of Public Health, led a team that examined the effects of chronic air pollution exposure on heart disease in women. The project tracked over 100,000 current and former female public school teachers and administrators in California. Like the University of California, Berkeley study, Dr. Lipsett found that exposure to PM2.5 elevated the risks for premature mortality from ischemic heart disease. In addition, this study found an increased risk of stroke among women who had never had one before, particularly among those who were post-menopausal.

These two studies demonstrate a relationship between long-term PM2.5 exposure and cardiovascular effects, such as heart attacks and strokes.

The third study, by Fern Tablin, V.M.D., Ph.D., and Dennis Wilson, D.V.M., Ph.D., of the University of California, Davis, investigated how inhaled PM2.5 could contribute to heart attacks and strokes. A common cause of heart attacks and strokes is development of clots in the blood stream. One suggested explanation is that PM2.5 exposure activates platelets, the key cells involved in blood clotting, so that they form clots and then trigger heart attacks and strokes. Drs. Tablin and Wilson examined the platelets of mice exposed to PM2.5 from the San Joaquin Valley Air Basin, and found that mice exposed to fine particulate matter showed platelet activation in both winter and summer, which could promote clotting and lead to stroke and heart attacks.

These new studies add to the existing scientific literature indicating that microscopic airborne particles pose a threat to public health. California Air Resources Board calculations of combined cardiovascular and respiratory (i.e., cardiopulmonary) deaths associated with PM2.5 exposure are based on the results of the national American Cancer Society study. Annually, 7,300 to 11,000 premature cardiopulmonary deaths in California are estimated to be associated with exposures to fine particulate matter.
Estimate of Premature Deaths Associated with Fine Particle Pollution (PM2.5) in California Using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Methodology (39 pages)

The U.S. EPA’s reports were peer reviewed in a public process by the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Particulate Matter Review Panel, an
independent peer review body of national scientists.

There are a large number of published health studies that estimate the
additional risk of mortality due to long-term exposure to PM2.5. U.S. EPA’s new
quantitative health risk assessment for particulate matter uses a 2009 study
(Krewski et al., 2009) for the core analysis. This study is an extension of a 2002
study (Pope et al., 2002) used in the previous PM2.5 NAAQS risk assessment.
This report estimates premature death from PM2.5 in California based on the
2009 Krewski study.

Using U.S. EPA’s methodology, the estimated number of annual PM2.5-related
premature deaths in California is 9,200 with an uncertainty range of 7,300 –
11,000. This estimate of premature deaths is based on the latest exposure
period in the 2009 Krewski study with data from 116 U.S. cities and about
500,000 people.


The results of the national scale assessment are shown above. In U.S. EPA’s table the bolded figures indicate the estimate that corresponds with the lowest measured level in the epidemiological study. The bolded estimates in the Krewski et al. (2009) column were calculated using the same risk coefficients as the urban case study. U.S. EPA indicates a greater emphasis is placed on the results calculated using the lowest measured level reported in the epidemiological studies. The estimated total PM2.5-related premature mortality ranges from 63,000 – 80,000 for the two time periods in the Krewski et al. (2009) study to the lowest measured level of 5.8 μg/m3. For the Laden et al. (2006) study the estimate is 88,000 with a lowest measured level of 10 μg/m3. The 90% percent confidence intervals are shown in each case. The U.S. EPA national assessment is based on 2005 PM2.5 levels. This report provides a California estimate based on air quality data from the years 2006-2008.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qA5WCBWiRcY/TuJDd9LTEnI/AAAAAAAAOFg/ac55XPKTzhI/s400/particlehealthrisk.png

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vj9YND5nK6g/TuJEXDeZ4II/AAAAAAAAOFo/WgtAcO3-yZI/s640/particlehealthrisk2.png

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc5ne3GsXcs/TuJFAI0nXjI/AAAAAAAAOFw/4DFeSV0-0us/s400/particlehealthrisk3.png

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6p5wbNGreWk/TuJF0jTnQzI/AAAAAAAAOF4/2GxUT0ry0q4/s640/particlehealthrisk4.png
Links to the studies:

Michael Jerrett: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/single-project.php?row_id=64805
Michael Lipsett: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/single-project.php?row_id=64806
Fern Tablin: http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/single-project.php?row_id=64824

Xiamen to extend monitoring areas of PM2.5 to the whole city in 2012

Dec 17th, 2011
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http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news22714.html

The grey smog that blanketed most cities in the north and south China in the past few days has brought the PM2.5 to the spotlight, which is mainly to be blamed for the fog that not only disrupted traffic, but also decreased air quality.

PM 2.5, or particulate matter under 2.5 micrometers in size, refers to the fine airborne particles that are considered extremely hazardous to people’s health as they go deeper into the lungs than the larger particles that exist in the air.

But, China currently uses PM10, or particular matter under 10 micrometers, to measure air quality.

Despite the fact that many cities in China now do not monitor PM 2.5, Xiamen, however, has started keeping track of PM 2.5 since 2010, said Xiamen Environmental Monitoring Central Station.

“At present, two of the 4 state-controlled environment & air monitoring stations in Xiamen has already started monitoring PM2.5 in real time, and another eight automatic air monitoring stations will join the monitoring of PM2.5 next year. By then, Xiamen will cover the monitoring of PM2.5 to the whole city.” said Zhuang Mazhan, chief engineer of the Xiamen Environmental Monitoring Central Station.

But the monitoring data is now only used for scientific research and will not be made available to the public until introduction of new national standards.

Click to read Chinese version

SOURCE: WOXnews.com

EPA sets air quality rules

Dec 17th, 2011
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http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/print/2011/12/15/2003520788

TIGHT CONTROL:：The new standards for air quality are the strictest in the world and aim to reduce the amount of small particle pollution that causes heart and lung disease

By Lee I-chia / Staff Reporter

Thu, Dec 15, 2011 – Page 2

The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday announced the strictest standards in the world for fine particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), which will be included in the nation’s evaluation of air quality.

The EPA said the permitted amount of particles smaller than PM2.5 will be limited to a yearly average of 15 micrograms per cubic meterand a daily average of 35 micrograms per m3, through a two-phase implementation of the new regulations.

PM2.5 — known for its health risks — will be tightly controlled under the stricter regulations, the EPA said.

“Taiwan will be only the third country in the world to adopt these air quality control measures,” said Hsieh Yein-rui (謝燕儒), director-general of the EPA’s Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control.

Cheng Tsun-jen (鄭尊仁), a professor at National Taiwan University’s Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, said studies have shown that PM2.5 pollution can cause health problems such as heart or respiratory diseases.

Chang Ken-Hui (張艮輝), a professor at the Department of Safety Health and Environmental Engineering at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, said the sources and effects of PM2.5 were complicated, with the effects often originating from long-range transport of air pollutants from abroad.

Chang also suggested that a more aggressive approach is needed in terms of dealing with China, because as much as 37 percent of the PM2.5 recorded in Taiwan is borne on the wind across the Taiwan Strait.

Additional reporting by CNA

Published on Taipei Times :

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/12/15/2003520788

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