Top doctors' prescription for feverish planet: Cut out coal

 

Mon, 06/22/2015 - 8:04pm Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer, Associated Press   FILE- In this April 3, 2014, file photo, giant machines dig for brown coal at the open-cast mining Garzweiler near the city of Grevenbroich, western Germany. A global health commission organized by the prestigious British medical journal Lancet recommended in a report published Monday, June 22, 2015, substituting cleaner energy worldwide for coal will reduce air pollution and give Earth a better chance at avoiding dangerous climate change. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — Some top international doctors and public health experts have issued an urgent prescription for a feverish planet Earth: Get off coal as soon as possible. Substituting cleaner energy worldwide for coal will reduce air pollution and give Earth a better chance at avoiding dangerous climate change, recommended a global health commission organized by the prestigious British medical journal Lancet. The panel said hundreds of thousands of lives each year are at stake and global warming "threatens to undermine the last half century of gains in development and global health." It's like a cigarette smoker with lung problems: Doctors can treat the disease, but the first thing that has to be done is to get the patient to stop smoking, or in this case get off coal in the next five years, commission officials said in interviews. "The prescription for patient Earth is that we've got a limited amount of time to fix things," said commission co-chairman Dr. Anthony Costello, a pediatrician and director of the Global Health Institute at the University College of London. "We've got a real challenge particularly with carbon pollution." He called it a "medical emergency" that could eventually dwarf the deadly toll of HIV in the 1980s. He and others said burning coal does more than warm the Earth, but causes even more deaths from other types of air pollution that hurt people's breathing and hearts. Unlike its earlier report in 2009, which laid out the health problems of climate change, this report was more about what can be done to improve the planet's health. It calls for cutting air pollution, more walking and cycling and less driving, better urban design, putting a price on the cost of each ton of carbon being used, improved health care planning for extreme weather and every two year check-ups on how the world is doing to get healthier. "Virtually everything that you want to do to tackle climate change has health benefits," Costello said. "We're going to cut heart attacks, strokes, diabetes." The Lancet commission report came out days after an impassioned plea to fight global warming by Pope Francis and hours after the President Barack Obama's administration issued a report emphasizing the costs of inaction on climate change and the benefits of doing something now. The Obama administration said if nothing is done, at the turn of the next century about 57,000 Americans will die each year from polluted air and at least another 12,000 yearly from extreme temperatures. "Obama is not a doctor; people trust doctors more," Costello said. In a companion posting in Lancet, World Health Organization director general Margaret Chan also compares fighting climate change to fighting smoking and saving lives. Both Chan and the Lancet commission quote WHO studies that say by 2030 climate change would "be likely to cause about 250,000 additional deaths per year" around the world. Poverty is the main problem and burning coal to produce electricity helps fight that, said National Mining Association spokesman Luke Popovich. He said, "it makes far more sense to support the technologies that make coal cleaner to use than to support policies that would deny its use to those who rightfully want the comforts of civilization." But Harvard School of Public Health epidemiologist Joel Schwartz called the Lancet study's coal phase-out "a reasonable prescription for planet Earth. Burning coal has terrible health effects, is bad for global warming and it is destructive of the ecosystem."

Stopping at red lights exposes drivers to high levels of air pollution

February 12, 2015 University of Surrey UK commuters spend an average of about 1.5 hours a day at the wheel. Road vehicles in particular are known to emit polluting nanoparticles which contribute to respiratory and heart diseases. Now, researchers at the University of Surrey have found that where drivers spend just 2% of their journey time passing through traffic intersections managed by lights, this short duration contributes to about 25% of total exposure to these harmful particles. The team monitored drivers' exposure to air pollutants at various points of a journey. Signalised traffic intersections were found to be high pollution hot-spots due to the frequent changes in driving conditions. With drivers decelerating and stopping at lights, then revving up to move quickly when lights go green, peak particle concentration was found to be 29 times higher than that during free flowing traffic conditions. As well as concentration, researchers found that as cars tend to be close together at lights, the likelihood of exposure to vehicle emissions is also significantly increased. "Air pollution was recently placed in the top ten health risks faced by human beings globally, with the World Health Organization linking air pollution to seven million premature deaths every year," said lead author, Dr Prashant Kumar, from the University of Surrey. "Our time spent travelling in cars has remain fairly constant during the past decade despite the efforts to reduce it and with more cars than ever joining the roads, we are being exposed to increasing levels of air pollution as we undertake our daily commutes." "It's not always possible to change your route to avoid these intersections, but drivers should be aware of the increased risks at busy lights. The best ways to limit your exposure is to keep vehicle windows shut, fans off and try to increase the distance between you and the car in front where possible. Pedestrians regularly crossing such routes should consider whether there might be other paths less dependent on traffic light crossings. Local transport agencies could also help by synchronising traffic signals to reduce waiting time and consider alternative traffic management systems such as flyovers." Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by University of Surrey. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Anju Goel, Prashant Kumar. Characterisation of nanoparticle emissions and exposure at traffic intersections through fast–response mobile and sequential measurements. Atmospheric Environment, 2015; DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2015.02.002

Air Pollution Down Thanks to California’s Regulation of Diesel Trucks

 

Berkeley Lab air quality scientists measure truck emissions at Port of Oakland and Caldecott Tunnel. Feature Story Julie Chao (510) 486-6491 • December 11, 2014 Chelsea Preble, Rob Harley, and Tom Kirchstetter will be presenting new results from their research on Dec. 17 at the 2014 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco (Moscone South, 1:40 to 6 pm). Ever wonder what’s in the black cloud that emits from some semi trucks that you pass on the freeway? Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) scientist Thomas Kirchstetter knows very precisely what’s in there, having conducted detailed measurements of thousands of heavy-duty trucks over months at a time at two San Francisco Bay Area locations. With a specially outfitted research van equipped with sophisticated monitors for several pollutant types, he and his team are studying emissions levels from diesel trucks to understand and analyze the impact of new control technologies and California air pollution regulations. “We’re measuring a range of pollutants relevant to public health and the environment,” said Kirchstetter, an air quality scientist who also serves as an adjunct professor in UC Berkeley’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “Heavy-duty diesel trucks are major sources of nitrogen oxides, which are a precursor to the formation of ozone and particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere, and of black carbon PM, which, according to climate scientists, contributes to global warming and regional changes in climate, such as precipitation and snow melting.” Outdoor air pollution is linked to 100,000 premature deaths per year in the United States, according to published studies. While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set emissions standards for new engines, most trucks and buses run for several decades, so the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has sought to accelerate emissions reductions with aggressive new regulations in recent years. As a result growing numbers of heavy-duty diesel trucks in California are using two control technologies, a diesel particle filter, which removes most particulate matter, and selective catalytic reduction, which targets emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). The good news is that these regulations are having their intended effect, Kirchstetter and his collaborators, Rob Harley, professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Berkeley, and Phil Martien of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), have found. “At the Port of Oakland, we measured dramatic reductions of nitrogen oxides and black carbon PM, indicating a large degree of success which should translate into local improvements in air quality, especially as more trucks on the road use these technologies,” he said. Between 2009 and 2013, the fraction of trucks at the Port of Oakland equipped with a diesel particle filter increased from 2 to 99 percent, and the median engine age fell from 11 to 6 years. During the same period, the emission factor (or average emission rate) decreased by 76 percent for black carbon and by 53 percent for NOx. The researchers monitored drayage (short distance) trucks at the Port of Oakland in 2009, before a new emissions rule was implemented, in 2011 during the rule’s phase-in, and in 2013, after the rule was implemented. View passing trucks at the Port of Oakland overlaid with real-time measurements of four pollutants in the truck exhaust. California’s program of accelerated vehicle emissions reductions is especially important because fuel consumption is rising, and diesel fuel consumption is growing at an even faster rate than that of gasoline. “These new control technologies on trucks improve air quality despite increases in vehicle miles traveled and fuel consumption,” said Kirchstetter, who has been studying air pollutant emissions and controls in the transport sector for more than 20 years. The technologies come with some trade-offs that the research team is investigating. Selective catalytic reduction can cause some trucks to have increased emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. With diesel particle filters, the catalytic oxidation process leads to increased tailpipe emission of nitrogen dioxide, NO2, which is a toxic air contaminant and is involved in the formation of ozone. While these were known side effects, the research team is measuring the amounts of these increases. This summer Kirchstetter brought his research van to the Caldecott Tunnel, which connects Oakland to Contra Costa County, to measure emissions from a larger sampling of heavy-duty trucks. On a sunny weekday morning graduate student Chelsea Preble and undergraduate Troy Cados are in the van, having arrived at 6 a.m. to tune the instruments and catch the morning rush hour. The equipment includes an air sampler hanging directly above the right lane, a video camera that records the truck and its license plate as it passes under the sampling location, and state-of-the-art monitors to capture several species of pollutants. “Our measurements are very fast. We measure concentrations at a rate of one or two times a second, which is near real-time,” Preble said. “That allows us to link the emissions profile to the attributes of each passing truck, which we get from its license plate. So our methodology allows us to understand emissions changes associated with technologies.” The team plans to return to the Caldecott next summer and again in 2017 when nearly all heavy-duty trucks will have diesel particle filters installed. CARB’s Truck and Bus Regulation applies to approximately 1 million trucks and buses operating statewide. “Our study is an important verification of the impacts of California’s air quality regulations,” Kirchstetter said. “California tends to lead the way in air quality. The technologies we’re evaluating will eventually dominate truck fleets nationwide, so the significance of our study extends far beyond California and perhaps the USA.”  The research was supported by the California Air Resources Board and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory addresses the world’s most urgent scientific challenges by advancing sustainable energy, protecting human health, creating new materials, and revealing the origin and fate of the universe. Founded in 1931, Berkeley Lab’s scientific expertise has been recognized with 13 Nobel prizes. The University of California manages Berkeley Lab for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. For more, visit www.lbl.gov. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov. source: www.lbl.gov

Smoke signals: New evidence links air pollution to congenital defects

 

The health effects of air pollution are a major concern for urban populations all over the world. Children, the elderly, and people with impaired respiratory systems (such as asthmatics) tend to be especially sensitive to the impact of exposure to ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, and particulate matter. A recent study by Tel Aviv University researchers provides new evidence linking high exposure to air pollution to an increased risk of congenital malformations. The research, published in Environmental Research, was led by Prof. Liat Lerner-Geva of TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and School of Public Health and the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Dr. Adel Farhi of the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, in collaboration with Prof. Itzhak Benenson of TAU's Department of Geography and Human Environment and Prof. Yinon Rudich of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The nationwide study is the first to assess the association between different modes of conception-assisted reproductive technology (ART) versus spontaneous conception (SC) -- and the risks of exposure to air pollution to each. "Our results suggest that exposure to higher levels of air pollution during pregnancy is associated with various adverse pregnancy outcomes," said Prof. Lerner-Geva. "While our study mainly followed SC infants, we also had the opportunity to assess a small sample of pregnancies that were conceived through ART, and observed a higher impact of air pollution -- particularly with regard to ozone exposure. This is clearly a uniquely susceptible population that should be further explored." Statistics link pollution to defects For the study, funded by the Environmental Health Fund (EHF), the research team analyzed data on 216,730 born in Israel between 1997 and 2004. Air pollution data, including levels of sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and ozone (O3), were obtained from air monitoring stations for the study period. Using a geographic information system, exposure to air pollution during both the first trimester and the entire pregnancy was assessed for each woman according to her place of residence. The researchers found that exposure to PM10 and NOX pollutants throughout full-term pregnancies were associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations, with specific defects evident in the circulatory system (from PM10 and NOX exposure) and genital organs (from NOX exposure). They also discovered that exposure to SO2 and O3 in ART pregnancies were associated, although not significantly, with a higher risk of congenital defects. "Considering the worldwide decline in fertility, and the increasing number of children born through ART treatments, our findings about their increased risk of congenital malformations are very relevant," said Prof. Lerner-Geva. "It is essential we continue to evaluate this unique population." According to Prof. Lerner-Geva, a national ART registry has been established in Israel to provide important data on all ART cycles. This database will serve as a basis for a future larger study to identify susceptible subpopulations at higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Prof. Lerner-Geva is currently engaged in a more detailed assessment of environmental exposure during pregnancy. Story Source: The above story is based on materials provided by American Friends of Tel Aviv University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Adel Farhi, Valentina Boyko, Jonatan Almagor, Itzhak Benenson, Enrico Segre, Yinon Rudich, Eli Stern, Liat Lerner-Geva. The possible association between exposure to air pollution and the risk for congenital malformations. Environmental Research, 2014; 135: 173 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.08.024

Air pollution harmful to young brains, study finds

 

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Aerial view of Mexico City.

Findings by University of Montana Professor Dr. Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, MA, MD, Ph.D., and her team of researchers reveal that children living in megacities are at increased risk for brain inflammation and neurodegenerative changes, including Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

Calderón-Garcidueñas' findings are detailed in a paper in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

The study found when air particulate matter and their components such as metals are inhaled or swallowed, they pass through damaged barriers, including respiratory, gastrointestinal and the blood-brain barriers and can result in long-lasting harmful effects.

Calderón-Garcidueñas and her team compared 58 serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from a control group living in a low-pollution city and matched them by age, gender, socioeconomic status, education and education levels achieved by their parents to 81 children living in Mexico City.

The results found that the children living in Mexico City had significantly higher serum and cerebrospinal fluid levels of autoantibodies against key tight-junction and neural proteins, as well as combustion-related metals.

"We asked why a clinically healthy kid is making autoantibodies against their own brain components," Calderón-Garcidueñas said. "That is indicative of damage to barriers that keep antigens and neurotoxins away from the brain. Brain autoantibodies are one of the features in the brains of people who have neuroinflammatory diseases like multiple sclerosis."

The issue is important and relevant for one reason, she explained. The breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and the presence of autoantibodies to important brain proteins will contribute to the neuroinflammation observed in urban children and raises the question of what role air pollution plays in a 400 percent increase of MS cases in Mexico City, making it one of the main diagnoses for neurology referrals.

Calderón-Garcidueñas points out that there is a need for a longitudinal follow-up study to determine if there is a relationship between the cognition deficits and brain MRI alterations previously reported in Mexico City children, and their autoimmune responses. But what is clear is that the kids are suffering from immune dysregulation.

Once there is a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier, not only will particulate matter enter the body but it also opens the door to harmful neurotoxins, bacteria and viruses.

"The barriers are there for a reason," she explains. "They are there to protect you, but once they are broken the expected results are not good."

The results of constant exposure to air pollution and the constant damage to all barriers eventually result in significant consequences later in life. She explains that the autoimmune responses are potentially contributing to the neuroinflammatory and Alzheimer's and Parkinson's pathology they are observing in young urban children.

While the study focused on children living in Mexico City, others living in cities where there are alarming levels of air pollution such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia-Wilmington, New York City, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Tokyo, Mumbai, New Delhi or Shanghai, among others, also face major health risks. In the U.S. alone, 200 million people live in areas where pollutants such as ozone and fine particulate matter exceed the standards.

"Investing in defining the central nervous system pathology associated with exposure to air pollutants in children is of pressing importance for public health," Calderón-Garcidueñas said.

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by The University of Montana. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Lilian Calderón-Garcidueñas, MA, MD, Ph.D. et al. Air Pollution and Children: Neural and Tight Junction Antibodies and Combustion Metals, the Role of Barrier Breakdown and Brain Immunity in Neurodegeneration. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, August 2014 DOI: 10.3233/JAD-141365