China Closes Five of its Six Depleting Chemical Plants
(Jul 3, 2007, 9:19am)

China, the world's largest producer of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and halons, shut down five of its six remaining plants on July 1, 2007. This action puts the country two and a half years ahead of the Montreal Protocol's 2010 deadline for phase-out of the two ozone-depleting chemicals.

Such chemicals contribute to weaken the ozone layer allowing for dangerous ultraviolet radiation producing skin cancer, eye cataracts and suppression of human immune system.

Without response to the Montreal Protocol, levels of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere would have increased tenfold by 2050, which could have led to up to 20 million more cases of skin cancer and 130 million more cases of eye cataracts relative to 1980.

Ninety five per cent of all ozone depleting substances controlled by the global treaty known as the Montreal Protocol have been phased out – but what remains will be difficult to eliminate.

The Chinese facilities were closed during a symbolic ceremony organized by Chinese authorities in recognition of chemical companies' efforts to stop manufacturing products that harm the ozone layer and as part of the global "Remembering Our Future" initiative sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The shut down of the five facilities, in Chiangshou City, near Shanghai, will bring China's production of CFCs to about 550 metric tons, down from 55,000 metric tons at its peak in 1998. The remaining production is being kept strictly to produce CFCs for metered-dose inhalers, used in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The phase-out of the majority of CFC production marks the second major class of ozone-depleting chemicals that China has ceased to produce. China has also recently ended the production of halon for emissive use -- in other words, any use that will have the chemical eventually end up in the atmosphere.

China became the largest producer of ozone depleting chemicals following the shut down of plants producing these chemicals in developed countries in 1996. The closure of the Chinese plants now puts India and South Korea as leading producers of the two ozone depleting chemicals in Asia Pacific, with a remaining combined production level of about 15,000 m/tons.

Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said: "On the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, with more than 95% of the ozone depleting substances being phased out, the Protocol is among the great success stories of recent years. This success underlines how, with political will, creative financing mechanisms and the support for industry and NGOs, the international community can rise to the challenge of sustainable development."

"New research findings in 2007 also confirm that the phase outs are having other positive impacts, including on climate change. Scientists calculate that, over the period 1990 to 2010, the level of reductions will also equate in climate terms to the equivalent of eight Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This is one example of a virtuous circle, and I am convinced there are many others linked not only with ozone, but across a wide array of environmental treaties and agreements," Steiner said.

Katherine Sierra, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, said: "The closure of CFC production facilities in China is marking a significant milestone not only for the Montreal Protocol, but also for the cooperation between the Government of China and the industry in their efforts to restore the ozone layer. A depleted ozone layer would have both adverse health and economic impacts to all nations. Action taken by China today contributes significantly to the global efforts in averting the global catastrophe on human health and ecosystem "

Added Sierra: "The Multilateral Fund has enabled China to contribute to the global efforts in protecting the ozone layer on an equal footing with all other nations without compromising its goal on sustainable development."

Chlorofluorocarbons are used in refrigerators and air conditioners, while halons are found in fire extinguishers. Thirty-one CFC/halon-producing factories have already been shut down earlier by Chinese authorities with support from the World Bank and the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund. Closures were made possible because China has, over the years, developed ozone-friendly alternatives and adopted alternative technologies.

"The closure of these plants demonstrates China's continued commitment to meet its obligations under this treaty to phase out these chemicals. With the closing of these facilities, industry and consumers both here and in Asia Pacific must realize that there will soon be significant reductions in ozone depleting chemicals and that we should be prepared for the changes that are to come," said Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister, State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

Under the Montreal Protocol, which went into force in 1987, ozone depleting chemicals are being successfully phased out worldwide with assistance from the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund. Ozone chemicals like CFCs and halon have been phased out in developed countries by 1996 except for small essential uses. By 2010, production of ozone depleting substances will be banned in developing countries, including countries in Asia and the Pacific, a region that accounts for 70 per cent of global consumption of CFC. To date, the Multilateral Fund has already financed activities to phase out of CFC consumption in more than 140 developing nations.

Students' Feedback:
It is not easy to completely finish the battle against global warming, or any problem in our air or atmosphere for that matter. Solutions are not quick to take effect if people, especially those in direct relation to the problem, will not create a concrete action to fix things. Organizations and programs that work towards the resolution of these environmental problems such as UNEP and the Montreal Protocol, really take steps to do so. Without the cooperation of people and nations, however, nothing would get solved.

It was a very good move for China to shut down 5 of those 6 CFC-producing plants. Being one of the largest countries with manufacturing as a major part of their economy, this action is a definite help in fighting against global warming. It becomes an obvious stand against this environmental issue. With their example, many other nations that also produce much of these harmful substances would follow. It only takes a good, effective response to get others to mimic the act.

Everyone knows how harmful CFCs are. There are many ways to get informed about the ill-effects they create, and so it is not very hard to make people aware. If we take initiative and keep what we know in mind, it also should not be very hard to get up and do something about it. Conscious efforts to lessen use of ozone-damaging products and those other contributors like carbon monoxide would already be helpful. Moreso, if all people would join the bandwagon of changing their ways for the better of the environment, we would be able to attest to playing an active role in saving mother earth.

Port: Pollution Killing Thousands
Study Of Four Cities Finds Air Pollution Taking Deadly Toll
WASHINGTON (Aug. 16, 2001)

WHO says 8 million may die from air pollution by 2020. (AP / CBS)

(CBS) As nations debate the future effect on the climate of burning fossil fuels, a study finds no question that air pollution from exhaust pipes and smoke stacks already is killing people worldwide.

"More people in the United States and other developed countries today will die from air pollution created by traffic than by traffic crashes themselves," said Devra Lee Davis, first author of the study appearing Friday in the journal Science. "We spend billions trying to prevent traffic crashes but we do not spend billions trying to control air pollution even though the effects are in fact greater."

Davis, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School for Public Policy and Management in Pittsburgh, said ozone, particulates, carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the combustion of fossil fuels may affect the climate in coming decades. But she said her team found that they already are public health hazards.

"There are more than a thousand studies from 20 countries all showing that you can predict a certain death rate based on the amount of pollution," Davis said.

She said emissions from automobile engines and coal-burning power plants are causing people to die prematurely from asthma, heart disease and lung disorders, reports CBS News Correspondent Peter Maer.

"We hope that policy-makers will understand that energy decisions and technology decisions are fundamentally public health decisions," she said.

In the study, Davis and four co-authors researched the health effects of pollution from fossil-fuels on the rate of death in four cities — Sao Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City; Santiago, Chile; and New York — and found that adopting greenhouse gas abatement technologies now available would save 64,000 lives over the next 20 years in those cities.

It would also prevent 65,000 cases of chronic bronchitis and save about 37 million person-days of restricted or lost work, the researchers estimated.

Davis said although the study concentrated on just four cities, the conclusions probably could be applied to cities worldwide. She said the data are consistent with a World Health Organization study that estimated that air pollution would cause about 8 million deaths worldwide by 2020.

"Policies to mitigate (greenhouse gases) can yield substantive and immediate benefits to the 3 billion people currently residing in urban areas throughout the world," the study's authors claim.

"We're not talking about Buck Rogers-like, futuristic technologies" to reduce pollution from burning fossil fuels, said Davis. "If the technologies we now have on the shelf were adopted quickly, they would have an immediate effect on public health."

Dr. Jonathan Patz of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said the study by Davi and her co-authors draws "an important conclusion."

"They show that air pollution does have an important effect on the mortality and morbidity of urban dwellers," he said. "It shows that there are significant health benefits to be had from reducing emissions from the burning of fossil fuels."

Carbon dioxide and other gases from the burning of coal and oil have been blamed by many researchers for warming of the global climate. Some have predicted long-term and varied global effects, including such phenomena as the melting glaciers, rising sea levels and recurring weather extremes.

However, some argue that policies to reduce pollution could have a greater impact on quality of life than the pollution itself, by raising taxes, restricting commerce, cutting payrolls and eliminating jobs.

Concerns like those were cited by President Bush in March when he said the United States would not participate in the emissions reductions called for in the Kyoto Protocol.

Some steps prompt other worries: the auto industry, for example, say raising fuel efficiency standards forces the production of lighter cars that are more dangerous.

However, WHO estimates that 3 million people die because of air pollution each year, 5 percent of the 55 million deaths that occur annually worldwide. Between 30 and 40 percent of asthma cases and 20-30 percent of all respiratory disease may be blamed on air pollution.

ENVIRONMENT: Indoor Air Pollution - Silent Killer of Women
By T V Padma

NEW DELHI, Jan 3 (IPS) - Women and young girls coughing and choking as they cook food over traditional stoves that burn wood, leaves or dung is a common a sight in poor homes across Asia, Africa and Latin America. But no one notices the deleterious effects.

Over 1.5 million females die prematurely every year by inhaling poisonous fumes as they cook or heat their homes with these organic fuels but catch little attention from governments, policy experts, scientists and medical experts.

Almost three billion people burn traditional fuels indoors for cooking and heating and their numbers are expected to "rise substantially by 2020," John Mitchell, coordinator of the partnership for clean indoor air at the United States Environmental Protection Agency told IPS at an international meeting on better air quality held in Yogyakarta, in December.

Of these, more than 1.6 million persons, mainly women and children, die prematurely each year from breathing high levels of indoor smoke. This is twice as many deaths as estimated due to outdoor pollution.

Indoor air pollution could lead to an epidemic of breathing problems that could kill faster than SARS or the bird flu, warned Kirk Smith, professor of public health at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Will there be a massive emergency meeting in Geneva of international agencies and donors with unlimited authority and funds to take action?" Smith asked participants at the meeting. "The answer is no -- indeed nothing will be done."

Ironically, the conference itself focused on outdoor air pollution and the final statement issued on Dec. 15 did not refer to it.

‘Biomass' or traditional fuels of biological origin, such as wood, twigs and leaves, account for 9.3 percent of the global energy consumed, according to the 2004 World Energy Assessment report. The reason they are so dangerous is that they do not burn completely --or in scientific parlance, their combustion efficiency is less than 100 percent.

"A traditional wood-fired Indian cooking stove can be a toxic waste factory," said Smith. According to him, typical biomass cook stoves convert 6-20 percent of the carbon to toxic substances.

Globally, indoor smoke ranks tenth as a risk factor for global burden of disease, according to a 2002 World Health Organisation report. But it ranks third for the Indian burden of disease.

Typical poisonous pollutants in fuel smoke produced by poor burning include small particles of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, and substances containing carbon and hydrogen (hydrocarbons) and sometimes chlorine.

In fact, about 5 percent of outdoor air pollution is due to smoke from indoors escaping, said Mitchell.

"Indoor air pollution is a cross-cutting issue" said Mitchell. Cutting down trees for fuel leads to deforestation and desertification and is linked to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. But it is also a gender issue as it affects the health of women who are most exposed to the indoor smoke and are often the last in the family to avail of medical treatment; and it affects children's health causing respiratory problems.

Yet, indoor air pollution has been largely ignored by scientists. There have been too few measurements worldwide to determine exact levels of exposures or link to specific disease patterns, said Smith

For example, of the 2-3 million deaths in children under five years due to infections in the lower breathing tract, there are estimates of percent deaths due to malnutrition, diarrhoea, genetic susceptibility to diseases, non-immunisation against vaccine-preventable diseases. But there are no estimates of how many deaths were due to burning solid fuels in homes.

Preliminary data from an ongoing trial on 530 households using open fire stoves for cooking and with a pregnant women or child under four months in Guatemala were revealing. Young children in households cooking over open wood fires had serious respiratory ailments compared to those in homes that used improved woodstoves with chimneys, Smith reported at the workshop.

Once a chimney was fitted to the stove, polluting fine particles reduced by 90 percent, Smith said.

An ongoing series of studies at four locations in India, funded by Fogarty International, is addressing the question of whether exposure to indoor smoke from solid fuels aggravates tuberculosis. It is expected to complete collecting data by the end of next year.

More encouraging news came from the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air (PCIA) that was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. Over 120 partners from public and private sector are now working under it in 67 countries.

PCIA tries to improve health, livelihood and the quality of life through reduced exposure to air pollution, primarily among women and children, in developing countries. This is through an increase in the use of clean, reliable, affordable, efficient and safe cooking and heating practices at homes.

PCIA said its 10 pilot projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America have educated 1.3 million households. The result is 70,000 homes using clean and fuel-efficient practices and 700 new, small businesses producing and marketing improved technologies.

Another success story came from China, where The Nature Conservancy (TNC), a biodiversity conservation non-profit organisation based in Yunan province, which works on conservation and community development issues, has taken a lead in using alternative energy to improve indoor air quality.

The north-west corner of Yunan has the headwaters for Yangtze, Mekong, Salween and Irrawady rivers and is one of the world's 10 biodiversity hotspots.

Most people in the region rely on firewood for cooking and heating, but this not only destroys the local forest but also causes serious health problems due to indoor air pollution. TNC initiated an alternative energy programme in 2001 to protect the rich biodiversity in northwest Yunan and use energy strategies.

The project developed more efficient stoves and expanded renewable energy sources such as biogas digesters, solar water heaters and micro hydropower generators, said Xia Zuzhang, director of operations at the TNC programme. (END/2007)

Students' Feedback:
Even in the simplest things we do we are risking our lives. even in the safest place we could think of we are not safe. The world is said to be ¾ women and ¼ men. Is it still the same?

Air pollution doesn’t choose who to attack, who to kill. It kills whether you’re male or female, young or old. It represents as a punishment to our little deeds. It is deadly because we raised it to be deadly. And now that it is an adult and is still growing it wouldn’t stop until we tell them to. The pollution is like any criminal around. It does bad and continue on doing bad things unless the cops stops them, or until their mothers scolds them and tells them to stop.

Traffic Pollution Kills: Study 440 deaths annually blamed on emissions
Kelly Grant , National Post
(Tuesday, November 06, 2007)

Pollution spewing from vehicle tailpipes kills about 440 people in Toronto and costs the city's economy $2.2-billion every year, according to a new study from the city's public health unit that one critic says falsely suggests our air is poisonous.

Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, hailed the study as the first of its kind in Canada to tabulate the number of people killed by vehicle-borne pollution and to estimate the number of lives that could be saved if people drove less.

The report, Air Pollution Burden of Illness from Traffic in Toronto, concludes a 10% reduction in traffic-related pollutants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide would prevent 63 premature deaths in the city every year.

A 20% cut would save 126 lives, while a 30% cut would save 189, the report says.

"The picture is definitely not getting better," Dr. McKeown told a news conference at City Hall yesterday.

"And we would expect that if we continue to see an increase in the use of cars in the city, that the picture of air will get worse."

The back of the 57-page report lays out steps the city is taking to pry people out of their cars.

The report highlights the city's climate-change plan and the sustainable transportation blueprint adopted by city council last month, while suggesting other ways the city could do better.

Dr. Ross McKitrick, an associate professor of environmental economics at the University of Guelph, said he was bothered by the list of policy prescriptions included in the study.

"To some extent I feel like that was the stuff they really wanted to push; that there's all these policy changes they'd like to advocate for and the beginning sections were kind of filler to motivate that," he said.

"I'ma bit worried when you have a report that looks like a set of policy conclusions in search of a rationale."

Dr. McKitrick, a frequent critic of the methodology governments use to estimate pollution-related deaths, also questioned how Toronto Public Health could prove that car pollution kills more than 400 people annually.

"These are statistical coefficients. There would be no way of connecting this to actual people," he said.

Dr. McKeown, however, defended TPH's methodology.

"I'm often asked with these numbers, show me the person who's in the morgue, in the hospital, who died as a result of air pollution," he said.

"The reason we know that there's a strong relationship between quality of our air and the pollutants that are in our air and our health is because we can see that on bad air days more people have symptoms, more people go to the doctor, more people go to the emergency room, more people are admitted to hospital and more people die."

Dr. McKeown also said the annual cost of traffic-related pollution deaths to the economy trumpeted in the study -- $2.2-billion or $5-million per premature death -- was based on widely accepted practice.

"There's nothing particularly innovative about the costing part of this model. It's a fairly standard technique," he said.

The study's conclusions raised questions about whether road tolls or congestion charges should be implemented to nudge more people on to public transit.

Gary Welsh, the city's general manager of Transportation Services, reiterated the city's line that tolls would only be acceptable if installed and co-ordinated across the Greater Toronto Area.

"You just can't slap tolls on the Don Valley and the Gardiner," he said. "You've really got to look at the whole Toronto area to determine how you best could implement tolls, if implement them at all."

BY THE NUMBERS:

Air Pollution Burden of Illness from Traffic in Toronto report says: 440

Number of premature deaths caused by traffic-related pollution in Toronto every year. 1,700

Number of hospitalizations caused by traffic-related pollution in Toronto every year. 1,200

Number of acute bronchitis episodes experienced by children annually as a result of traffic-related pollution. 2.2-billion

Cost to the economy of traffic-related pollution deaths every year. 189

Number of lives that could be saved every year if Toronto reduced its motor-vehicle emissions by 30%. 900-million

Amount that could be saved every year if Toronto reduced its motor-vehicle emissions by 30%.

Students' Feedback:
The geography of Canada is definitely bigger than our country’s geography. Toronto could even be bigger than that of the whole Philippines. If 400 people die annually of motor-vehicle emission what more can happen to the people living in a darker and thicker environment? If our country is really smaller than Toronto then there are not only 400 people dying annually it may not be hundreds it may be thousands or worst millions. If Filipinos really are caring human beings we wouldn’t let these kinds of things happen. If we really think that family is our greatest treasure will we let air pollution be the cause of the death of our loved ones?

Air pollution leads to Interior, northern deaths
(December 18, 2007)

Between 16 and 98 people a year die from fine particulate exposure in the B.C. Interior and North, according to a new study by doctors Catherine Elliott and Ray Copes.

Fine particulate – particles 2.5 microns and smaller, called PM 2.5 – enters the air primarily as a by-product of combustion – gasoline and diesel engines, wood burning, industrial processes and other sources. The study found Prince George had the highest PM 2.5 levels in the province.

“Most of the mortalities [from PM 2.5 exposure] happen in the Interior and North, even though most of the population is in the Lower Mainland,” Elliott said. “We know that people die from short-term air pollution events. With exposure over the long term, the risk is much greater than over the short term.”

New long-term studies in the U.S. have tracked PM 2.5 exposure and mortality rates over an 18-20 year period, she said. Those studies have given doctors a much better understanding of what the long-term effects of PM 2.5 exposure are.

The study looked at PM 2.5 levels across the province and factored together a number of studies to create an average annual mortality rate of 61 in the North and Interior. Elliott said they methodology they used is the same used by the B.C. health officer, several European countries and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Air quality in Terrace and the Vancouver Airport were used as benchmarks to compare mortality rates in the North and Interior.

If all communities in the North and Interior had PM 2.5 levels equal to Terrace, there would have been approximately 263 fewer deaths from 2001 to 2005. If all communities had the same air quality as the Vancouver Airport, there would have been 127 fewer deaths.

Even with the best data, the 16 to 98 per year range, “represents the degree of uncertainty,” in the projections, Elliott said.

“Someone doesn’t come in and doctors say, ‘This person died of air pollution,’” she said. “The mortality that is most attributed is cardiovascular – heart attacks. Fine particulate gets into the arteries and causes inflammation.”

PM 2.5 can be absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs, she explained.

The study makes a number of recommendations, Elliott said, and reducing the levels of PM 2.5 is number one.

Students' Feedback:
if a the short term effects of air pollution to our bodies are deadly what more can the long term effects do?

Air pollution is responsible for 310,000 premature deaths in Europe each year, research suggests.

A study by the European Commission calculated that air pollution reduces life expectancy by an average of almost nine months across the European Union.

Poor quality air is thought to result in more than 32,000 premature deaths in the UK each year alone.

Experts say many of these deaths could be avoided if measures were put in place to cut pollution levels.

The figures show every European takes on average half a day off sick a year due to illnesses linked to air pollution - costing the economy more than 80bn euros (£55bn).

The main threat to health is posed by tiny particles known as particulate matter, which can penetrate deep into the respiratory tissue, and even directly into the bloodstream.

They are emitted by traffic (particularly diesel engines), industry and domestic heating.

Ozone produced when sunlight reacts with pollutants emitted by vehicle exhausts is also a major cause of respiratory disease.

Blackspots

There are major variations between member states in terms of air pollution.

The situation is the worst in Benelux area, Northern Italy, and new member states such as Poland and Hungary.

Lost life expectancy is worst in Belgium, where on average people lose 13.6 months of life, and the Netherlands, at 12.7 months.

The Finns are the least affected, losing just 3.1 months on average, followed by the Irish at 3.9 months.

The European Commission is to try to reduce the threat to health by adopting a new strategy on air pollution from May.

Barbara Helfferich, an environment spokesperson for the Commission, told the BBC: "There are number of ways of doing this.

"We can reduce burning of fossil fuel, we can use alternative energy sources, we can restrict traffic in inner cities."

Professor Andrew Peacock, of the British Thoracic Society, said: "We have known for some time that high levels of air pollution have a direct link to respiratory illnesses.

"We would urge for this subject area to be looked into further and for the government to continue working with others to minimise pollution levels in this country."

Government response

A spokesperson for the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs said: "The government takes air pollution very seriously and we monitor air pollution levels very carefully.

"Local authorities now have action plans to tackle pollution hotspots, and we have tighter controls to cut industrial emissions.

"In general the long-term trend shows air quality is getting better, but there is still a lot to do to achieve even cleaner air, requiring local, national, and international action."

The spokesman said four Air Quality Strategy targets - for lead, carbon monoxide, benzene and 1,3-butadiene - had been met.

The UK climate change programme was also being reviewed. This is intended to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, but will also impact on levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particles.

Students' Feedback:
air pollution kills life. And since we cause air pollution, we also kill the lives of the innocent. We are murderers to mother earth and to each other.

Pollution

What do smog, acid rain, carbon monoxide, fossil fuel exhausts, and tropospheric ozone have in common? They are all examples of air pollution. Air pollution is not new. As far back as the 13 th century, people started complaining about coal dust and soot in the air over London, England. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the late 1700s, we have been changing the Earth’s atmosphere and its chemistry. As industry spread across the globe, so did air pollution. Air pollution has many effects. In addition to being ugly, it can cause illness and even death. It damages buildings, crops, and wildlife. The worst air pollution happened in London when dense smog (a mixture of smoke and fog) formed in December of 1952 and lasted until March of 1953. 4,000 people died in one week. 8,000 more died within six months.

Air pollution is made up of solid particles and chemicals. Natural processes impacting the atmosphere include volcanoes, biological decay, and dust storms. Plants, trees, and grass release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as methane, into the air. We are more concerned with human-made pollution since we have the ability to control it. The pollutants include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, VOCs, and nitrogen oxides. The largest source of human-made pollution is the burning of fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, in our homes, factories, and cars.

Air pollution is either primary or secondary. Primary pollution is put directly to the air, such as smoke and car exhausts. Secondary pollution forms in the air when chemical reactions changes primary pollutants. The formation of tropospheric ozone is an example of secondary air pollution.

The atmosphere is a complex, dynamic and fragile system. Concern is growing about the global effects of air pollution, especially climate change. Stratospheric ozone depletion due to air pollution has long been recognized as a threat to human health.

Students' Feedback:
"we are more concerned with human-made pollution since we have the ability to control it”. We have the ability to control and so does the ability of implementing and sustaining our actions. If air pollution started centuries ago and complaining people began talking then why haven’t we done something to change our environment? But instead of having the ability to stop pollution we had the ability to continue polluting as part of our daily activities and implementing it to our neighbors that it is a splendid idea and since no effects are visible to “my” eyes then why stop?

Air Pollution Linked To Early Death.
ScienceDaily (Aug. 1, 2007) — Even comparatively low levels of air pollution boost the chances of an early death, suggests research published ahead of print in Thorax.

The researchers base their findings on long term monitoring of air quality in different electoral wards around Britain during different time periods, and national data on causes of death.
More than 5000 adults aged 30 and above were included in the study.

To assess more closely the impact of pollution on health, they divided the data into four chunks, spanning a total of 16 years each, starting in 1966-70 and ending in 1994-8.

Black smoke and sulphur dioxide were strongly linked to the chances of an early death, the findings showed.

But despite a fall in air pollutants over the study period, as measured by the air quality readings, the risk of an early death remained, even at the comparatively low levels of air pollutants during the most recent time frame.

This was especially true for deaths from respiratory illness. The risk of an early death from respiratory disease rose by almost 4% for every 10 ug/m3 increase in black smoke, and by 13% for every 10 parts per billion increase in sulphur dioxide during 1982-98.

In 1994-8, the comparable figures were more than 19% and almost 22%, respectively.
The figures held true even after adjusting for factors known to increase the chances of an early death, including social deprivation.

Their findings confirm the enduring legacy of air pollution on health, say the authors. And they "point to continuing public health risks even at the relatively low levels of black smoke and sulphur dioxide that now occur."

Adapted from materials provided by BMJ Specialty Journals.

Students' Feedback:
The article warns us about the effects of air pollution in our health. Every human know the possible effects of it. Even though we have been reminded of it, we still ignore the fact that it will harm every living thing.
Burning incense may expose people to toxic chemicals.
(Monday, February 12, 2007) by: M.T. Whitney

The burning of incense releases high levels of some chemicals associated with lung cancer, findings over the past five years indicate.

Incense, used primarily for religious, medicinal and meditative purposes, was found to create air quality environments hazardous to human health, according to reports by New Scientist magazine.

A set of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are of primary concern. While organic and often aromatic, PAH include carcinogenic chemicals such as the components of benzene and the chemical used in mothballs.

A 2001 study by the National Cheng Kung University of Taiwan surveyed the air quality inside a poorly-ventilated temple and found benzopyrene levels that are 40 times greater than what is found inside of the homes of people who smoke cigarettes. The air quality in the temple was almost as bad as standing next to a busy intersection filled with car exhaust.

A similar study done in The Netherlands found that the air quality of two Maastricht churches had 20 times the amount of chemicals compared to an intersection.

The lead researcher for the Taiwanese study, Ta Chang Lin, expressed concern to New Scientist about the quality of the air in places of religious ceremonies.

"The concentrations of PAHs inside the temple depends on how many visitors come to worship that day. During some major ceremonies, hundreds or even more than a thousand sticks are burnt at the same time," Lin told the magazine.

The air quality in the temple was below standards set in Taiwan.
PAH chemicals are released from the burning of certain organic items, ranging from incense sticks to steaks on a barbecue grill.

According to Dr. Ben Kim, a natural health advocate, the studies serve "as a good reminder to allow fresh air to circulate throughout one's living space," he writes on his web site. Kim recommends keeping windows open in the summer "whenever possible" and to try to keep windows open in the winter if weather and temperature permits.

Assuming the neighborhood you live does not have polluted air, it is "beneficial to one's health to simply open a few windows for a minute or two each day to allow some fresh air to enter the residence," he writes.

Incense is used ceremonially in the Buddhist, Christian and other religions.

Students' Feedback:
According to the article, incense is used for medicinal, religious, and meditative purposes. However, we should still be aware and know how it can affect others especially the environment We shouldn’t always trust and be complacent in what we see and hear. In this case, so many people use the incense without even realizing the effects it can give off. It is said that it is even worse than smoking and smoke belching thus, adds to health problems like lung canc& Maybe it is better if we lessen the use of incense. This can not only prevent health problems but also help nature as well which will please Clod more than using incense than can only destroy his creations. We should learn to be ideal and see things through before doing anything To look at the other side of the situation and do better things in protecting the environment We might not see the consequences of our actions right now, but we should still learn to live our values and beliefs as a person and most especially as a Christian.
Chinese Air Pollution Deadliest in World, Report Says:
Kevin Holden Platt in Beijing, China
for National Geographic News
July 9, 2007

China, the world's fastest growing economy, has earned another startling superlative: the highest annual incidence of premature deaths triggered by air pollution in the world, according to a new study.

A World Health Organization (WHO) report estimates that diseases triggered by indoor and outdoor air pollution kill 656,000 Chinese citizens each year, and polluted drinking water kills another 95,600. (Related: "China's Pollution Leaving Mountains High and Dry, Study Finds" [March 8, 2007])

"Air pollution is estimated to cause approximately two million premature deaths worldwide per year," said Michal Krzyzanowski, an air quality adviser at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
Krzyzanowski worked with WHO to look at costs and casualties of pollution across the globe. He helped the group develop new air quality guidelines that set out global goals to reduce deaths from pollution.

Deadly Air
Damaging air pollutants include sulfur dioxide, particulate matter—a mixture of extremely small particles and water droplets—ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. China accounts for roughly one-third of the global total for these pollutants, according to Krzyzanowski. (See a map of China.)
In neighboring India, air pollution is believed to cause 527,700 fatalities a year. In the United States, premature deaths from toxic air pollutants are estimated at 41,200 annually.
The combustion of fossil fuels—whether to power China's many automobiles, its burgeoning factories, or its expanding megacities—is a primary source of outdoor air pollutants.
The burning of coal or charcoal to heat homes, common throughout China, also produces a range of indoor air pollutants. (Related: "China's Boom Is Bust for Global Environment, Study Warns" [May 16, 2005].)

Air pollution can trigger or worsen a wide spectrum of respiratory and cardiovascular ailments.
WHO's air guidelines warn that pregnant women, the elderly, the sick, and young children are especially susceptible to suffering severe effects from high pollution levels.

Students' Feedback:
It is alarming to know that though China has been successful in many aspects concerning their economy, air pollution haunts them like any other country that tends to neglect the importance of having a healthy air. We witness the consequence of polluted air through the death of countless people not only in China but worldwide. So much destruction could come with polluted air and so countries should take definite procedures to stop such damage on human beings from occurring. If countries, like China, could successfully work their way to a strong economy, there is no reason for them not to be able to solve their issues about their polluted air.
Tips on how to clear the air with purifiers.
Filtration modules best for forced air, or try portables
Jay Romano, New York Times
(Wednesday, March 14, 2007)

As consumers conserve energy by insulating their homes and installing efficient windows and tight-fitting doors, they are also sealing in allergens, odors and pollutants. For many, the solution is an indoor air cleaner.

Here are some tips for sorting through the scores of different air purifiers on the market.
"If you are using forced air for heating or air conditioning, the best way to clean the air in your house is to add a filtration module to your system," said Alex Wilson, president of BuildingGreen in Brattleboro, Vt.

Wilson said that unlike portable air purifiers, which clean the air in just the room they are in, a filtration module added to a forced-air system would clean the air throughout the house. Such devices can cost $1,000 or more, not including installation, which will vary by location and job complexity.

Owners who do not have forced-air systems can choose from a number of different types and models of portable air purifiers.

Warburg Lee, a manager at Air-Purifiers-America.com, said that his company typically recommends room air purifiers that use high-efficiency particulate air filters, or HEPA, for short.
"There are three things you want to look at when buying an air purifier," Lee said. The first is performance. With a HEPA filter, 99.99 percent of the particles 0.3 microns and larger will be trapped in the filter, he said.

The second factor is room coverage. "You don't want to buy a small air purifier for a large room, because it won't be able to move the amount of air necessary," he said.

The third factor -- noise -- is tied to the second. If an air purifier is too small for the space, Lee said, it will be necessary to run the fan at the highest setting to clean the air. And that, he said, can make a lot of noise.

So consumers should determine what size room a machine is designed for, then get one with a slightly larger capacity than necessary so that it can clean all the air with the fan set on low.
Gary McEldowney, the marketing director for AllergyBuyersClub.com, said the cost of a purifier could range from $150 to $700, depending on size and features. Replacement HEPA filters cost $40 to $150.

An alternative to filters is an electrostatic purifier that uses a washable, electrically charged plate to capture pollutants. But there is some controversy surrounding these units.

Janice E. Nolen, an assistant vice president of the American Lung Association, said that electrostatic air purifiers typically emit ozone, which can cause problems for people with asthma and other respiratory ailments.

"We recommend that you don't buy a machine that produces ozone either intentionally or as a byproduct of cleaning the air," Nolen said.

Julie Vallese, the director of information and public affairs for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said that while her organization did not recommend one type of machine over another -- and did not take a position for or against using an air purifier in the home -- it had conducted a study on the health effects of ozone-generating devices.

"We found that keeping ozone accumulation below 50 parts per billion is sufficient to protect human health," she said.

(Those considering an electrostatic purifier might want to make sure its ozone emission levels don't exceed that recommendation.)

Jill Notini, a spokeswoman for the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers in Washington, said her group has a certification system for comparing air purifiers.

"Every product certified by us has a label with a number that indicates performance," she said. "The range is from 10 to 450; the higher the number, the better the performance."
Air pollution and respiratory viral infection.
Ciencewicki J, Jaspers I.
Curriculum of Toxicology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Despite current regulations, which limit the levels of certain air pollutants, there are still a number of adverse health effects that result from exposure to these agents. Numerous epidemiological studies have noted an association between the levels of air pollution and hospital admissions for a variety of different health reasons, including a number of respiratory diseases, as well as increased morbidity and mortality associated with various respiratory conditions and diseases. Because of the large impact respiratory virus infections have on morbidity and even mortality, it is important to understand whether and how exposure to common air pollutants could exacerbate the susceptibility to and severity of respiratory virus infections. This review focuses on current epidemiological and experimental studies, which have examined the association between and effect of air pollutants and respiratory viral infections, as well as potential mechanisms associated with these effects. Examined in this review are U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "criteria" pollutants nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), ozone (O(3)), and particulate matter (PM), as well as indoor pollutants such as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and combustion products of biomass fuels. Although a number of studies indicate associations between exposure to air pollutants and increased risk for respiratory virus infections, potential mechanisms mediating these effects are largely unexplored. Therefore, additional studies, both epidemiologic and mechanistic, are necessary to increase our understanding of how exposure to air pollutants could affect respiratory virus infections, especially in populations already at risk of developing significant morbidity/mortality after infections with respiratory viruses.

PMID: 17987465 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Air pollutant effects on fetal and early postnatal development.
Wang L, Pinkerton KE.
Center for Health and the Environment, University of California-Davis, Old Davis Road, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

Numerical research on the health effects of air pollution has been published in the last decade. Epidemiological studies have shown that children's exposure to air pollutants during fetal development and early postnatal life is associated with many types of health problems including abnormal development (low birth weight [LBW], very low birth weight [VLBW], preterm birth [PTB], intrauterine growth restriction [IUGR], congenital defects, and intrauterine and infant mortality), decreased lung growth, increased rates of respiratory tract infections, childhood asthma, behavioral problems, and neurocognitive decrements. This review focuses on the health effects of major outdoor air pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur and nitrogen oxides (SO(2), NOx), ozone, and one common indoor air pollutant, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Animal data is presented that demonstrate perinatal windows of susceptibility to sidestream smoke, a surrogate for ETS, resulting in altered airway sensitivity and cell type frequency. A study of neonatal monkeys exposed to sidestream smoke during the perinatal period and/or early postnatal period that resulted in an altered balance of Th1-/Th2-cytokine secretion, skewing the immune response toward the allergy-associated Th2 cytokine phenotype, is also discussed. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 17963272 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Are you suffering from asthma?
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Health 101

WHAT do former Senator Freddie Webb, basketball star Samboy Lim, and champion swimmer Eric Buhain have one thing in common? They are some of the country's famous asthma sufferers.

In the Philippines, 17 percent of the general population, or 12 million Filipinos, suffer from asthma. Thirty-four percent of these sufferers are children aged six to 14. The rest are adults. Asthma has been cited as one of the leading causes of hospitalization and absenteeism from school and work.

"This is alarming, for it means school-children may have their performance in school affected and young adults may lose out on job opportunities and decrease their earning potential due to their ailment. If not treated early, children who are affected with the disease will become disabled," said asthma specialist Dr. Dina Diaz of the Lung Center of the Philippines.

"It is regrettable that people often take asthma for granted, until such time when the disorder is already very serious or even life-threatening," deplores Dr. Felicidad Cua Lim, president of the National Asthma Movement and founding president of the Philippine Society of Allerology and Immunology.

Medical authorities say asthma is due to the inflammation of the air passages in the lungs and affects the sensitivity of the nerve endings in the airways so they become easily irritated. In an attack, the lining of the passages swell causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air in and out of the lungs.

The strongest risk factors for developing asthma are exposure, especially in infancy, to indoor allergens (such as domestic mites in bedding, carpets and stuffed furniture, cats and cockroaches) and a family history of asthma or allergy. A study in the South Atlantic Island of Tristan de Cunha, where one in three of the 300 inhabitants has asthma, found children with asthmatic parents were much more likely to develop the condition.

Evidence is mounting that one irritant that can trigger an asthma attack is air pollution, notably vehicle exhaust fumes, smoke from fires and smokestack emissions. Sufferers are particularly at risk when smog builds up on windless days.

Urbanization appears to be activated with an increase in asthma. The nature of the risk is still unclear because studies have not taken into account indoor allergens although these have been identified as significant risk factors.

"The treatment of asthma varies according to the severity of the problem," wrote Drs. Donald M. Vickery and James F. Fries in Take Care of Yourself. "Some people have only one or two episodes of asthma and are never troubled again. Other people will have daily attacks. These severely compromise their ability to function normally."

Some physicians maintain that children never truly outgrow asthma, but the evidence is otherwise. Drs. Vickery and Fries noted: "More than half of the children diagnosed as having asthma will never have an asthmatic attack as an adult. Another 10 percent will have only occasional attacks during adult life."

Because asthma is a chronic condition, it usually requires continuous medical care. Patients with moderate to severe asthma have to take long-term medication daily (for example, anti-inflammatory drugs) to control the underlying inflammation and prevent symptoms and attacks.

If symptoms occur, short-term medications are used to relieve them.

"Several different prescription drugs are often combined, but we see no reason to begin treatment with such combination drugs," Drs. Vickery and Fries pointed out. "Many of these compounds have phenobarbital added to counteract some of the stimulating effects of the other medicines included; new medications to counteract the side effects of the previous medication could be added continually.

"All these drugs are powerful, and all cause side effects," they warned. "Minimal side effects may be acceptable to relieve major symptoms. If side effects are intolerable, a new treatment can be made. Try to avoid combination drugs."

Unfortunately, because of the stigma associated with asthma, many asthmatics do not take long-term medication to control their condition. "When told of their asthma, many patients do not accept it and will try anything to get rid of it," laments Dr. Ho Ling, consultant at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital in Singapore.

Unknowingly, asthmatics can participate in athletics. In fact, some Olympic athletes are asthmatics. To name a few: heptathlon champion Jackie Joyner Kersee, wrestler David Schultz and cross-country skier Bill Koch. In the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, 11 percent of the American team were asthmatics.

"Swimming appears to be far and away the best exercise and best sport for the asthmatic," Drs. Vickery and Fries asserted. "Exercise programs with long and steady energy requirements seem to work the best, and swimmers have the advantage of an environment that has very high humidity."

(Friday, November 04, 2005)

Students' Feedback:
As the years go by, more and more people are having asthma attacks, whether mild or not. Many people do not know how serious this disease can get, and tend to take it for granted. According to the article, air pollution triggers this disease. Smoke that come from vehicles, cigarettes and fires gives a higher risk for those who have asthma. If only people are aware how air pollution risks of the lives of many other people, then the earth would be a better place to live in.

China Closes Five of its Six Depleting Chemical Plants
(Jul 3, 2007, 9:19am)

China, the world's largest producer of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and halons, shut down five of its six remaining plants on July 1, 2007. This action puts the country two and a half years ahead of the Montreal Protocol's 2010 deadline for phase-out of the two ozone-depleting chemicals.

Such chemicals contribute to weaken the ozone layer allowing for dangerous ultraviolet radiation producing skin cancer, eye cataracts and suppression of human immune system.

Without response to the Montreal Protocol, levels of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere would have increased tenfold by 2050, which could have led to up to 20 million more cases of skin cancer and 130 million more cases of eye cataracts relative to 1980.

Ninety five per cent of all ozone depleting substances controlled by the global treaty known as the Montreal Protocol have been phased out – but what remains will be difficult to eliminate.

The Chinese facilities were closed during a symbolic ceremony organized by Chinese authorities in recognition of chemical companies' efforts to stop manufacturing products that harm the ozone layer and as part of the global "Remembering Our Future" initiative sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The shut down of the five facilities, in Chiangshou City, near Shanghai, will bring China's production of CFCs to about 550 metric tons, down from 55,000 metric tons at its peak in 1998. The remaining production is being kept strictly to produce CFCs for metered-dose inhalers, used in the treatment of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The phase-out of the majority of CFC production marks the second major class of ozone-depleting chemicals that China has ceased to produce. China has also recently ended the production of halon for emissive use -- in other words, any use that will have the chemical eventually end up in the atmosphere.

China became the largest producer of ozone depleting chemicals following the shut down of plants producing these chemicals in developed countries in 1996. The closure of the Chinese plants now puts India and South Korea as leading producers of the two ozone depleting chemicals in Asia Pacific, with a remaining combined production level of about 15,000 m/tons.

Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said: "On the 20th Anniversary of the Montreal Protocol, with more than 95% of the ozone depleting substances being phased out, the Protocol is among the great success stories of recent years. This success underlines how, with political will, creative financing mechanisms and the support for industry and NGOs, the international community can rise to the challenge of sustainable development."

"New research findings in 2007 also confirm that the phase outs are having other positive impacts, including on climate change. Scientists calculate that, over the period 1990 to 2010, the level of reductions will also equate in climate terms to the equivalent of eight Gigatonnes of carbon dioxide a year. This is one example of a virtuous circle, and I am convinced there are many others linked not only with ozone, but across a wide array of environmental treaties and agreements," Steiner said.

Katherine Sierra, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank, said: "The closure of CFC production facilities in China is marking a significant milestone not only for the Montreal Protocol, but also for the cooperation between the Government of China and the industry in their efforts to restore the ozone layer. A depleted ozone layer would have both adverse health and economic impacts to all nations. Action taken by China today contributes significantly to the global efforts in averting the global catastrophe on human health and ecosystem "

Added Sierra: "The Multilateral Fund has enabled China to contribute to the global efforts in protecting the ozone layer on an equal footing with all other nations without compromising its goal on sustainable development."

Chlorofluorocarbons are used in refrigerators and air conditioners, while halons are found in fire extinguishers. Thirty-one CFC/halon-producing factories have already been shut down earlier by Chinese authorities with support from the World Bank and the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund. Closures were made possible because China has, over the years, developed ozone-friendly alternatives and adopted alternative technologies.

"The closure of these plants demonstrates China's continued commitment to meet its obligations under this treaty to phase out these chemicals. With the closing of these facilities, industry and consumers both here and in Asia Pacific must realize that there will soon be significant reductions in ozone depleting chemicals and that we should be prepared for the changes that are to come," said Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister, State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA).

Under the Montreal Protocol, which went into force in 1987, ozone depleting chemicals are being successfully phased out worldwide with assistance from the Montreal Protocol's Multilateral Fund. Ozone chemicals like CFCs and halon have been phased out in developed countries by 1996 except for small essential uses. By 2010, production of ozone depleting substances will be banned in developing countries, including countries in Asia and the Pacific, a region that accounts for 70 per cent of global consumption of CFC. To date, the Multilateral Fund has already financed activities to phase out of CFC consumption in more than 140 developing nations.

Students' Feedback:
It is not easy to completely finish the battle against global warming, or any problem in our air or atmosphere for that matter. Solutions are not quick to take effect if people, especially those in direct relation to the problem, will not create a concrete action to fix things. Organizations and programs that work towards the resolution of these environmental problems such as UNEP and the Montreal Protocol, really take steps to do so. Without the cooperation of people and nations, however, nothing would get solved.

It was a very good move for China to shut down 5 of those 6 CFC-producing plants. Being one of the largest countries with manufacturing as a major part of their economy, this action is a definite help in fighting against global warming. It becomes an obvious stand against this environmental issue. With their example, many other nations that also produce much of these harmful substances would follow. It only takes a good, effective response to get others to mimic the act.

Everyone knows how harmful CFCs are. There are many ways to get informed about the ill-effects they create, and so it is not very hard to make people aware. If we take initiative and keep what we know in mind, it also should not be very hard to get up and do something about it. Conscious efforts to lessen use of ozone-damaging products and those other contributors like carbon monoxide would already be helpful. Moreso, if all people would join the bandwagon of changing their ways for the better of the environment, we would be able to attest to playing an active role in saving mother earth.