Patents on the soles of your shoes...: clean air

Friday, December 9, 2016

Global warming and clean air (Paris)

This week, Paris recorded the worse air quality in 10 years with a spike in airborne pollution of particles measuring less than 10 microns (PM₁₀) equal to 80 ɥg/m³(Willshire, 2016 The Guardian)

French air quality norms are set to PM10 < 50 ɥg/m³ (daily mean) with an alert threshold of 80 ɥg/m³(AirParif).

As a result, public transportation in Paris is operating free of charge, and an odd/even car use ban. similar to that which operates in New Delhi, was implemented to combat air pollution, under virtually windless conditions.

This means that only cars with odd license plates could operate on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, whereas only cars with even license plates could operate on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2017. Today, the car use ban is still effective with only odd license plate vehicles allowed to operate (carpool, emergency vehicles, hybrids and EV excluded). (Sharman, 2016 The Independent). And the same sort of ban has been implemented in the city of Lyon.

The spike in Paris air pollution was determined due to a combination of factors: household heating, transportation exhaust and windless weather conditions.

According to The World Health Organization (WHO) :

Ambient (outdoor air pollution) in both cities and rural areas was estimated to cause 3 million premature deaths worldwide per year in 2012; this mortality is due to exposure to small particulate matter of 10 microns or less in diameter (PM₁₀), which cause cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and cancers

References

Airparif – French Air quality standards

http://www.airparif.asso.fr/en/reglementation/normes-francaises
Durand, A. (Dec. 9, 2016) La pollution de l'air en 9 question - Le Monde.
http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/12/09/la-pollution-de-l-air-en-9-questions_5046076_4355770.html

Sharman, J (Dec. 8, 2016) Paris makes all public transport free in battle against 'worst air pollution for 10 years – The Independent

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-public-transport-free-air-pollution-spike-a7460191.html

Van Eeckhout, L. (Dec. 8, 2016) Qualité de l’air : de nouvelles limites d’émissions polluantes dans l’Union européenne – Le Monde
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/12/08/qualite-de-l-air-de-nouvelles-limites-d-emissions-polluantes-dans-l-union-europeenne_5045957_3244.html#kPxp7bAPvcC5pzM9.99

WHO – Fact Sheet: Ambient (outdoor) air quality and health

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/

Willshire, K. (Dec. 7, 2016) Paris bans cars for second day running as pollution chokes city - The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/07/paris-bans-cars-for-second-day-running-as-pollution-strikes

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Global warming and clean air (New Delhi)

And you thought that Los Angeles smog was bad! Here is what the worse air pollution on earth looks like in New Delhi.

On Nov. 1, 2016, the airborne pollution of particles measuring less than 2.5 microns (PM_2.5particulate matter < 2.5 microns) measured 1.2 ppm (or 1200 ɥg/m³ - micrograms per cubic meter of air), that is, 120 times more than the annual mean threshold (PM_2.5 = 10 ɥg/m³) set by the World Health organization for protecting public health, or close to 50 times more than the 24-hour mean average of 25 ɥg/m³ set by WHO for protection public health (WHO, 2005, p. 8).

Similarly, in comparison, the US EPA National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) sets the threshold level of PM_2.5 at 12 and 15 ɥg/m³ mean average for 3 years, respectively for primary and secondary air standards. Primary air standards are set to protect public health, including vulnerable populations such as the elderly, children and asthmatics. Secondary air standards are set to protect public welfare, including “protection against decreased visibility and damage to animals, crops, vegetation and buildings.” (US NAAQS)

For a 24 hour period, the EPA NAAQS for PM_2.5 is set at 35 ɥg/m³, for both primary and secondary air standards, averaged over three years. Thus, in New Delhi, on Nov 1, 2016, the air quality was about 35 times too dangerous even for buildings and vegetation, according to the EPA NAAQS standards. (US NAAQS)

And none of this is measuring any other pollutants, considered critical air quality criteria both by the US EPA NAAQS, and the WHO Air Quality Guidelines, such as levels of ozone (O₃), sulphur dioxide (SO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), lead (Pb) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂).

Nor does the particulate matter measurements include those “well-mixed” GHG gasses and emissions such as: “carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)” incorporated in Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act by the US Administration on Dec. 7, 2009, as “Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings” deemed threatening to the public health and welfare of current and future generations (Clean Air Act, Section 202(a), and Technical Report in support of the Findings). 👠

References

EPA – Table NAAQS – National Ambient Air Quality Standards

https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants/naaqs-table

US Clean Air Act (1990)

https://www.epa.gov/clean-air-act-overview

WHO Air quality Standards (2005 – English)

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/69477/1/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf

US Clean Air Act - Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under the Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act

https://www.epa.gov/climatechange/endangerment-and-cause-or-contribute-findings-greenhouse-gases-under-section-202a

Technical support for the findings on GHG appended to the Clean Air Act on Dec. 7, 2009
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-08/documents/endangerment_tsd.pdf

New Delhi suffoque dans un brouillard de pollution – Le Monde Nov. 7, 2016

http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/11/07/new-delhi-suffoque-dans-un-brouillard-de-pollution_5026655_3244.html