The reduction of pollution is the biggest challenge of the 21st century. From global climate change to the synergistic reactions of man made chemicals in the food supply, there are many fronts that require action from ordinary people all over the world. Thankfully, with concerted effort, it can be done.
At www.pullotionfree.info, you can get plenty of good advice on how to reduce your own pollution "footprint," with the eBook, "Reducing Pollution: Tips for Clean Living in the 21st Century." It outlines everything you need to know about reducing your impact and making the world a better place for everyone and everything through personal action, consumption patterns and even purchasing decisions.
Water pollution
While it was once thought that the waters of the world were so vast that no amount of pollution pumped into them could possibly make a difference. This is patently false, and these very pollutants are fed back into the human food chain by the animals and plants of the sea that people consume, bio-magnified in their tissues.
Soil contamination
Whether it's the leaking of an old oil pan or the very deliberate burial of toxic waste in drums that are sure to leak, the soil is home to a great many polluted sites, many of which are leaking their poisons into the groundwater supply, decades later.
Air pollution
Like the oceans, it has been thought that the sky is infinite and can hold all manner of pollutants. However, people have come to realize that this highly buffered system has a profound and delayed reaction to the invisible threats that have been emitted into what amounts to a single, closed system.
Toxic chemicals
While otherwise benign substances can become pollutants when the concentration becomes too great, some things are simply toxic from the start. Other items are safe on their own at even very high levels, but when they react with other safe chemical in small amounts, their synergistic byproducts are horrific.
Ecosystem degradation
Whether it's amphibians or people, an ecosystem is an infinitely complex web of life that is fundamental to health and survival. Pollution, in all its many and varied forms, is responsible for causing the sort of environmental degradation that threatens to unravel the tapestry of life on Earth.
Making the change
Even if you don't own your own factory, you can still make significant changes that drastically decrease your contribution to pollution. "Reducing Pollution: Tips for Clean Living in the 21st Century," and get started on fixing the problem where you live. link....
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
When It Comes To Going Green, People Want Smaller Gains Now, Not Bigger Gains Later
People make environmental choices the same way they manage money, preferring smaller gains right away to bigger gains later, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
This behavior reflects "delay discounting," a mental filter used to make decisions about current versus future gains and losses, David Hardisty, M.Phil., and Elke Weber, Ph.D., of Columbia University, report in the August Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. Just how much people downplay what would happen in the future is called the discount rate.
No matter what the context, discounting stems from three factors: a bias for the present; uncertainty; and projected free time, money or other resources (such as new "green" technologies), said the authors. "When we might gain, it's simple: Those three factors make us want that gain right away. When we might lose, there's a conflict," Hardisty said. "We want to get the loss behind us, yet we also want to put it off -- because we think it will be easier to pay later or the problem will somehow go away."
Hardisty and Weber found that the resulting, seemingly counterproductive tendency to accept smaller gains now over bigger gains later applies not only to finance, but also to environmental planning.
The researchers conducted three studies with 65, 118 and 146 participants, respectively. They presented participants with a series of situations, forcing them to choose between different outcomes involving air quality, mass transit, garbage pile-up from a workers' strike, and monetary gain and loss (for example, paying a parking ticket in a smaller amount now or a larger amount later).
As examples of the various scenarios presented, participants picked:
No matter what the context, discounting stems from three factors: a bias for the present; uncertainty; and projected free time, money or other resources (such as new "green" technologies), said the authors. "When we might gain, it's simple: Those three factors make us want that gain right away. When we might lose, there's a conflict," Hardisty said. "We want to get the loss behind us, yet we also want to put it off -- because we think it will be easier to pay later or the problem will somehow go away."
Hardisty and Weber found that the resulting, seemingly counterproductive tendency to accept smaller gains now over bigger gains later applies not only to finance, but also to environmental planning.
The researchers conducted three studies with 65, 118 and 146 participants, respectively. They presented participants with a series of situations, forcing them to choose between different outcomes involving air quality, mass transit, garbage pile-up from a workers' strike, and monetary gain and loss (for example, paying a parking ticket in a smaller amount now or a larger amount later).
As examples of the various scenarios presented, participants picked:
- 21 days of clean air now over 35 days of clean air next year;
- a short-term fix for mass transit now, instead of a long-term fix later;
- a $250 lottery win now over a $410 win a year later.
Previous studies found that people are not particularly rational about personal finance. For example, if they came into some cash while carrying two loans, they might completely pay off the smaller loan right away, even though they could instead start paying off the larger, higher-interest loan – a strategy that would reduce their overall interest.In the new studies, across scenarios, participants downplayed future gains significantly more than future losses. Employing a formula used by economists, "with our particular scenarios and measurement techniques, [we] found annualized discount rates that averaged out to roughly 34 percent for monetary and environmental gains and 9 percent for losses," Hardisty said.The findings make it possible to apply the large body of research on delay discounting of financial outcomes to environmental outcomes, which the authors said is "good news for researchers and policymakers alike."
This could mean framing environmental decisions as ways to avoid future loss rather than realize future gains, said Hardisty. For example, homeowners could be told that better insulation will help them avoid losing money to high utility bills, not that it will help them save -- a subtle but influential semantic change. Similarly, campaigns to encourage people to buy higher-cost fluorescent light bulbs could highlight how their use will reduce future energy costs – more loss avoidance.Finally, the discount rates in this study were dramatically higher than would be predicted by economic theory. For solid evidence -based policy, lawmakers and planners should consider how real people actually make choices, Weber said. link....
Ways To Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Transport
Security of supply and climate change are high on the global energy agenda. And the transport sector is no exception as virtually every means of transport by land, air and sea uses fossil fuels and thus emits CO2. Energy consumption for transport purposes represents 20% of the world’s total energy consumption.The most important thing is to introduce renewable energy in the transport sector and have the sector integrated in the energy system. By land, air and sea there are plenty of opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions.
By land
Private cars: The numbers of cars in the world are growing rapidly. In the short term it is possible to make the cars far more fuel efficient. In the longer term electric cars charged by wind turbines, for instance, seem to be a fine solution for the global energy system. In the long term, cars powered by fuel cells and hydrogen can supplement electric cars. Road charges can also help reduce CO2 emissions, regulate traffic and reduce local pollution. There should be emphasis on more kinds of alternative fuels, so that vital transport activities are not affected by supply failures.
Vans and trucks
By land
Private cars: The numbers of cars in the world are growing rapidly. In the short term it is possible to make the cars far more fuel efficient. In the longer term electric cars charged by wind turbines, for instance, seem to be a fine solution for the global energy system. In the long term, cars powered by fuel cells and hydrogen can supplement electric cars. Road charges can also help reduce CO2 emissions, regulate traffic and reduce local pollution. There should be emphasis on more kinds of alternative fuels, so that vital transport activities are not affected by supply failures.
Vans and trucks
So far diesel engines have been the most efficient way of freight transportation on highways. A good alternative could be gas. Today's battery technology is not suited for electrically powered trucks. However, the distribution of goods in cities can be done with small electric vans. Drivers can be trained in driving energy efficiently. Taxes and duties can provide better and smarter transport solutions with lower energy consumption.
By sea
International shipping: Accounts for 90% of the global transport of goods. In order to reduce CO2 emissions, shipping could be adjusted to a slower traffic, as well as a better planning of routes and logistics. This could save 10-15% of CO2 emissions. The ships can furthermore be constructed with better propellers, hulls with less water resistance and new types of smooth bottom paint be used. Wind and solar power can also be used together with better engine technology. This could save 10-15% of CO2 emissions. Thirdly, there can be legislation for achieving less CO2 emissions. This as well could save 10-15% of CO2 emissions from sea transport. To not distort competition, the legislation must be agreed on internationally.
By air
Passenger air transport: Passenger planes can become much more fuel efficient. Construction materials can be lighter. The air drag from planes can be reduced. Hydraulics can be replaced with electric engines. Solar energy can be used in a far better way. Efficient and climate-friendly fuel cells can produce electricity to all the electrical installations in the aircraft. Flight speed can be reduced, that is if the passengers are willing to accept longer flight times. As to routes under 800 kilometres, planes can be replaced with high-speed trains. Fossil fuels for aircraft engines can be replaced with biofuels.
The control of air traffic can be optimized so that planes avoid waiting at airports before departure or in the air before landing. The entire airspace can be used better, so that the planes do not have to criss-cross around the forbidden zones. Finally, you can legislate to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation, but it must happen in global agreement in order not to distort competition. link....
By sea
International shipping: Accounts for 90% of the global transport of goods. In order to reduce CO2 emissions, shipping could be adjusted to a slower traffic, as well as a better planning of routes and logistics. This could save 10-15% of CO2 emissions. The ships can furthermore be constructed with better propellers, hulls with less water resistance and new types of smooth bottom paint be used. Wind and solar power can also be used together with better engine technology. This could save 10-15% of CO2 emissions. Thirdly, there can be legislation for achieving less CO2 emissions. This as well could save 10-15% of CO2 emissions from sea transport. To not distort competition, the legislation must be agreed on internationally.
By air
Passenger air transport: Passenger planes can become much more fuel efficient. Construction materials can be lighter. The air drag from planes can be reduced. Hydraulics can be replaced with electric engines. Solar energy can be used in a far better way. Efficient and climate-friendly fuel cells can produce electricity to all the electrical installations in the aircraft. Flight speed can be reduced, that is if the passengers are willing to accept longer flight times. As to routes under 800 kilometres, planes can be replaced with high-speed trains. Fossil fuels for aircraft engines can be replaced with biofuels.
The control of air traffic can be optimized so that planes avoid waiting at airports before departure or in the air before landing. The entire airspace can be used better, so that the planes do not have to criss-cross around the forbidden zones. Finally, you can legislate to reduce CO2 emissions from aviation, but it must happen in global agreement in order not to distort competition. link....
Noise Pollution Negatively Affects Woodland Bird Communities
A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows that noise from natural gas well compressors negatively influences nesting bird populations in the area, a finding with implications for birds residing in ecological communities situated in the growing din of urban clamor. (Credit: Clinton Francis, University of Colorado).A new University of Colorado at Boulder study shows the strongest evidence yet that noise pollution negatively influences bird populations, findings with implications for the fate of ecological communities situated amid growing urban clamor.
The study also is the first to indicate that at least a few bird species opt for noisy areas over quiet ones, perhaps because of their vocalization pitches, a reduction in nest predators and less competition from other songbirds that prefer quiet environments.The three-year study compared nesting birds inhabiting pinyon-juniper woodland sites surrounding natural gas extraction sites and their noise-producing compressors with birds nesting in adjacent, quieter woodland sites. While bird species richness declined at noisy sites, the bird nesting success was higher there than in the nearby quiet sites, said CU-Boulder doctoral candidate Clinton Francis, lead author on a study published online July 23 in Current Biology.
"This is the first study to show that noise pollution causes changes in species interactions within bird communities," said Francis of CU-Boulder's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "Since noise pollution can be a major cause of declining bird diversity in and around urban areas, better noise control using quieter road surfaces and sound-reducing walls and berms should be considered to help preserve such communities."
Co-authors on the Current Biology study included CU-Boulder Professor Alex Cruz and Fort Lewis College faculty member Catherine Ortega, who received her doctorate from CU-Boulder under Cruz. The study was conducted in a parcel of woodland south of Durango, Colo., just over the New Mexico border.While other studies have shown noise pollution can have negative impacts on bird species, most have been conducted near heavily used roads, said Francis. The CU-Boulder study is one of the first conducted in a controlled environment -- the team worked with energy companies to shut down gas pad compressors for several hours each week, allowing researchers to identify individual nests and determine nesting success.The researchers found that 32 different bird species nested in the quiet areas undisturbed by noise pollution, while only 21 species were nesting in the noisy study sites. The team also found only three bird species nested exclusively at the noisy sites, while 14 different bird species nested only in the quiet sites, said Francis.Two bird species preferred the noisy sites, he said. Ninety-two percent of the black-chinned hummingbird nests and 94 percent of house finch nests in the two study areas were found at sites near noisy compressors. The two species accounted for 31 percent of the nests at the noisy sites, but less than 3 percent on the quiet sites, said Francis.
Francis said house finches and black-chinned hummingbirds produce vocalizations at higher acoustic frequencies than those generated by compressors, which may allow them to communicate above the "industrial rumble" and subsequently nest there, he said. Common in congested urban areas, house finches also are known to sing at higher frequencies in response to urban noise, said Francis.Higher nesting success at noisy sites by house finches, black-chinned hummingbirds and of other species was due to lower levels of predation by a major nemesis of the birds -- the western scrub jay -- which was shown to prefer the quiet woodland sites.Western scrub jays, which are known to prey on eggs and young of songbirds, play a key role in Southwest woodland ecology, said Francis. They were shown to be 32 percent more common in the quiet areas, perhaps in part because some of their vocalizations were in the same range as the compressor noise and inhibited communication.Since scrub jays frequently carry, eat and cache pine nuts and disperse them throughout Southwest woodland areas, a decrease in scrub jays in such areas could result in the decreased establishment of pinyon pine. This would potentially affect many organisms and alter the dynamics of the ecological community, said Francis.The team determined that 97 percent of mourning dove nests and 100 percent of black-headed grosbeak nests in the study area were found in the quiet areas away from the din of compressors. Francis said the low vocal frequencies of mourning doves and black-headed grosbeaks appear to overlap with most human-caused noises, which may inhibit vocal communication required for repelling rivals, pairing and nesting.The study indicated birds that were intolerant of noise and nested in quiet areas were subject to greater rate of nest predation than those in noisy areas, he said. Woodland birds that prefer noisy areas may even use the clamor of civilization as cues for nesting, since such noise might signal a reduction in potential predators.
The researchers also found that a number of bird species found in the noisy sites -- including gray flycatchers, gray vireos, black-throated gray warblers and spotted towhees -- tended to avoid areas of noise disturbance when selecting nesting sites."Understanding how birds respond to noise, especially birds with critical links to ecosystems, are crucial in maintaining biodiversity in growing areas of landscapes disturbed by urban clamor," said Francis.The study was funded by a number of organizations, including the Bureau of Land Management and the University of Colorado. link....
Co-authors on the Current Biology study included CU-Boulder Professor Alex Cruz and Fort Lewis College faculty member Catherine Ortega, who received her doctorate from CU-Boulder under Cruz. The study was conducted in a parcel of woodland south of Durango, Colo., just over the New Mexico border.While other studies have shown noise pollution can have negative impacts on bird species, most have been conducted near heavily used roads, said Francis. The CU-Boulder study is one of the first conducted in a controlled environment -- the team worked with energy companies to shut down gas pad compressors for several hours each week, allowing researchers to identify individual nests and determine nesting success.The researchers found that 32 different bird species nested in the quiet areas undisturbed by noise pollution, while only 21 species were nesting in the noisy study sites. The team also found only three bird species nested exclusively at the noisy sites, while 14 different bird species nested only in the quiet sites, said Francis.Two bird species preferred the noisy sites, he said. Ninety-two percent of the black-chinned hummingbird nests and 94 percent of house finch nests in the two study areas were found at sites near noisy compressors. The two species accounted for 31 percent of the nests at the noisy sites, but less than 3 percent on the quiet sites, said Francis.
Francis said house finches and black-chinned hummingbirds produce vocalizations at higher acoustic frequencies than those generated by compressors, which may allow them to communicate above the "industrial rumble" and subsequently nest there, he said. Common in congested urban areas, house finches also are known to sing at higher frequencies in response to urban noise, said Francis.Higher nesting success at noisy sites by house finches, black-chinned hummingbirds and of other species was due to lower levels of predation by a major nemesis of the birds -- the western scrub jay -- which was shown to prefer the quiet woodland sites.Western scrub jays, which are known to prey on eggs and young of songbirds, play a key role in Southwest woodland ecology, said Francis. They were shown to be 32 percent more common in the quiet areas, perhaps in part because some of their vocalizations were in the same range as the compressor noise and inhibited communication.Since scrub jays frequently carry, eat and cache pine nuts and disperse them throughout Southwest woodland areas, a decrease in scrub jays in such areas could result in the decreased establishment of pinyon pine. This would potentially affect many organisms and alter the dynamics of the ecological community, said Francis.The team determined that 97 percent of mourning dove nests and 100 percent of black-headed grosbeak nests in the study area were found in the quiet areas away from the din of compressors. Francis said the low vocal frequencies of mourning doves and black-headed grosbeaks appear to overlap with most human-caused noises, which may inhibit vocal communication required for repelling rivals, pairing and nesting.The study indicated birds that were intolerant of noise and nested in quiet areas were subject to greater rate of nest predation than those in noisy areas, he said. Woodland birds that prefer noisy areas may even use the clamor of civilization as cues for nesting, since such noise might signal a reduction in potential predators.
The researchers also found that a number of bird species found in the noisy sites -- including gray flycatchers, gray vireos, black-throated gray warblers and spotted towhees -- tended to avoid areas of noise disturbance when selecting nesting sites."Understanding how birds respond to noise, especially birds with critical links to ecosystems, are crucial in maintaining biodiversity in growing areas of landscapes disturbed by urban clamor," said Francis.The study was funded by a number of organizations, including the Bureau of Land Management and the University of Colorado. link....
Improved Air Quality During Beijing Olympics Could Inform Pollution-curbing Policies
A view of northwest Beijing on a smoggy day (top) and on a clear day (bottom). (Credit: Image courtesy of Cornell University) The air in Beijing during the 2008 Olympics was cleaner than the previous year's, due to aggressive efforts by the Chinese government to curtail traffic, increase emissions standards and halt construction in preparation for the games, according to a Cornell study.Led by Max Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, the study indicates that such measures as regulating traffic density and encouraging public transportation can have a significant impact on local air quality.
"We hope our study can help or advise local regulators and policymakers to adopt long-term sustainable emission controls to improve air quality," Zhang said. "That's our mission."
Published online July 11 in the journal Atmospheric Environment, the study was based on air quality readings before, during and after the Olympics. Leading up to the Olympics, the Chinese government barred more than 300,000 heavy-emission vehicles -- mostly trucks -- from the roads. The city also implemented rules in which only some people were allowed to drive on certain days based on their license plate numbers. As a result, close to 2 million vehicles were pulled from the roads. Other mandates involved halting construction and decreasing the use of coal in favor of natural gas for electricity.
In 2007 and 2008, the researchers collected air quality data from equipment installed at two elevations on a building in the heart of Beijing. They also tracked emissions from vehicles in different areas of the city by following randomly selected cars and trucks in a minivan equipped with sensitive instruments for detecting carbon particles, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and black carbon, or soot.
Among the researchers' conclusions: Black carbon pollution is significantly greater at ground level than at higher elevations, and diesel trucks are a major source of black carbon emission during the summer in Beijing. These particles are not only harmful to the lungs, but are also known to be a global warming compound, Zhang said.The researchers found that car emissions of black carbon were down 33 percent in 2008 compared with their 2007 readings. Carbon dioxide decreased 47 percent, and ultrafine carbon-based particles -- those that measure less than 100 nanometers -- decreased 78 percent. The sharp drops were most likely due to a new emission standard implemented in Beijing in 2008, in which all new registered vehicles as well as gasoline and diesel fuel engines were required to achieve emissions standards equivalent to European Union regulations. A similar standard was mandated starting in June 2008 for 20,000 buses and 66,000 taxies. The improved fuel quality probably enhanced the performance of engines and catalytic converters, the researchers reported.
"We are showing what the city can do if they are determined to improve air quality," Zhang said.
The study, whose first author was graduate student Xing Wang, was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Cornell's Jeffrey Sean Lehman Fund for Scholarly Exchange with China. link....
"We hope our study can help or advise local regulators and policymakers to adopt long-term sustainable emission controls to improve air quality," Zhang said. "That's our mission."
Published online July 11 in the journal Atmospheric Environment, the study was based on air quality readings before, during and after the Olympics. Leading up to the Olympics, the Chinese government barred more than 300,000 heavy-emission vehicles -- mostly trucks -- from the roads. The city also implemented rules in which only some people were allowed to drive on certain days based on their license plate numbers. As a result, close to 2 million vehicles were pulled from the roads. Other mandates involved halting construction and decreasing the use of coal in favor of natural gas for electricity.
In 2007 and 2008, the researchers collected air quality data from equipment installed at two elevations on a building in the heart of Beijing. They also tracked emissions from vehicles in different areas of the city by following randomly selected cars and trucks in a minivan equipped with sensitive instruments for detecting carbon particles, including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and black carbon, or soot.
Among the researchers' conclusions: Black carbon pollution is significantly greater at ground level than at higher elevations, and diesel trucks are a major source of black carbon emission during the summer in Beijing. These particles are not only harmful to the lungs, but are also known to be a global warming compound, Zhang said.The researchers found that car emissions of black carbon were down 33 percent in 2008 compared with their 2007 readings. Carbon dioxide decreased 47 percent, and ultrafine carbon-based particles -- those that measure less than 100 nanometers -- decreased 78 percent. The sharp drops were most likely due to a new emission standard implemented in Beijing in 2008, in which all new registered vehicles as well as gasoline and diesel fuel engines were required to achieve emissions standards equivalent to European Union regulations. A similar standard was mandated starting in June 2008 for 20,000 buses and 66,000 taxies. The improved fuel quality probably enhanced the performance of engines and catalytic converters, the researchers reported.
"We are showing what the city can do if they are determined to improve air quality," Zhang said.
The study, whose first author was graduate student Xing Wang, was funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Cornell's Jeffrey Sean Lehman Fund for Scholarly Exchange with China. link....
Industrial Air Pollution Worse Than Vehicle Exhaust For Breathing Problems In Children
Increasing numbers of children around the world are suffering from respiratory problems – coughing, wheezing and asthma attacks. Although the key external causes of these diseases were identified a long time ago (traffic and industrial air pollution), it had not previously been possible to distinguish clearly between these two factors so as to have a targeted impact on them.Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and the University of Leipzig carried out research in this area together with colleagues from the University of La Plata and can now confirm that air pollution caused by industry has even more grave effects than vehicle exhaust fumes.
The recently completed study on 'Combined effects of airborne pollutants as risk factors for environmental diseases' was conducted as part of a long-standing collaborative venture, supported by the international office of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, between the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the University of Leipzig and the University of La Plata in Argentina. The results have been published in several journals, including the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Toxicology.
The UFZ researchers, who work in the Division of Health Research in Leipzig, concentrated on three courses of analysis: "Firstly," says Leipzig-based biologist Andrea Müller, "we used measurement techniques to draw accurate conclusions about the actual pollution of breathing air. We filtered out particulate matter of different grain sizes, polycyclic aromatic compounds, such as benzo(a)pyrene, that adhere to these particles, and volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and hexane. Secondly, we tested their toxic and mutagenic properties. We selected four comparative source regions: a residential area in the immediate vicinity of Argentina's largest oil refinery, an area with heavy traffic in the centre of La Plata, a suburban area and a rural area."
The children whose health formed the basis of the third course of analysis were selected from the same four areas. Around 1200 girls and boys aged between six and twelve were involved in the research that lasted about two years. With a parent-completed questionnaire data about the children's health symptoms were asked, such as coughs, wheezing, pneumonia and asthma attacks. Some of the children from each of the four regions were also invited to take a lung function test by the local paediatricians involved in the project. During the test the children were asked to blow into measuring devices – first hard and then slowly. This provided a measurement of the extent to which their bronchial tubes were constricted and therefore limited in function.
When all these measurements were concluded in La Plata at the end of 2006, thousands of pieces of data had to be compiled and correlated. It is possible to draw some notable conclusions from the columns of numbers and tables. They show, for instance, that the different respiratory disease symptoms in the industrial areas included in the study affect between a quarter and a third of all children. In the suburbs and in the countryside only half as many children tend to be affected and even in the city centre only around one or two per cent more children are affected than in the relatively unpolluted areas. The lung function of children from the industrial area was also significantly impaired. The researchers had not been expecting to find such a marked contrast.
Key culprits also appear to have been filtered out of the mass of pollutants. "Using novel statistical techniques, we identified the fingerprint of the industrial pollution in all sampled areas," says Leipzig-based meteorologist Dr. Uwe Schlink, explaining the analysis. "The level of the pollution, however, depends on the distance, season and weather situation. With an annual average of 20 micrograms of benzene per cubic metre air measured in the industrial areas of La Plata, but only 2.9 at traffic junctions in the city and 1.9 in rural areas, the health risk of industrial emissions is clear."
However, the research was about more than drawing scientific conclusions about which pollutants are the main cause of health problems. The researchers in Leipzig and their Argentinean colleagues in particular, were and still are working to raise public awareness of their research findings. They do this through parents' meetings at schools associated with the project and through lectures at the University of La Plata, through international publications and by lobbying government authorities and businesses. "At least we have helped change things for children in La Plata already," Andrea Müller is pleased to report: Because the chemical companies felt under pressure, they are now modernising their plants. "What would be interesting now would be to see how quickly the air pollution diminishes and to what extent children's health improves as a result. Whether the total mass of particulates or the number of particles per cubic centimetre is more important in terms of health problems and how we can influence climate impacts are also very topical questions," says physicist Dr Ulrich Franck. "In any case, we will continue to research these topics also in other cities around the world." link....
The recently completed study on 'Combined effects of airborne pollutants as risk factors for environmental diseases' was conducted as part of a long-standing collaborative venture, supported by the international office of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, between the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), the University of Leipzig and the University of La Plata in Argentina. The results have been published in several journals, including the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and Toxicology.
The UFZ researchers, who work in the Division of Health Research in Leipzig, concentrated on three courses of analysis: "Firstly," says Leipzig-based biologist Andrea Müller, "we used measurement techniques to draw accurate conclusions about the actual pollution of breathing air. We filtered out particulate matter of different grain sizes, polycyclic aromatic compounds, such as benzo(a)pyrene, that adhere to these particles, and volatile organic compounds, such as benzene and hexane. Secondly, we tested their toxic and mutagenic properties. We selected four comparative source regions: a residential area in the immediate vicinity of Argentina's largest oil refinery, an area with heavy traffic in the centre of La Plata, a suburban area and a rural area."
The children whose health formed the basis of the third course of analysis were selected from the same four areas. Around 1200 girls and boys aged between six and twelve were involved in the research that lasted about two years. With a parent-completed questionnaire data about the children's health symptoms were asked, such as coughs, wheezing, pneumonia and asthma attacks. Some of the children from each of the four regions were also invited to take a lung function test by the local paediatricians involved in the project. During the test the children were asked to blow into measuring devices – first hard and then slowly. This provided a measurement of the extent to which their bronchial tubes were constricted and therefore limited in function.
When all these measurements were concluded in La Plata at the end of 2006, thousands of pieces of data had to be compiled and correlated. It is possible to draw some notable conclusions from the columns of numbers and tables. They show, for instance, that the different respiratory disease symptoms in the industrial areas included in the study affect between a quarter and a third of all children. In the suburbs and in the countryside only half as many children tend to be affected and even in the city centre only around one or two per cent more children are affected than in the relatively unpolluted areas. The lung function of children from the industrial area was also significantly impaired. The researchers had not been expecting to find such a marked contrast.
Key culprits also appear to have been filtered out of the mass of pollutants. "Using novel statistical techniques, we identified the fingerprint of the industrial pollution in all sampled areas," says Leipzig-based meteorologist Dr. Uwe Schlink, explaining the analysis. "The level of the pollution, however, depends on the distance, season and weather situation. With an annual average of 20 micrograms of benzene per cubic metre air measured in the industrial areas of La Plata, but only 2.9 at traffic junctions in the city and 1.9 in rural areas, the health risk of industrial emissions is clear."
However, the research was about more than drawing scientific conclusions about which pollutants are the main cause of health problems. The researchers in Leipzig and their Argentinean colleagues in particular, were and still are working to raise public awareness of their research findings. They do this through parents' meetings at schools associated with the project and through lectures at the University of La Plata, through international publications and by lobbying government authorities and businesses. "At least we have helped change things for children in La Plata already," Andrea Müller is pleased to report: Because the chemical companies felt under pressure, they are now modernising their plants. "What would be interesting now would be to see how quickly the air pollution diminishes and to what extent children's health improves as a result. Whether the total mass of particulates or the number of particles per cubic centimetre is more important in terms of health problems and how we can influence climate impacts are also very topical questions," says physicist Dr Ulrich Franck. "In any case, we will continue to research these topics also in other cities around the world." link....
Industrial Air Pollution Worse Than Vehicle Exhaust For Breathing Problems In Children
Pine trees grown for 12 years in air one-and-a-half times richer in carbon dioxide than today's levels produced twice as many seeds of at least as good a quality as those growing under normal conditions, a Duke University-led research team reported Aug. 3 at a national ecology conference.Carbon dioxide readings that high are expected everywhere by mid-century. The findings suggest some woody tree species could, in the future, out-compete grasses and other herbaceous plants that scientists had previously found can also produce more seeds under high-CO2, but of inferior quality."Even if both groups were producing twice as many seeds, if the trees are producing high-quality seeds and the herbaceous species aren't, then competitively you can get a shift," said Danielle Way, a Duke post-doctoral researcher.Way is scheduled to present the results at a poster session on Aug. 3 during the Ecological Society of America's 2009 annual meeting in Albuquerque, N.M. She is also first author of a report on the study scheduled for publication in the research journal Global Change Biology.Way and her co-researchers collected, counted and analyzed seeds produced at the Duke Free Air CO2 Enrichment (FACE) site in Duke Forest, near the university's campus. There, growing parcels of loblolly pine trees have been receiving elevated amounts of CO2 around the clock since 1997 in a Department of Energy-funded project designed to simulate natural growing conditions.
Their analysis found the high-CO2 loblolly seeds were similar in nutrient content, germination and growth potential to seeds from trees growing under present-day CO2 concentrations. "If anything, they actually seem to be slightly better seeds rather than more seeds of poorer quality," Way said."The notion here is that if the trees are producing more high-quality seeds at high CO2 compared to grasses and herbs, then the trees may be at an advantage," added study participant Robert Jackson. Jackson is Way's advisor at Duke, where he is a biology professor, as well as professor of global environmental change at the university's Nicholas School of the Environment.The ultimate competitive outcome will depend on how other trees comparatively respond to high-CO2, said James Clark, another Duke biology professor and Nicholas School professor of the environment who also participated in the study. "We don't know that yet, because we only have estimates for loblolly pines," Clark said. link....
Their analysis found the high-CO2 loblolly seeds were similar in nutrient content, germination and growth potential to seeds from trees growing under present-day CO2 concentrations. "If anything, they actually seem to be slightly better seeds rather than more seeds of poorer quality," Way said."The notion here is that if the trees are producing more high-quality seeds at high CO2 compared to grasses and herbs, then the trees may be at an advantage," added study participant Robert Jackson. Jackson is Way's advisor at Duke, where he is a biology professor, as well as professor of global environmental change at the university's Nicholas School of the Environment.The ultimate competitive outcome will depend on how other trees comparatively respond to high-CO2, said James Clark, another Duke biology professor and Nicholas School professor of the environment who also participated in the study. "We don't know that yet, because we only have estimates for loblolly pines," Clark said. link....
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