Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution

"Emission Control Area" Means Healthier Air for Millions of Americans

WASHINGTON, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report released today finds that more than 87 million Americans live in port areas that are not meeting federal health-based air quality standards. The report, Protecting American Health from Global Shipping Pollution, documents the public health effects associated with air pollution from global shipping, including container ships, tankers, cruise ships, and bulk carriers. The report, released by the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, is available online at: www.edf.org/documents/9466_ECA_report_March2009.pdf.

The coalition strongly encourages and supports action by the U.S. government that to apply to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the establishment of an Emission Control Area: an area where rigorous pollution limits apply to global shipping activity. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will announce the U.S. application to the IMO during a noon news conference today in Port Newark, NJ. Foreign-flagged vessels make 90 percent of the ship calls on U.S. ports. Leading researchers estimate that shipping pollution is associated with 60,000 global deaths annually. EPA's Analysis shows that the establishment of an Emission Control Area could dramatically reduce lethal particulate pollution in U.S. coastal communities.

COALITION STATEMENTS

Statement of Captain Charles D. Connor, U.S. Navy (Ret.), American Lung Association President and CEO: "In my career as a U.S. Navy Captain, I saw firsthand the staggering amounts of pollution that cruise ships, container ships, tankers and other ocean-going vessels released into the atmosphere. These ships dock at more than 100 ports along our coastline and along navigable waterways far inland. Their smog- and soot-forming emissions threaten the health of those living far from our nation's maritime ports."

Statement of Vickie Patton, Deputy General Counsel, Environmental Defense Fund: "The dangerous air pollution from these floating smokestacks is a serious health threat to tens of millions of Americans who live and work in port cities. Cleaning up these big ships will chart a course for cleaner air and healthier communities."

Statement of Bill Becker, Executive Director, National Association of Clean Air Agencies: "These big ships are big emitters. We need all hands on deck to help state and local air pollution control officials reduce the pollution from global shipping and restore healthier air in our communities."

Statement of Dennis McLerran, Executive Director, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: "Approval of an Emission Control Area for the coasts of North America at the earliest possible date will save hundreds of lives across the U.S. and Canada. In the Pacific Northwest, ocean-going ships travel hundreds of miles inland before reaching the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma and we will see significant air quality improvements in a wide area of Washington State when an ECA is put in place."

BACKGROUND

An Emission Control Area, or ECA, would provide the strongest clean air standards available under international law. It would dramatically improve fuel quality and reduce smog-forming oxides of nitrogen for all ocean-going ships in the exclusive economic zone of the United States, an area that typically extends about 200 nautical miles from the coast. To secure these vital protections, the U.S. government must submit an application to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) demonstrating the need to prevent, reduce and control global shipping emissions. The IMO would review the application at its July meeting and take final action on the U.S. request in 2010.

Container ships, tankers and the other large sea-going vessels that dock at more than 100 U.S. port cities burn low grade "residual fuel" or "bunker fuel" that is a major source of air pollution, including the formation of particulate pollution. Residual fuel contains sulfur levels 1,800 times greater than U.S. law allows for other diesel engines. A recent study by two leading researchers on shipping pollution, Corbett and Winebrake, shows shipping-related particulate pollution contributes to approximately 60,000 global deaths annually, with impacts concentrated in coastal regions on major trade routes.

In October 2008, the IMO, with active participation from the U.S. government, adopted new baseline global emission standards for ocean-going ships and their fuel. The IMO also provided for more rigorous, heightened protections in designated Emission Control Areas (ECAs). The fuel used to power these ships currently contains about 27,000 parts per million (ppm) of sulfur. In an ECA, the sulfur in fuel will be limited to 10,000 ppm in August 2012 and then to 1,000 ppm in January 2015.

Within an ECA, ships must also achieve an 80 percent reduction in smog-forming oxides of nitrogen starting in 2016.

EPA air quality analyses shows the pollution reductions required in an ECA will reduce exposure to lethal particulate pollution for millions of Americans.

Ocean-going ships contribute to unhealthy air quality across the United States. According to EPA, in 2001, these large ships emitted approximately:
- 745,000 tons of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen, a precursor to ground-level ozone. Ozone can aggravate asthma and decrease lung function in addition to other health effects;
- 450,000 tons of sulfur dioxide, a key contributor to acid rain that can also be transformed into lethal particulate matter; and
- 54,000 tons of fine particulates, microscopic sized particles, which can be breathed deep into the lungs, bypassing the body's defense systems. They are implicated in thousands of premature deaths each year. Other harmful health effects also result from breathing fine particulates.

Ocean-going ships are also responsible for about 3 percent of the world's total greenhouse gas pollution.

American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The American Lung Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy. For more information, visit http://www.lungusa.org/.

Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 500,000 members. Since 1967, Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. For more information, visit http://www.edf.org/.

National Association of Clean Air Agencies comprises the air pollution control agencies in 53 states and territories and over 165 metropolitan areas across the country. NACAA's members have primary responsibility for ensuring that everyone in our nation breathes clean, healthful air. For more information, visit http://www.4cleanair.org/.

Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is the regional air quality agency for the area including the major container ports of Seattle and Tacoma, Washington. We work together the clean the air we breathe and protect our climate through education, incentives and enforcement. For more information, visit http://www.pscleanair.org/.

Inhaling A Heart Attack: How Air Pollution Can Cause Heart Disease

BETHESDA, Md. (March 18, 2009) We are used to thinking of heart disease as a product of genetic factors or lifestyle choices, such as what we eat and how much we exercise. There is another road to heart disease: breathing.

Accumulating evidence indicates that an increase in particulate air pollution is associated with an increase in heart attacks and deaths. Research has begun in the relatively new field of environmental cardiology -- a field that examines the relationship between air pollution and heart disease.

Aruni Bhatnagar of the University of Louisville and Robert Brook of the University of Michigan have organized a symposium Environmental Factors in Heart Disease, to take place April 21 at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans. The American Physiological Society is one of the sponsors of the annual conference. Dr. Bhatnagar will speak on Environmental aldehydes exposure and cardiovascular disease, while Dr. Brook will give a talk on Environmental pollution and hypertension. In addition, Araujo Jesus of UCLA will speak on Exacerbation of experimental atherogenesis by ultrafine air pollution, and Murray Mittleman of the Harvard School of Public Health will speak on Air pollution and stroke.

There have been a number of studies connecting pollution with heart disease:
- A study of six U.S. cities found that people died earlier when they lived in cities with higher pollution levels. A majority of these deaths were due to heart disease.
- A study of 250 metropolitan areas around the world found a spike in air pollution is followed by a spike in heart attacks.
- A study in Salt Lake City found that when a nearby steel mill shut down for a period of months, there was a 4-6% drop in mortality. The mortality rose to previous levels when the steel mill reopened.

The people who seem to be most susceptible to environmental pollutants are the people who are already vulnerable, including the elderly and people with coronary artery disease. There is also some evidence that diabetics, women and people who are obese may be at greater risk.

Identifying harmful pollutants
Researchers are trying to find out which pollutants are harmful and how the harmful pollutants work to damage the cardiovascular system. They have focused on smaller, microscopic particles that can get into the lungs and may gain entrance to the blood stream. (The upper airway filters out larger particles that are in smog and other air pollutants before they can cause a problem.)

In addition, researchers have focused on air pollutants, including:
- ozone
- nitrates
- sulfates
- metals
- aldehydes

One intriguing statistic is that the risk of heart attack increases in parallel with time spent in traffic the previous day. In animal experiments, Dr. Bhatnagar has found that aldehydes -- a toxic class of chemicals found in most forms of smoke, including cigarette smoke and car exhaust -- increase blood cholesterol levels and activate enzymes that cause plaque in the blood vessels to rupture. When plaque ruptures, it can cause a blood clot, which may block an artery and lead to a heart attack.

Much of Robert Brook’s research has centered on the relationship between air pollution and hypertension. Fine- and ultra-fine particles that get into the lung may make their way into the blood vessels. Within 15 minutes of inhaling pollutants, there is a very rapid increase in blood pressure, he said.

Blood vessels react to the pollutants by producing an inflammatory response to attack the foreign matter. However, the inflammatory response itself can set off a complex physiological reaction that is harmful to the blood vessels, Dr. Brook said.

Lessons learned
If you live in an area where pollution levels may be high, you can take steps to reduce the risk of air pollution, Dr. Brook said. During times when air quality is unhealthy, exercise indoors, because indoor air is filtered. If you exercise outdoors, particularly if you’re at risk for heart disease, do it when pollutants are at lower levels. Avoid peak traffic times.

The work in environmental cardiology goes on and these researchers, and others, will gather together at Experimental Biology to share their ideas and research findings and plan the next steps in fighting environmental heart disease.

A fuller audio interview is available in Episode 17 of the APS podcast, Life Lines, at: Click here.

You can also find out more about the symposium at: Click here.

BYU-HSPH Study Shows That Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air

A new study by researchers at Brigham Young University and Harvard School of Public Health shows that average life expectancy in 51 U.S. cities increased nearly three years over recent decades, and approximately five months of that increase came thanks to cleaner air.

"Such a significant increase in life expectancy attributable to reducing air pollution is remarkable," said C. Arden Pope III, a BYU epidemiologist and lead author on the study in the Jan. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "We find that we're getting a substantial return on our investments in improving our air quality. Not only are we getting cleaner air that improves our environment, but it is improving our public health."

The study is available on the NEJM website: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/360/4/376

The research matched two sets of data from 51 cities across the nation: changes in air pollution between about 1980 and about 2000; and residents' life expectancies during those years. The scientists applied advanced statistical models to account for other factors that could affect average life spans, such as changes in population, income, education, migration, demographics and cigarette smoking.

In cities that had previously been the most polluted and cleaned up the most, the cleaner air added approximately 10 months to the average resident's life. On average, Americans were living 2.72 years longer at the end of the two-decade study period; up to five months, or 15 percent, of that increase came because of reduced air pollution. Other studies show that these gains are likely coming from reductions in the cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary disease that typically accompany air pollution.

"There is an important positive message here that the efforts to reduce particulate air pollution concentrations in the United States over the past 20 years have led to substantial and measurable improvements in life expectancy," said study co-author Douglas Dockery, chair of the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard School of Public Health.

Pope and Dockery have teamed with other researchers on landmark studies published in the early 1990s that revealed the negative health effects of particulate air pollution known as "PM2.5" - tiny pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, smaller than 4/100 the width of a human hair. The Environmental Protection Agency used those and related studies as the basis for tightening air pollution standards in 1997.

The latest study evaluated the impact of resulting decreases in particulate pollution on average life spans in cities for which air pollution data were available. In fact, researchers had to build life expectancy data for the 214 counties that are part of the study's 51 metropolitan areas.

"Life expectancy is the single most comprehensive summary of how people's longevity is affected by factors like air pollution that cause early death," said co-author Majid Ezzati, associate professor of international health at Harvard School of Public Health. "We were able to use routine mortality statistics to track longevity in all cities over a long period of time and analyze how it has been influenced by changes in air pollution."

The analysis found that for every decrease of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate pollution in a city, its residents' average life expectancy increased by more than seven months. During the 1980s and 1990s the average PM2.5 levels in the 51 U.S. cities studied dropped from 21 to 14 micrograms per cubic meter. In cities such as Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the decrease was closer to 14 micrograms per cubic meter.

The research also observed gains in life expectancy even in cities that initially had relatively clean air but had further improvements in air quality, suggesting the continuing benefits to ongoing efforts to reduce air pollution.

The researchers emphasized that there are other important and often overlapping factors that influence life expectancy, but this study demonstrated that improvements in air quality can contribute to significant and measurable improvements in life expectancy.

The study was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of Schools of Public Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Mary Lou Fulton Professorship at BYU.

Many U.S. Public Schools in ‘Air Pollution Danger Zone’

Cincinnati—One in three U.S. public schools are in the “air pollution danger zone,” according to new research from the University of Cincinnati (UC). UC researchers have found that more than 30 percent of American public schools are within 400 meters, or a quarter mile, of major highways that consistently serve as main truck and traffic routes.

Research has shown that proximity to major highways—and thus environmental pollutants, such as aerosolizing diesel exhaust particles—can leave school-age children more susceptible to respiratory diseases later in life.

“This is a major public health concern that should be given serious consideration in future urban development, transportation planning and environmental policies,” says Sergey Grinshpun, PhD, principal investigator of the study and professor of environmental health at UC.

To protect the health of young children with developing lungs, he says new schools should be built further from major highways.

“Health risk can be mitigated through proper urban planning, but that doesn’t erase the immediate risk to school-age children attending schools that are too close to highways right now,” he adds. “Existing schools should be retrofitted with air filtration systems that will reduce students’ exposure to traffic pollutants.”

The UC-led team reports its findings in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, an international scientific journal. This is believed to be the first national study of school proximity and health risks associated with major roadways.
For this study, Grinshpun’s team conducted a survey of major metropolitan areas representative of all geographical regions of the United States: Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Denver, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis and San Antonio.

More than 8,800 schools representing 6 million students were included in the survey. Primary data was collected through the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

Schools within this data set were then geocoded to accurately calculate distance to the nearest interstate, U.S. highway or state highway.

Past research on highway-related air pollution exposure has focused on residences located close to major roads. Grinshpun points out, however, that school-age children spend more than 30 percent of their day on school grounds—in classrooms, after-school care or extracurricular activities.

“For many years, our focus has been on homes when it comes to air pollution. School attendance may result in a large dose of inhaled traffic pollutants that—until now—have been completely overlooked,” he adds.

These past studies suggest this proximity to highway traffic puts school-age children at an increased risk for asthma and respiratory problems later in life from air pollutants and aeroallergens.

This includes research from the UC Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS) which has reported that exposure to traffic pollutants in close proximity to main roads has been associated with increased risk for asthma and other chronic respiratory problems during childhood. Grinshpun’s team found that public school students were more likely to attend schools near major highways compared to the general population. Researchers say the rapid expansion of metropolitan areas in recent years—deemed “urban sprawl”—seems to be associated with the consistent building of schools near highways.

“Major roads play an important role in the economy, but we need to strike a balance between economic and health considerations as we break ground on new areas,” says Alexandra Appatova, the study’s first author. “Policymakers need to develop new effective strategies that would encourage urban planners to reconsider our current infrastructure, particularly when it comes to building new schools and maintaining existing ones.”

The state of California, for example, has passed a law prohibiting the building of new schools within 500 feet (168 meters) of a busy road. New Jersey is moving a bill through the legislature to require highway entrance and exit ramps to be at least 1,000 feet from schools.

This study was funded in part by grants from UC’s Center for Sustainable Urban Engineering and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. UC’s Patrick Ryan, PhD, and Grace LeMasters, PhD, also participated in this study. Appatova was an intern in UC’s department of environmental health when the study was being conducted.

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European Commission Requests Information from Member States on Airborne Particles Pollution

The European Commission has written to 23 Member States to request information on what action they are taking to comply with the EU's air quality standard for dangerous airborne particles known as PM10. These coarse particles, emitted by industry and traffic, can cause asthma, cardiovascular problems, lung cancer and premature death. The Commission's action follows the entry into force on 11 June of the major new EU air quality directive, which allows Member States to request limited extra time to meet the PM10 standard under certain conditions.

Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for Environment, said: 'Air pollution has serious impacts on health and compliance with the standards must be our utmost priority. The entry into force of the new Directive on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe marks a new phase in the implementation and enforcement of air quality standards.'

Time extensions
The new directive[1] (see MEMO07/571 and IP/08/570) establishes ambitious, cost-effective targets for improving human health and environmental quality up to 2020. However, in recognition of the difficulty many Member States face in complying with some EU air quality standards, it also allows for the possibility of limited time extensions for compliance. In the case of PM10, for which the mandatory standard has been in force since 2005, this time extension can run until 10 June 2011. It is estimated that on average 40% of air quality zones in the EU currently do not comply with the PM10 standard.

Time extensions will be granted only for zones that satisfy the conditions laid down in the directive, which relate to external factors over which the Member States have no direct control, such as transboundary contributions, and adverse climatic conditions. Outside these areas the air quality standards must be fully complied with already.

On 26 June the Commission adopted a Communication[2] providing guidance to Member States wishing to request time extensions. In assessing notifications for such requests, the Commission will look specifically at the efforts undertaken by Member States to comply by the initial deadline, ie 1 January 2005 in the case of PM10. The Commission must also be convinced that full compliance will be achieved at the expiry of the time extension period.

In the light of this guidance, the Commission has written to the 23 Member States that reported exceedances of the limit value for PM10 in 2006, asking them to provide information by 30 September 2008 on the steps they are taking to achieve compliance. This concerns all Member States except Ireland and Luxembourg, which reported no exceedances of the PM10 standard in 2006, and Bulgaria and Romania, which did not join the EU until 2007.

In the letters, the Commission makes clear that Member States are expected to notify requests for time extensions by 31 October 2008. Failure either to achieve compliance with the standard or to submit notifications by that date will lead to legal action against the Member State concerned.

PM10 standard
The PM10 standard consists of two limit values:
- a concentration of 50 micrograms (µg)/m3, measured over 24 hours; this can be exceeded on no more than 35 days per year
- a concentration of 40 µg/m3, measured over one year; no exceedance is allowed.

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Breathing Dust and Soot Raises Risk of Stroke

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, June 2, 2008 - Short-term exposure to low levels of particulate air pollution may increase the risk of stroke or mini-stroke, according to new research conducted in Texas that suggests current exposure standards are not sufficient to protect the public. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.

The study examined particulate air pollution in the southeast Texas community of Corpus Christi where there is a large petroleum and petrochemical industry presence.

The results showed what the researchers called "borderline significant associations" between same day and previous day exposures to fine particulate matter and risk of ischemic strokes.

Ischemic (is-skeem-ic) stroke occurs when an artery to the brain is blocked.

In the study, researchers identified ischemic strokes and also transient ischemic attacks, or TIA, sometimes called mini strokes, that often lead to a stroke later.

Findings suggest that recent exposure to fine particulate matter may increase the risk of these types of stroke events specifically.

Particulate matter is a combination of fine solids such as dirt, soil dust, pollens, molds, ashes, and soot; and aerosols that are formed in the atmosphere from gaseous combustion by-products such as volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.

Particulate pollution comes from such diverse sources as factory and utility smokestacks, vehicle exhaust, wood burning, mining, construction activity, and agriculture.

"The vast majority of the public is exposed to ambient air pollution at the levels observed in this community or greater every day, suggesting a potentially large public health impact," said Lynda Lisabeth, lead author and assistant professor in the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where the research is based.

Despite the fossil fuel industry in the area, fine particulate matter exposures were low relative to other regions of the country, the researchers said probably because of the proximity to the coast and prevailing wind patterns.

Lisabeth stressed that the association requires further study in other areas with varying climates and alternative study designs.

Ischemic stroke is by far the most common kind of stroke, accounting for about 88 percent of all strokes. Stroke can affect people of all ages, including children.

Many people with ischemic strokes are 60 or older, and the risk of stroke increases as people age. At each age, stroke is more common in men than women, and it is more common among African-Americans than white Americans.

For this study, researchers looked at data from the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi Project, a population-based stroke surveillance project designed to capture all strokes in Nueces County, Texas.

Ischemic stroke and TIA cases between 2001 and 2005 were identified using trained staff and later verified by neurologists.

Daily historical air pollutant and meteorological data were obtained for the same time period from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's Monitoring Operations database.

Data on fine particulate matter and ozone from a centrally located monitor in Corpus Christi located upwind of the local industrial facilities was used in the study.

The majority of stroke and TIA cases were found to be located upwind of local chemical plants and refineries.

Some research has shown that particulate air pollution is associated with acute artery vasoconstriction and with increased thickening of the blood, which may enhance the potential for blood clots.

Similar associations were also seen with ozone, another type of air pollution.

This study confirms earlier research showing that exposure to fine particle matter air pollution increases a person's risk for hospital admission for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

The study, "Ambient Air Pollution and Risk of Ischemic Stroke and TIA," will be published in the July 2008 issue of Annals of Neurology http://www.interscience.wiley.com/, the official journal of the American Neurological Association.

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Particulates Cause More Premature Deaths than Previously Thought

More premature deaths than previously thought from particles in vehicle exhaust New research reveals significant new information

The California Air Resources Board was presented with research today showing long-term exposures to fine particle pollution pose a greater health threat than previously estimated.

Annually, 14,000 to 24,000 premature deaths are estimated to be associated with exposures to PM2.5, a mix of microscopic particles less than 2.5 microns in size. A majority of these deaths occur in highly populated areas around the state, including the South Coast, San Joaquin Valley and San Francisco Bay air basins.

"Particle pollution is a silent killer," said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols. "We must work even harder to cut these life-shortening emissions by further addressing pollution sources head-on."
Particulate matter (PM) is a complex blend of substances ranging from dry solid fragments, solid-cores fragments with liquid coatings, and small droplets of liquid. These particles vary in shape, size and chemical composition, and may include metals, soot, soil and dust.

At the request of the board in 2006, ARB researchers carefully reviewed all scientific studies on the subject and consulted with health scientists. While exposures to particulate matter have long been known as a serious health threat, new information suggests that the pollutant is even more toxic than previously thought.

Hospitalizations, emergency room visits and doctor visits for respiratory illnesses or heart disease have been associated with PM2.5 exposure. Other studies suggest that PM2.5 exposure may influence asthma symptoms and acute and chronic bronchitis.

Children, the elderly and people with pre-existing chronic disease are most at risk of experiencing adverse health effects from PM2.5 exposure. Even small increases in PM2.5 exposures may increase health risks.

Major contributors to PM2.5 include trucks, passenger cars, off-road equipment, electric power generation and industrial processes, residential wood burning, and forest and agricultural burning. All combustion processes generally produce PM2.5.

While the new data reveals a greater threat from PM2.5, the state's previous efforts to reduce emissions throughout the state have been successful. The ARB in coordination with the 35 air districts throughout the state continues to develop and implement strategies of aggressive air pollution control. These measures have been so effective for the last two decades that PM exposures have been reduced in California's major populated areas. Since the official year-round monitoring of ambient PM2.5 began in 1999, concentrations have decreased 30 percent across California, most notably in the South Coast and the San Joaquin Valley regions.

Additionally, in 2000 ARB adopted an aggressive risk reduction plan that targets all diesel PM sources in California. As part of the plan, cleaner diesel fuels and new diesel engines (both on-road and off-road) have been developed. In concert with regulations aimed at requiring cleaner new engines, other regulations have been adopted to address diesel engines already on the road, including those in waste collection vehicles, transit fleet, school buses, stationary engines, transport refrigeration units and portable engines. Later this year, ARB will consider rules to significantly cut diesel particulate emissions from private truck fleets.

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Air Resources Board Awards $2.2 Million to Investigate Air Qality Isues

State will use information to reduce air pollution

The California Air Resources Board granted $2.2 million to eight university and research institutes that will investigate air pollution emissions, exposures, and health effects.

The $2.2 million is matched by $3.5 million in co-funding from the California Energy Commission, the National Aeronautical and Space Administration, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The projects will examine various aspects of air pollution including in-vehicle exposures, mechanisms for testing pollutant emissions and the economic effects of cleaning California's air.

"Research projects like these create a map of air pollution in California," said Mary Nichols, Chairman of the Air Resources Board. "They give us targets, tools and strategies for effective and economically sound regulations."

Funds awarded today will go to:
* University of California, Irvine, $500,000: measure and model in-vehicle concentrations of key air pollutants and apply the results to estimate in-transit exposures for a health study of pregnant women and infants;
* Southern Research Institute, $102,722: evaluate instruments that measure real-time particulate matter emissions from a variety of fuels;
* University of California, Riverside, $200,041: improve its environmental chamber used to examine the examine the ozone-forming potential of architectural coatings;
* University of California, Irvine, $400,000: measure greenhouse gas emissions and better understand air pollution formation over California using the NASA DC-8 research aircraft;
* University of Wisconsin-Madison, $409,962: identify the sources that contribute to PM2.5 in the South Coast Angeles Basin;
* West Virginia University, $349,996: building on a prior study of diesel engines, scrutinize the toxicity of particulate matter emissions from heavy-duty compressed natural gas engines with state-of-the-art after-treatment technology;
* Caleb Management Services, Limited, $349,758: for the State's global warming program, quantify the amount and types of greenhouse emissions embedded in foam insulation in California; and,
* Environmental Business International, Inc., $196,211:
define the climate change industry and characterize its current and future status relative to the California economy.

ARB's research program guides and supports clean air efforts by completing its own research and sponsoring research by others.

Information gleaned from research enables ARB to craft regulatory measures with the minimum cost and maximum health-benefits.

Further information on ARB research projects is available here:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/rd-ongoing.htm .

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Air Pollution May Cause Heart Disease

Patients prone to heart disease may one day be told by physicians to avoid not only fatty foods and smoking but air pollution too.

A new academic study led by UCLA researchers has revealed that the smallest particles from vehicle emissions may be the most damaging components of air pollution in triggering plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. The findings appear in the Jan. 17 online edition of the journal Circulation Research.

The scientists identified a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries — by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as "good" cholesterol.

A multicampus team from UCLA, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine, and Michigan State University contributed to the research, which was led by Dr. Andre Nel, UCLA's chief of nanomedicine. The study was primarily funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"It appears that the smallest air pollutant particles, which are the most abundant in an urban environment, are the most toxic," said first author Dr. Jesus Araujo, assistant professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "This is the first study that demonstrates the ability of nano-sized air pollutants to promote atherosclerosis in an animal model."

Nanoparticles are the size of a virus or molecule — less than 0.18 micrometers, or about one-thousandth the size of a human hair. The EPA currently regulates fine particles, which are the next size up, at 2.5 micrometers, but doesn't monitor particles in the nano or ultrafine range.
These particles are too small to capture in a filter, so new technology must be developed to track their contribution to adverse health effects.

"We hope our findings offer insight into the impact of nano-sized air pollutant particles and help explore ways for stricter air quality regulatory guidelines," said Nel, principal investigator and a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute.

Nel added that the consequences of air pollution on cardiovascular health may be similar to the hazards of secondhand smoke.

Pollution particles emitted by vehicles and other combustion sources contain a high concentration of organic chemicals that could be released deep into the lungs or even spill over into the systemic circulation.

The UCLA research team previously reported that diesel exhaust particles interact with artery-clogging fats in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood-vessel inflammation that can lead to heart disease.

In the current study, researchers exposed mice with high cholesterol to one of two sizes of air pollutant particles from downtown Los Angeles freeway emissions and compared them with mice that received filtered air that contained very few particles.

The study, conducted over a five-week period, required a complex exposure design that was developed by teams led by Dr. Michael Kleinman, professor of community and environmental medicine at UC Irvine, and Dr. Constantinos Sioutas, professor of civil and environmental engineering at USC.

Researchers found that mice exposed to ultrafine particles exhibited 55 percent greater atherosclerotic-plaque development than animals breathing filtered air and 25 percent greater plaque development than mice exposed to fine-sized particles.

"This suggests that ultrafine particles are the more toxic air pollutants in promoting events leading to cardiovascular disease," Araujo said.

Pollutant particles are coated in chemicals sensitive to free radicals, which cause the cell and tissue damage known as oxidation. Oxidation leads to the inflammation that causes clogged arteries. Samples from polluted air revealed that ultrafine particles have a larger concentration of these chemicals and a larger surface area where these chemicals thrive, compared with larger particles, Sioutas noted.

"Ultrafine particles may deliver a much higher effective dose of injurious components, compared with larger pollutant particles," Nel said.

Scientists also identified a key mechanism behind how these air pollutants are able to affect the atherosclerotic process. Using a test developed by Dr. Mohamad Navab, study co-author and a UCLA professor of medicine, researchers found that exposure to air pollutant particles reduced the anti-inflammatory protective properties of HDL cholesterol.

"HDL normally helps reduce the vascular inflammation that is part of the atherosclerotic process," said Dr. Jake Lusis, study co-author and a UCLA professor of cardiology, human genetics and microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "Surprisingly, we found that exposure to air pollutant particles, and especially the ultrafine size, significantly decreased the positive effects of HDL."

To explore if air particle exposure caused oxidative stress throughout the body — which is an early process triggering the inflammation that causes clogged arteries — researchers checked for an increase in genes that would have been activated to combat this inflammatory progression.

"We found greater levels of gene activation in mice exposed to ultrafine particles, compared to the other groups," Lusis said. "Our next step will be to develop a biomarker that could enable physicians to assess the degree of cardiovascular damage caused by air pollutants or measure the level of risk encountered by an exposed person."

Researchers added that previous studies assessing the cardiovascular impact of air pollution have taken place over longer periods of exposure time, such as five to six months. The current study demonstrated that ill effects can occur more quickly, in just five weeks.

"Further study will pinpoint critical chemical and toxic properties of ultrafine particles that may affect humans," Nel said.

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UCLA

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EPA Goes Google with Hi-Tech Online Air Quality Tools

Ever use your computer to "fly" through the mountains, or zoom in on a satellite picture of your house? Now you can use the same technology to learn more about emissions and air quality across the country and where you live.

EPA has developed two tools that allow users "see" air quality information on a virtual globe. Both tools were unveiled to the public on Monday.

"Google has changed the way people use the Internet. By combining their innovative mapping tools with our air data, EPA and Google are changing the way people use the Internet to protect their health," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

The first tool is part of the new "Air Emission Sources" Web site, which is designed to make emissions data for six common pollutants easy to find and understand. Based on the latest National Emissions Inventory, the site uses charts and Google Earth files to answer a user’s questions. Users can look at overall emissions, emissions by type of industry, or emissions by largest polluter.

Want to know what industry emits the most sulfur dioxide in your state? Select your state from a map, pick a pollutant, and the site creates a chart showing you emissions by industry. Want to "see" which refineries in your state emit the most sulfur dioxide? Use the "tilt" feature in Google Earth to quickly find the largest emitter. Then click on the balloon to get more details about emissions from that facility.

EPA also is providing Air Quality Index (AQI) information in the Google Earth format. Use the AQI tool to quickly see air quality across the country, then click on a specific location to see that city’s AQI forecast and current levels of ozone or particle pollution.

The AQI is EPA’s color-coded tool to inform the public about daily air pollution levels in their communities. EPA, in collaboration with state and local governments, provides AQI forecasts and conditions for more than 300 cities across the United States.

See the Source:
EPA - Air Emissions Sources
View information in Google Earth format about which facilities emit any of six common pollutants
Air Quality Index forecasts and current conditions
See Acid Rain Program data

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Air Pollution News Bites: 08-02-07

- A recent study estimates that demand for air pollution control products in China will increase by 18 percent each year through 2010. The increase is attributed to the Chinese government’s plan to increase the purchase of air pollution control technology and new legislation concerning strict environmental protection regulations. Products in demand by China include: electrostatic precipitators, baghouse systems, particulate filters, and catalysts.

- A new analysis studying atmospheric “brown clouds” hovering over Asia, have concluded that the buildup of greenhouse gases mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels, is a major contributor to the melting of tropical glaciers such as those found in the Himalayans. Researchers found that combining the heating effect of greenhouse gases and the elements found in brown clouds, such as soot, heightens the effect of global warming.

"The conventional thinking is that brown clouds have masked as much as 50 percent of global warming by greenhouse gases through so-called global dimming," said atmospheric chemist V. Ramanathan. "While this is true globally, this study reveals that over southern and eastern Asia, the soot particles in the brown clouds are in fact amplifying the atmospheric warming trend caused by greenhouse gases by as much as 50 percent."

He went on to state, "It is likely that in curbing greenhouse gases we can tackle the twin challenges of climate change and brown clouds, and in doing so, reap wider benefits--from reduced air pollution to improved agricultural yields."

See the Source:
MarketWire
National Science Foundation

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EPA Doesn’t Come Clean on Candidates

The EPA has not provided the public with all the facts when it comes to 55 experts chosen for a special panel that will reevaluate the health risks of particulate matter air pollution.

Last year the agency’s Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee criticized the EPA standard for particulate matter, stating there is “clear and convincing scientific evidence that significant adverse human-health effects occur in response to short-term and chronic particulate matter exposures at and below” the current EPA standard. The special panel being selected will reevaluate this statement for further recommendation.

The short list of experts is open for public comment, but apparently the EPA failed to post complete information on their website concerning several of the candidates. Without this information, the public is unable to make an informed decision. Here is some of the information in question according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

- Candidate Professor Robert Phalen: wrote a book questioning the link between particulate matter and its association with health problems such as asthma, heart disease and premature death. The book also argues that tighter air quality restrictions are premature. Professor Phalen has received research funding from the Southern California Edison Co. and the Electric Power Reasearch Institute.

- Candidate Peter Valberg: an employee of Gradient Corporation, conducts consulting services for Carbon Black Manufacturers and an unknown mining company. He has done work for the Engine Manufacturers Association. His employer, Gradient Corporation, is a defense product consulting company that has received monies for writing controversial reports defending such products as cigarettes.

- 11 candidates have an involvement with the Health Effects Institute (this was disclosed). But not mentioned was the fact that the Health Effects Institute receives 50 percent of its funding from the automobile industry.

Send your comments about the short list of candidates to butterfield.fred@epa.gov before July 20. The final committee will be composed of less than half of the nominated candidates.

See the Source:
Center for Science in the Public Interest

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More about the health impact of diesel particulate matter

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The Buzz on Breathing

Find out how dirty the air is in your area. Try out a map developed by the American Lung Association. Does your city, county and state get a passing grade? What variables are involved with air quality in your region? Click on this US map to find out.

This week there has been a big buzz in the environmental field about the recent American Lung Association “State of the Air: 2007” annual report. Although there was good news in that ozone pollution was down through out the country, there was still bad news for California, in particular Southern California. The 71-member Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) are pressing Governor Schwarzenegger and President Bush to take a tougher stance in passing stricter state and federal rules to fight unhealthy fine particle pollution.

To get across their point, Southern California city and county officials have declared their air quality a health crisis.

"You simply have to have the state and federal government do things differently or we are not going to meet the federal standards," said Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge, a SCAG board member.

SCAG states that fine particle pollution in Southern California results annually in:

• 5,400 premature deaths
• 2,400 hospitalizations
• 1,000,000 lost work days

Although much is being done to fight air pollution in the state, various state and federal agencies disagree on strategies.

See the Source:
The Press-Enterprise
State of the Air: 2007

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