New study links global warming and air pollution

A new study by an international team of researchers, including scientists from King’s, shows that implementing 14 key air pollution control measures could slow the pace of global warming, save millions of lives and boost agricultural production.

The research identifies 14 measures targeting methane and black carbon emissions that could slow global mean warming by approximately 0.5ºC by 2050. The measures could also prevent between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature deaths each year and increase global crop yields by between 30 million and 135 million tonnes per season.

Professor Martin Williams from the Environmental Research Group at King’s said:
“Measures taken now to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will not have any effect on the global climate for another 40-50 years. We have shown that there are things we can do to begin to mitigate the temperature increases already being seen.”

Professor Williams added:
“The combination of methane and black carbon measures along with substantial carbon dioxide emissions reductions has a high probability of limiting global mean warming to less than 2ºC during the next 60 years, something which neither set of emissions reductions achieves on its own.”

The research, published in the journal Science (subscription required) was led by Drew Shindell of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City.
Read more on KCL’s website here.

New Daily Air Quality Index update

As the last of the fireworks died away in the early hours of 1st January, revised web pages and apps were launched by King’s College London to report to the new national daily air quality index that came in to force at the start of the New Year.

Changes to the index were far reaching, with updates to the break points between the banding levels, measurement periods and reported pollutants; notably the inclusion of PM2.5 in to the index.

One major change to the previous air quality index is the adoption of predictive ‘triggers’ to identify air pollution events before they happen.

The triggers, as recommended in the recent COMEAP report will, for the first time, provide warnings to members of the public of potentially health damaging air pollution events before they happen.

Implementing these changes was particularly challenging because of the Christmas holidays and our wide ranging portfolio of information delivery systems, including regional network web pages, automatic reporting, and our apps for smart phones and browsers. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who worked with us over Christmas and New Year to implement this change.

You can read a comprehensive breakdown and analysis of our implementation of the new index here.

PM10 Nowcast updated

As part of the move to the new daily air quality index, King’s have updated their groundbreaking Nowcast maps to reflect the changes in the reporting period for PM10.

Previously all PM10 data reported in the air quality index was based on a rolling 24 hour average. This meant that the public was only ever seeing a retrospective measurement.

The new daily air quality index changes the reporting period of PM10 to midnight to midnight, and also introduces the concept of triggers (as mentioned above). Intergrating this logic into our hourly PM10 Nowcast maps was a challenge but we have now successfully updated our maps to reflect this change.

The benefits of these changes were highlighted by the winter smog episode on Tuesday 17th of January. Because the PM10 Nowcast map is now based on triggers, the map effectively becomes a prediction of exposure for the rest of the day, updated every hour as new data is collected. All the predictions are then reset at midnight and we start again.

On Tuesday the 17th still, cold conditions led to a build up of local pollutants creating winter smog conditions. Using triggers of predicted PM10 levels for the rest of the day to build the Nowcast map, allowed us to produce a map of predicted pollution concentrations for that day.
On Wednesday 18th, the wind and rain arrived and the pollution was dispersed. Because the predictions are reset at midnight this meant we were able to accurately reflect the pollution levels on the ground and show ‘low’ pollution levels during the 18th.

If, by contrast, we had still been using the old rolling 24 hour system to report PM10 levels then we would have been reporting ‘low’ pollution levels on Tues 17th when they were actually ‘moderate’, and then began displaying ‘moderate’ pollution levels on the 18th when they were actually low.

We are continuing to develop our Nowcast technology and will soon be introducing an ozone map as well as annual maps.

Recent Episode: Winter Smog mid January 2012

Settled, cold weather on Saturday 14th January led to a buildup of local traffic pollution. Widespread ‘moderate’ nitrogen dioxide and PM10 and PM2.5 particulate was measured close to busy roads throughout London in both central and suburban areas.

There was a temporary respite in pollution levels on Sunday 15th January, caused by a combination of lower emissions and slightly increased wind speed that improved dispersion. Only nitrogen dioxide at Brent – Neasden Lane reached ‘moderate’.

Continuing cold settled conditions and an increase in emissions due to weekday traffic on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th January resulted in further widespread breaches of the ‘moderate’ threshold for PM10, PM2,5 and nitrogen dioxide, whilst some sites exceeded the ‘high’ threshold for PM10 and nitrogen dioxide.

On Tuesday 17th January, 51 network sites in a wide range of locations across London and southeast England, including Bedfordshire, Reading, Hampshire and Essex, measured ‘moderate’ or above PM10. Four sites in Brent, New Forest, Greenwich and Reading measured ‘high’ PM10.

A change in weather conditions set in overnight on 17th to 18th January. The arrival of rain and milder, windier weather resulted in a drop off in pollution levels.

For the full breakdown see our episodes page here.

Photographer Stuart Mayhew captured an arresting picture of the smog on Saturday.

ALEHM review the LAQN

The Association of London Environmental Health Managers have issued a statement on the future funding of the London Air Quality Network after a review and meetings involving King’s, The Health Protection Agency, Defra and the GLA.

The review covered the history and operation of the network, provision of public information, support to the Health Protection Agency during emergency incidents and the Olympics and costs of network membership in relation to other monitoring site costs.

The strategic value of the LAQN measurements at both a London-wide and UK level was also highlighted in presentations from the DEFRA and the GLA. In their statement ALEHM concluded:

• The network provides high quality air pollution data and information to support borough level local air quality management and the Mayor’s strategies, and also provides important public information on local air quality to Londoners.
• The network benefits from its valuable partnership with King’s College London, which not only co-ordinates the LAQN, but also undertakes research that informs and shapes policy and strategy at local and regional levels and is recognised at a national and an international level.
• ALEHM members will continue to support and promote the LAQN, and ensure it achieves London-wide coverage wherever possible.
• ALEHM also called for greater partnership between the Mayor and the London Boroughs on the LAQN in the future, with long term financial commitment for the LAQN to support existing monitoring and to address the funding of additional sites in order to ensure that the network is able to provide appropriate coverage in the future.

Read ALEHM’s full statement here

ClearFlo Intensive Observation Period

The NERC ClearfLo project, involving a number of research groups from the UK, Europe and the US has started the first of its two month-long Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs) this week.

The intensive observation period sees an impressive array of gas and particulate monitoring equipment installed at the North Kensington monitoring site in central London and at a rural site in Kent. The study has also resulted in an augmentation of the existing monitoring sites at Marylebone Road, BT Tower and Harwell.

Dr David Green, who operates the ClearfLo sites for King’s says:
“This is a huge undertaking and a fantastic opportunity to gain a detailed understanding of the atmospheric processes which affect air pollution in London.”

The next IOP is timed to coincide with the London Olympics.
You can keep up to date with the ClearFlo team on their blog here.

Health Protection Agency confirms new incinerator study

A new study to further extend the evidence base as to whether emissions from modern, well run Municipal Waste Incinerators (MWIs affect human health has been approved by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

The HPA’s current position that well run and regulated modern Municipal Waste Incinerators (MWIs) are not a significant risk to public health remains valid, but the study is being carried out to extend the evidence base and to provide further information to the public on this subject.

The HPA will be funding the Small Area Health Statistics Unit at Imperial College London, and the Environmental Research Group at King’s College London, both part of the MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, to carry out the study.

For a distance of up to 10 – 15 kilometres from MWIs operating in the England and Wales, scientists will research whether there is a potential link between the emissions from MWIs and health outcomes, including: low birth weight, still births and infant deaths. Researchers will also investigate any possible link between MWI emissions and babies born with congenital anomalies, such as cleft palate and spina bifida, in areas where good quality data is available.

HPA chief executive Justin McCracken said:

“It is important to stress that our current position on the potential health effects of well run and regulated modern Municipal Waste Incinerators remains valid. This is that while it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants.”

“However, we recognise that there are public concerns about this issue and this study will provide valuable new evidence. HPA continually seeks to review and extend the evidence base on which it bases its advice. We are therefore delighted to support this new study with researchers from the MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health.”

Read more on the HPA’s website.

Dr Gary Fuller interviewed on BBC London’s Inside Out

Dr Gary Fuller was recently interviewed by BBC London for the popular Inside Out programme about pollution in London and the upcoming Olympics.

Inside Out covers a range of topics affecting the city and this edition, presented by Matthew Wright, included a section on London’s air pollution.

The programme looked at some of the Mayor’s recent policy interventions and also included interviews with Clean Air for London campaigner Simon Birkett, Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor’s Director of Environment and asthma sufferers in what was a wide-ranging and thoughtful piece on current air quality issues in London.

The King’s College London Air iPhone appwas also highlighted, with presenter Toby Anstis demonstrating some of its features. This exposure led to a dramatic increase in downloads of the app, such that Tuesday evening and Wednesday saw 2,690 users download and install the applicaiton. Further, of those new downloads, 538 users opted to receive notifications of pollution events on the LAQN network.

The programme will be available on the BBC’s website until the 30th of January, and the air pollution section starts at 19 minutes.

Video: Winter Smog

This months video looks at the causes and effects of winter time smogs.
It features interviews with Londoners and advice and insight from Professor Jon Ayres, former chair of COMEAP, Professor Paul Wilkinson from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Dr Gary Fuller, Professor Martin Williams and Professor Frank Kelly from King’s.

From the web

A selection of stories from around the web this month:

Our picks
Pollutionwatch January 2012 Dr Gary Fuller’s monthly Pollutionwatch series for the Guardian.
The Guardian’s 2011 environmental year in review
Dr Ben Barratt speaks to the Putney Guardian about Putney High Street’s NO2 problem.
Professor Frank Kelly talks to the Independent about pollution and the Olympics

London
More on London joining other industrialised areas to lobby for more flexible EU air quality laws
Wandsworth Council pledges to press for solutions to Putney pollution problems
TfL launch anti-idling campaign
Ed Dearnley’s thoughts on the new anti-idling campaign
Coallition of groups call on Mayoral candidates to improve cycling & walking options in London
TfL introduces tube cleaning train
London Olympics: politics, pollution and plague
52% of Londoners cite air pollution amongst top concerns in recent poll
TfL ‘s 4th travel report is out. Air quality on P157
CMA pollution glue use expanded out to waste transfer sites
Tunbridge Wells approves extension to air quality management area
Would night time lorry deliveries work?

UK
Air pollution included in new public health outcomes framework
Client Earth appeals high court ruling on government air quality plans
WWF says Scottish cities still failing NO2 targets

International
Interesting BBC special on China’s attempts to become greener
Environmental advocacy groups sue mining giant Rio Tinto for polluting Salt Lake City’s air
Air pollution in Delhi ‘phenomenally high’

Air quality and fashion
High fashion for low pollution
Acid rain coture

That’s all for this month’s bumper edition, If you have any comments, suggestions or things you’d like publicised please let us know. See you next month.

Frank Kelly appointed as COMEAP’s new Chairman

Environmental Research Group director Professor Frank Kelly has been appointed as the new chairman of the influential Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP).

COMEAP draws its members from a range of specialist fields such as air quality science, atmospheric chemistry, toxicology, physiology, epidemiology, statistics, paediatrics and cardiology. There is also a “lay” member responsible for ensuring COMEAP work is accessible and understandable to the general public.

The group is an independent expert advisory committee which provides advice to Government departments and agencies, through the Chief Medical Officer, on all matters concerning the potential toxicity and subsequent health effects of air pollutants.

On his appointment Professor Kelly said:
“This is an exciting, albeit challenging time for those working in the field of air quality. If solutions are to be found that resolve the issue of poor air quality in major cities across the UK, there is a need to bring together a number of Government departments, and scientists from different disciplines to effectively utilise their collective knowledge. It is only through such partnerships that meaningful progress can be made in decreasing the public health impact of poor air quality.”

Everyone here at King’s would like to congratulate Professor Kelly on his appointment and wish him every success in his new role.

Low Emission Zone Baseline Study Report

The Environmental Research Group at King’s in conjunction with the Health Effects Institute in America has produced a new report on the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) as part of the insitute’s research program to measure the possible health outcomes of actions taken to improve air quality.

The LEZ came into effect in 2008 and restricts the entry of older, more polluting vehicles into Greater London. Professor Frank Kelly and colleagues conducted emissions and exposure modeling to estimate the projected effects of the LEZ implementation. They also assessed the feasibility of using medical records from private practices to evaluate the relationships between exposure to traffic and indicators of respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

The report also includes a critique by the HEI which concluded that this baseline study was a creative effort to lay the groundwork for studying the spatial and temporal changes in air pollutant concentrations and health outcomes in advance of a major regulatory intervention. It provides important lessons for future research into the health outcomes of actions to improve air quality.

Professor Kelly who led the study said:
“The London Low Emission Zone is a world leading traffic intervention scheme aimed at restricting entry of the most polluting vehicles into London and thereby improving air quality and the health of Londoners. Our evaluation of the initial phase of the LEZ has demonstrated its feasibility to achieve improved air quality. We are now eager to extend this work following the implementation of the long awaited phase 3 of the LEZ in January 2012.”

Read the full report here.

iPhone subscriber numbers published

Several thousand people use the London Air iPhone application to keep them informed about air pollution in the capital every day.

A recent audit of subscriber numbers has revealed new insights into the geographic distribution of the application’s users.

The analysis was performed in November and showed that the most subscribed boroughs were those in central London where air pollution concentrations are greatest and where a dense population of workers is likely to boost subscriber numbers.
The most subscribed boroughs and their associated user numbers are; Camden (3,543), Westminster (3,530), City of London (3,499), Kensington & Chelsea (3,476) and Ealing (3,466). Sites and boroughs in suburban and outer-London locations tend to have lower subscriber numbers, but even the least subscribed local authorities have 3,000 users active users.

See the full analysis here.

The new Daily Air Quality Index

Defra and the Devolved Administrations will change the air quality index for the UK on 1st January 2012.
The new index will be used to tell the public about daily changes in air quality using a 1-10 scale divided into four bands (‘low’, ‘moderate’, ‘high’ and ‘very high’).
This is similar to the current air quality index and in line with those used for sun and pollen exposure.

The new index will, for the first time, provide warnings of potentially health-damaging air pollution events before they happen to help susceptible people manage their condition and reduce the severity of their symptoms.

The new index also brings the division between low and moderate air pollution into line with the latestWorld Health Organisation recommendations and legal limits and also includes an index for PM_2.5 for the first time.
Compared to the current index, these changes will result in a greater frequency of days being described as having moderate, high and very high air pollution. This is linked to improved knowledge of air pollution and its health effects.

The new index was announced by Defra on 2nd December 2011 and we have been working hard to incorporate these changes into the wide range of LondonAir information systems.

Work will continue over the holiday period updating the LondonAir website and our iPhone, Android and Google Chrome applications. We will publish the updated version of the website and release new versions of the applications shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day.

Although we have strived to update all our systems and dissemination channels for the Jan 1st deadline, we have prioritised certain changes over others. There may be parts of our website and services such as our PM₁₀ Nowcast which will continue to be updated after January 1st.

We would like to thank our team of scientists, IT specialists and external collaborators for their hard work during the run up to Christmas.

On Air: Interview with Brent Council’s Davide Pascarella

Continuing our series of interviews with air quality officers, practitioners and researchers, this month we caught up with Brent Council’s Davide Pascarella as he was hanging up the holly in Brent Council’s tearoom.

(KCL) – What lead you to working in the air quality field?
(DPR) - I graduated from an Italian University a while ago where I specialised in hydrogeology. In 2002 I arrived in London without speaking English, and in 2004 I felt confident enough to enrol on a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Analysis and Assessment. This gave me an excellent grounding in contaminated land, air quality, the British legal system and then the prospect of working for Spelthorne Borough Council as a pollution control officer. Two years ago I moved to Brent Council as an Air Quality Officer (after working with water and soil now it was time to work with air!!).

(KCL) – What do you feel is your biggest achievement to date?
(DPR) - Well you know Air Mail is a very prestigious publication….

(KCL) – What projects are you working on at the moment?
(DPR) - I’m working on a couple of exciting projects:
Brent, as part of the West London Air Quality Group in collaboration with Transport Research Laboratories is working on a project to develop a Transport and Enhanced Emissions Model (TEEM). This is a system of tools which enables Boroughs to evaluate the impacts of transport emissions on air quality.
In the future we hope to make this available to other local authorities and interested stakeholders by developing it as a web-based tool.

Most recently I have undertaken a study to determine the optimal location of an Energy Centre within a local regeneration area. I modelled a number of scenarios in order to determine optimal stack heights and estimate maximum allowable emissions from the plant whilst considering the impacts upon sensitive receptors in tall buildings as well as ground level.

(KCL) – What do you think the future holds for air quality in London?
(PC) - As you know, air pollution is a major environmental risk to health linked to premature deaths worldwide. King College’s experts recently warned that pollution could reduce the lifespan of some Londoners
My hope is that the air quality in London will be improved so that people can breathe much cleaner air and live healthier lives in the future. I believe this can be achieved only with the help of all Londoners!

(KCL) – And finally, it’s panto season here in the UK. If you had two air quality wishes, what would they be?
(PC) - I wish for more powers to be available to local authorities to bring about the changes really necessary to improve air quality in the long term.
And finally I wish you a Buon Natale and a Felice Anno Nuovo!

Our thanks to Davide for talking to us this month and bringing some festive cheer to this Christmas edition of Air Mail, and special thanks for obliging us and sending in a photo with a santa hat on.

Santa’s secrets unwrapped?

A crack team of King’s College researchers have been working in collaboration with Lapland University to progress our understanding of time and motion.

Many people, and specifically those in the work place, are prone to loss of productivity through latencies in the motor-cortex transmission system resulting in slow staff speeds and loss of productivity.

Researchers have noted however that for many years, Santa Claus has been able to deliver presents to every child in the world in a single night.

Now, a team of King’s researchers working closely with the School of Present Delivery Logistics at Lapland University may have discovered the secret to Santa’s incredible present-delivery success.

Armed with this new insight, a clinical trial involving spiked mince pies and staff from the Environmental Research Group at King’s has apparently had a breakthrough.
The footage below, leaked from the trial, is believed to show what is possible with just a single magical mince pie. A calibration visit to the UK’s largest monitoring station on Marylebone road which normally takes 6 hours is cut dramatically to just 30 seconds.

Andrew Grieve who is participating in the trial said:
“What-day-is-it? Santa-magic-in-the-pie-and-a-merry-new-year-and-a-happy-I’m-fine-now.”

The trial is ongoing as some side effects have been observed.

Merry Christmas from everyone here at King’s

We would like to wish a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all our web users, funders, colleagues and collaborators.
We look forward to working with you in 2012 which will no doubt be a big year for London and for air quality.

From the web

A selection of stories from around the web this month:

Pollutionwatch December 2011 Dr Gary Fuller’s monthly Pollutionwatch series for the Guardian.

London
Judge declares Client Earth’s action against Defra ‘a draw’
Governments representing some of Europe’s industrial areas (and London) join to lobby on ‘more flexible’ air quality laws
The Putney Society works with Mapping For Change to do some extra NO₂ monitoring in Putney
TfL starts new NO_x converter bus trails
Fed-Ex trials electric delivery van in London

UK
Local residents in Edinburgh worry re-routed buses during tram construction has lead to increased pollution

International
Are 5,000 $100 air pollution sensors as good as a $50,000 monitoring station?
Air quality difficult to gauge in dustier American west
Political tensions ahead of the air quality directive review in 2013
European Environment Agency report calls for a shift in Europe’s transport system
European Environment Agency publishes annual air quality assessment
Lung cancer rate increase in Beijing thought to be linked to pollution
Delhi still struggling to clean it’s air

And Finally:
Is London’s chart topping air pollution affecting Adele voice?
Santa thinks he can escape congestion charge by flying in the air (we suspect not)

On Air: Interview with Islington’s Paul Clift

After the successful Camden & Islington air quality summit earlier this month we caught up with co-organiser Paul Clift to get his thoughts on how the summit had gone and also hear about some of the new initiatives in Islington including the groundbreaking borough-wide 20mph zone.

(KCL) – What lead you to working in the air quality field?
(PC) - Post graduation in the early 90’s I started my career dealing with air quality management & pollution control, inspecting some fairly major industrial processes such as the Ford tractor plant. After that I moved to Islington and spent some time in a specialist housing team as a generalist officer (when Islington had neighbourhood offices) before returning to pollution control work about 8 years ago.

(KCL) – The joint Camden & Islington air quality summit earlier this month was very successful, were you expecting such a high turnout?
(PC) - I thought the turn out and interest from the public who attended the event was fantastic. We had hoped for a good turnout and had really pushed the event through all the relevant channels, but actually seeing the Council Chamber as full as that was really encouraging and very positive.
The presentations and stalls all added to the excellent event (thanks to everyone) and it was really well managed by colleagues at Camden. We’re now talking with Camden to decide on how to build on this success and take it forward.

(KCL) – Islington Council is about to introduce a borough-wide 20mph limit. Can you tell us how this came about and what effect you think it might have on Islington’s air quality?
(PC) - This is an exciting initiative with Islington becoming the first borough in the country with a 20mph speed limit on all side roads.
The main aims of the project are to boost safety for pedestrians, cyclists and road users (the number of people killed or seriously injured on Islington’s roads fell from 227 in 2001 to 77 in 2009, thought to be partly as a result of lower speeds) but we’re also expecting to improve quality of life for local residents by reducing noise and air pollution.
Islington will be assessing the local changes and perhaps by reducing the speeds and improving or changing people’s perception of road safety, we’ll encourage plenty of modal shift.
Living Streets and the road safety charity Brake have supported and worked with us on the scheme with Living Streets commenting of the benefits of ‘safe and vibrant places.. not just corridors for traffic’, which I think is something we can all relate to in our communities.

(KCL) – What other projects are you working on at the moment?
(PC) - I’m working on a few exciting projects with airTEXT at the moment to accompany my continuing search for long term funding for the project! Those in the airTEXT consortium will know of the efforts that we go to in keeping the project running from year to year.
airTEXT is a partner in Joaquin (joint air quality initiative) which is part of an EU North West Europe project called INTERREG. The work package we’re involved with is looking to implement and evaluate measures to improve urban air quality.
The work package includes low emission zones in Antwerp and Amsterdam; traffic lights sequencing in Leicester; a clean bus tender project in the district of Holland and the airTEXT hotspot project here in London.
We’re currently discussing the project with the Greater London Authority and Transport for London to see if we can use the airTEXT forecasts (perhaps with an extended forecasting period) to trigger a London ‘Spare the Air’ campaign. Spare the air has been a great success in the San Francisco Bay area and it would be great if Londoners could be engaged in the same way to bring about air quality improvement here.
The recent Environmental Audit Commission commented on the importance of public engagement and public participation, ‘The public are also a key player in the delivery of cleaner air’ and this project could be the beginnings of something very positive.

(KCL) – What do you think the future holds for air quality in London?
(PC) - I feel optimistic that the profile of air pollution is increasing, particularly the health impacts and we may reach a critical mass of attention from the air quality community, public health colleagues and the public to drive and demand change.
There are changes at local level in public health, which may bring about closer working arrangements between people working in public health and air quality management (perhaps through the health and well being boards or JSNA) and with references in the department of health outcomes framework document to life years lost from fine dust as measured by fine particulate matter combined with the work of COMEAP, the EAC & the wider air quality community, the focus on driving air quality improvements does seem to be there.

Our thanks to Paul for speaking to us this month.

Full video of the summit including links to all the presentations is available here.
The summit was covered widely in local London papers and some reports are linked to in the ‘From the web’ section below.

Environmental Audit Committee Report

On the 14th of November the Environmental Audit Committee published its second report into air quality in the UK.
The committee heard evidence from expert witnesses in June and July, including testimony from King’s Professor Frank Kelly.
This was a follow up to the committee’s first reportwhich was published in March 2010.

In their summary the committee concluded that:
“The Government has failed to get to grips with this issue. Most of the measures set out in its response to our predecessors’ report are yet to be brought in. Forty out of the UK’s 43 assessment zones are failing to meet EU targets and poor air quality is now found to be shortening the lives of up to 200,000 people by an average of 2 years. The Government must not continue to put the health of the nation at risk.”

The report made several recommendations which are detailed in the full report.
The report was covered widely in the press, some of the stories are linked to in the ‘From the web’ section below.

New Air Quality Index

Defra and the Devolved Administrations will be implementing a new air quality index for the UK from 1st January 2012.
The new Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) follows a review by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) who were asked to look at the existing index to ensure that it is fit for purpose given developments in the field of air quality.
COMEAP published their report Review of the UK Air Quality Index in June 2011. Defra and the Devolved Administrations have considered the report’s recommendations and proposed several changes to the index.

The changes include:
1. Updated health advice to accompany the DAQI to provide more focused and clearer information.
2. Changes to the index bands (Low, Moderate, High, Very High) for particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) to make them more stringent.
3. Inclusion of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in the DAQI.
4. Removal of carbon monoxide (CO) from the DAQI in view of the dramatic reductions in outdoor concentrations of CO.
5. Changes to the presentation of the index with colour coding to aid the interpretation of the DAQI.
6. Inclusion of trigger values to allow for the prediction of episodes of elevated air pollution in real time as they emerge.
7. Information about the long-term health effects of air pollution will be provided with the index.

Read Defra’s notification letter here.
Read the original COMEAP report here.

London Air Chrome extension passes 3000 user mark

The new London Air Google Chrome extension has passed 3000 active users in the month since its release.
The application provides notifications of pollution events across the London network every hour and also allows users to dip in easily to check the latest air quality levels where they are.
We were delighted to have been chosen by Google to be featured on the front page of the Chrome web store. The web store front page is a prime location for users seeking out new extensions and this exposure sees the London Air extension sitting alongside applications from the BBC, Google, Tesco and of course Angry Birds.

If you haven’t already installed our newest creation you can download it from the link below.

Marylebone Road monitoring site gets a facelift

King’s long-standing air pollution observatory on the Marylebone Road has recently been upgraded.
Over the last 15 years, this facility has been the cornerstone of our understanding in the UK of air pollution concentrations close to roads, and the effect that these have on human health. An injection of funds to enlarge the facility and broaden the range of measurements was provided by the NERC ClearfLo and NERC/MRC Traffic projects.

Internal upgrades include the addition of an Aerosol Mass Spectrometer, which will analyse the chemical composition of individual particles, and additional space for pioneering field based toxicological analysis by the lung biology group at King’s.
Upgrading the outside to improve the visual impact of the site was funded by Defra and was designed by Sarah Wigglesworth Architects.

New monitoring site in Hammersmith & Fulham

Hammersmith & Fulham Council have opened anew roadside monitoring site on the west side of Shepherds Bush Green measuring nitrogen oxides and PM10 particulate by TEOM.
This new roadside unit replaces the Council’s two monitoring stations, previously located at Hammersmith Broadway and Brook Green, which were closed in 2009.
The real-time data collected at the new site will complement the NO2 data collected at 10 other sites in the borough via diffusion tube.

Professor Frank Kelly interviewed on BBC World Service One Planet programme

Following Dr Thomas Kuhlbusch’s interview with the BBC last month, Environmental Research Group director Professor Frank Kelly stepped out onto the streets of London to speak to the BBC’s World Service One Planet programme in November. The programme compares air pollution in London 50 years ago to air pollution problems in Afghanistan today where the government estimates more people died of respiratory conditions linked to air pollution in 2010 than died in conflicts across the whole country.

Listen to the episode on BBC iPlayer.

Live London Air maps and YouTube videos now available on our Facebook page

Continuing our drive to make London’s air quality information as easily accessible as possible wherever people are, we have now integrated our live pollution maps and pollution guide videos directly into our Facebook page.
We hope this will allow users who may not make the trip to our website but who do spend a lot of time on Facebook (and that’s a lot of people) to stay up to date with the status of London’s air while they update their status.

 

Soundslide: Air Pollution & Climate Change

With the International Panel on Climate Change currently meeting in Durban, this month’s featured video looks at the connections between climate change and air pollution.
It features interviews with Nick Ragland from Thames Barrier, Ed Dearnley from UK Environmental Policy, Professor Martin Williams from King’s, Professor Paul Wilkinson from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Professor Roy Harrison from University of Birmingham.

From the web

A selection of stories from around the web this month:

Pollutionwatch November 2011 Dr Gary Fuller’s monthly Pollutionwatch series for the Guardian.

Our picks
New Healthy Air campaign film launched.
A very robust and interesting exchange about air quality concerns over City Airport’s expansion plans at City Hall. Environment Committee – Thu 1 December, 10am, 43mins
An interesting data visualisation of mortality statistics in England & Wales in 2010. Respiratory diseases are the third largest cause of death behind circulatory diseases and cancers

London
Coverage of the Environmental Audit Comittee Report.
>From the BBC
>From the Guardian
>More from the Guardian
Coverage of the Camden & Islington air quality summit.
>The Islington Tribune
>Highbury on Foot
>Camden New Journal
The Bike Show talks to Simon Birkett from Clean Air London and Alan Andrews from Client Earth about London’s air.
Islington becomes first council to implement borough-wide 20mph zone.
Hydrogen powered black cabs trial.
Green wall at Edgware Tube unveiled.
Victoria Wood launches Camden’s new electric vehicle hire scheme for businesses.
London Sustainability Exchange launches Cleaner Air 4 Schools project in Marylebone.

UK
Environmental Protection UK closes.
Ed Dearnley comments on EPUK’s demise.
Edinburgh considers introducing a low emission zone.

International
Is pollution over the Indian Ocean causing more cyclones?
Lower European pollution levels in 2009 due to recession?
The European Environment Agency quantifies the cost to the economy of Europe’s air pollution.
More on black carbon & climate change
Attempt to overturn EPA’s cross-state air pollution law defeated in the Senate.
China moves to include PM2.5 in its standards

And Finally:
Dr Ben Barratt finally works out where that NOx emission source near Russel Square was coming from.
A very chatty Aethalometer on Twitter.
Jean Therapy.

On Air: interview with Camden’s Katie Watson

In the first of a new series of interviews with air quality professionals across London and the South East, we talk to Camden’s new air quality officer Katie Watson about the upcoming joint air quality summit with Islington.

(King’s) – Can you give us a bit of background to next month’s air quality summit?
(KW) - Official estimates suggest that 29,000 premature deaths in the UK in 2008 were attributable to long-term exposure to man made air pollution, which also made a smaller contribution in another 200,000 early deaths.
In order to improve the air quality in our boroughs, and the health of those who live in, work in and travel through them, LB Camden and Islington are hosting a joint public air quality summit this month. A range of expert speakers will provide attendees with the facts about air pollution in an accessible and clear manner.
(King’s) – What are some of the air quality challenges that Camden and Islington, as inner-city London boroughs face?
(KW) - Camden and Islington are working together to deliver this summit because, as inner London boroughs, we face many of the same air quality challenges. Both boroughs have high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter and we hope that by working together we can raise awareness of these problems and try to reduce levels of these pollutants in our boroughs.
(King’s) – What do you hope the summit will achieve?
(KW) - We hope that attendees will learn about the health impacts of air pollution and how they can protect themselves from the worst exposure to pollutants. We will also be discussing the actions which can be taken at a regional, local, organisational and individual level to reduce air pollution.

Our thanks to Katie for speaking to us this month.

The summit is taking place on November 21st at Camden Town Hall from 5-8:30pm.

Speakers at the event include:
Isabel Dedring, Mayor of London’s Environment Advisor
Professor Frank Kelly, Kings College London
Simon Birkett, Founder, Clean Air London
James Grugeon, CEO, Environmental Protection UK
Sir Roger Madelin, CEO, Argent

> Sign up for a place at the event here.
> Download a copy of the leaflet here.

King’s take to the skies

Throughout October staff at King’s took to the air to measure pollution levels above London. Results of this airborne measurement campaign will help to quantify the emissions of pollutants from sources within London and interpret the transport of its urban plume in relation to different weather patterns.

A series of flights were undertaken in collaboration with the Catalan Institute for Climate Science using NERC’s Airborne Research and Survey Facility, crossing London at a height of around 350 metres – only a little higher than new London Shard.

High resolution measurements of carbon dioxide, black carbon, ozone and particle number were recorded on each flight along with a range of meteorological and remote sensing parameters. It is believed that this is the first time such measurements have been taken over central London.

Dr Ben Barratt, who undertook the flights with Anna Font and Josep Anton Morgui said “These measurements will increase our understanding of how pollutants emitted within London disperse within the atmospheric boundary layer and interact with the troposphere above. We were extremely fortunate to be granted permission to take measurements in such a sensitive part of the UK’s airspace.”

The flights were funded by NERC in support of the Clean Air for London (ClearfLo) research campaign. An application has been made to repeat the flights in 2012 to coincide with ClearfLo’s intensive (ground based) sampling campaigns.

London Air Chrome extension featured on Chrome web store front page

Just a few weeks after King’s launched their new London Air Android and Chrome apps we are delighted to have been chosen by Google to be featured on the front page of the Chrome web store.

The web store front page is a prime location for users seeking out new extensions and this exposure sees the London Air extension sitting alongside applications from the BBC, Google, Tesco and of course Angry Birds.

If you haven’t already installed our newest creation you can download it from the link below.

Openair update

A new version of the openair R package has just been released together with a newsletter and an updated manual.

A recent addition to the openair package is the availability of pre-calculated back trajectories using the NOAA (the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) HYSPLIT trajectory model. The HYSPLIT model has been used to calculate 96-hour back trajectories every 3 hours for a range of sites around the UK for the past 20 years or so. The processed data are stored on King’s servers and can be accessed with a simple, single line command using openair.

There are also new functions for plotting and manipulating trajectories and these can be combined with air pollution data to investigate the origins of high concentrations e.g. during pollution episodes. Many more techniques for working with trajectories and more sites will be added to the openair package soon.

> Read the latest openair newsletter here.
> Download the updated manual here.
> Read a pre-print of an openair journal article shortly to be published in Environmental Modelling & Software here.

EPUK launching black carbon campaign

Environmental Protection UK have announced they are launching a new air quality campaign specifically focussed on black carbon.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of the role black carbon plays in air pollution and also as a climate change agent. It seeks to encourage the Government to adopt demanding targets for the reduction of this pollutant.

A launch event which brings together industry, regulators and local government is planned for later in the year.
Keep up to date with the latest developments on the website blackcarbon.org.uk

King’s Dr Thomas Kuhlbusch interviewed on BBC

Visiting scientist at King’s Dr Thomas Kuhlbusch was recently interviewed for a piece on the BBC about the new green walls sprouting up around London.

The green walls are one of the initiatives to emerge from a £5m ‘clean air fund’ which TfL received from central Government to try and tackle London’s air quality problems and avoid potential EU fines.

Towards the 2013 revision of the ambient air quality directive

It is now ten years since the air quality daughter directives were introduced and six years since the launch of the EU Thematic Strategy on air pollution. However, many air pollution challenges remain within Europe

Across Europe pollution concentrations are not falling as fast as expected and member states are therefore experiencing difficulties with attainment of Limit and Target Values for nitrogen dioxide, ozone and PM₁₀. It is clear that large gaps remain in our understanding of emission sources and their linkage to ambient concentrations.

A forthcoming conference hosted by the Royal Society of Chemistry will bring together leading scientists and policy makers. The event will provide a broad and up-to-date survey of the measurement, regulatory and scientific issues, including policy implications, health effects and future perspectives as we prepare for the review of the Ambient Air Quality Directive in 2013.

View the full conference details here.

London Air soundslides now available on YouTube and Vimeo

The recent update to the LondonAir website features a set of ten Soundslide videos which feature interviews with professionals from across the air quality community as well as interviews with Londoners on a wide range or air quality subjects.

We are pleased to say that all of these videos have now been encoded and uploaded to our YouTube and Vimeo accounts. This means they can now be easily embedded and shared in external websites and used as a resource by all our clients and colleagues.

> LondonAir on YouTube
> LondonAir on Vimeo

Soundslide: Fireworks and air pollution

As we approach the 5th of November, this month’s featured video looks at the effects of fireworks and bonfires on London’s air pollution.

The video features interviews with Londoners, King’s Krystal Godri, Dr Gary Fuller and Professor Frank Kelly.

From the web

A selection of stories from around the web this month:

Pollutionwatch October 2011 Dr Gary Fuller’s monthly Pollutionwatch series for the Guardian.

Southampton University study finds trees remove PM₁₀ from the air
>The published paper
TfL encourages van and minibus owners to get ready for LEZ phase 3
UK Electric car sales disappoint.
>US electric car sales seem to be doing better
>The Mayor checks out an electric supercar in London
The Transport Select Committee considers sulphur emissions from shipping
The London Assembly’s Environment Committee assesses Heathrow’s air and noise pollution progress
Ecoigo – Prius only taxi service in London launch iPhone app
Ruth Calderwood from City of London calls on TfL to allow business accounts for Boris Bikes
>City of London’s CityAir website
TfL seeks a partner to help upgrade London’s taxi fleet to Euro 5 standard
Particulate filter firm threatens to leave UK over ‘weak’ air quality plans

International
Copenhagen considers congestion charge
The University of Santiago writes on the contribution of wood burning to urban air pollution
Shenyang, China. One city’s remarkable air quality clean-up
Study suggests smoke from indoor cooking kills 2m a year globally
Does the effect of air pollution cost more than the economic gain from it’s production?
>A critique of the paper in Forbes magazine

And Finally:
Air pollution…. through the medium of interpretive dance
Air quality problems in East London…. East London, South Africa
Who needs air quality monitoring and research when you have Yahoo answers