Particulate air pollution
Geneva valley on a clear day
This photo shows the Geneva valley on a good day. It was taken in the Jura, looking across Lac Leman to Mont Blanc, which is clearly visible, some 50 miles away. It’s a shame that views like this are something of a rarity these days, the visibility is often much worse.
Geneva under smog
This second photo shows a more typical view, taken in winter. The mountain in the background is the Saleve, just across the valley, far closer than Mont Blanc. The layer of smog is clearly visible and, if you had x-ray vision, you would see the suburbs of Geneva in the middle of it all. All those people living down there are breathing that stuff.
It has long been known that this ‘particulate air pollution‘ from fires, vehicles, and industrial activity can lead to all sorts of health problems. A study published in the The New England Journal of Medicine (Volume 360:376-386) in January 2009 shows that life expectancy increased in areas where particulate pollution was reduced, and that the more the pollution was reduced, the greater the increase in life-expectancy. Clean up the air and people live longer, what a surprise!
Another study suggests that traffic pollution can cause genetic changes to babies before they are born, making them more susceptible to asthma. That may go some way to explaining why asthma affects one child in ten across the UK.
In France, another recent study, Un rapport et un avis d’expertise sur la pollution de l’air par les particules fines et son impact sur la santé publié par l’Afsset (“a report and analysis of air pollution by find particles and their impact on public health”) concludes that there is no safe limit for exposure to this type of pollution, it affects health from the very lowest levels. In particular, the report says that:
It is the frequent exposures, at moderate levels of pollution, which are responsible for the majority of the impact on health, and not the peaks of pollution. In fact, 97% of the impact on health can be attributed to moderate but frequent levels of pollution (below 50µg/m3), and only 3% to the peaks.
Particulate pollution can even affect the weather, causing more lightning-strikes in the middle of the week when vehicle emissions are higher. If that’s not enough for you, black smoke is also responsible for half of the warming in the arctic, because it darkens the snow which can then melt faster because it absorbs more sunlight.
An unnecessary fire
With a problem on that scale, is it worth individuals trying to do anything about it? I think so. If it’s true that many smokers would quit smoking for the sake of their pet, surely it’s reasonable to take some steps to protect ourselves too, or to reduce our own output of such pollution? In our part of the world, for example, we see a lot of people burning garden waste. This is a shame when it could be used for compost or disposed of at council facilities that can incinerate it properly.
Using the car less is another option. The Commission for Integrated Transport in the UK points out that driving children to school is a major contributor to road traffic, and that simply putting kids on the bus would improve things for all concerned. There would be less congestion at the school gates, fewer vehicles on the roads, less time taken from the parents, and the kids get to spend more time with their friends on the bus. The US Environmental Protection Agency are undertaking a program to monitor air quality at schools, they are that worried about it. They have a number of good suggestions for reducing your childs’ exposure to vehicle pollution at school, such as encouraging no-idling policies for vehicles that are loading, unloading, or waiting.
Dweezeljazz has written in the past about the reducing our pollution intake on car journeys, by using filters such as the XR-100 Car air purifier. We’ve used one for some time now, and it really does make a perceptible difference to the way we feel in the car.
XR-100 air filters, used (left) and unused (right)
The picture (right) shows a new filter for the XR-100, and one that has been used for 4 months. It’s rather shocking how filthy the used one is, especially when you consider that I don’t live or drive much in a big city. It certainly makes me want to stay away from the roads!
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Tags: Asthma, Climate change
