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News
| 19th July - IAQM launches Ian McCrae Award |
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The Institute for Air Quality Management is pleased to announce the launch of the Ian McCrae Travel Award. As of 2010 the Institute for Air Quality Management (IAQM) will be running the IAQM Ian McCrae Travel Award every year to support the professional development of early career air quality professionals. The £1000 grant will be used to enable the winners to attend an air quality conference in the UK or abroad by covering conference, travel and accommodation costs. This Award has been established in memorial to the life and work of Dr Ian McCrae, who passed away earlier this year. Ian was an internationally-respected air quality scientist and was instrumental in setting up the IAQM. Closing Date for Applications: Applications can be submitted between 1st July and 30th September for a conference taking place anytime in the following 12 months (from 5th October). For further information please download the information pack and an application form. |
| 22nd June - IAQM responds to London Mayor's Air Quality Strategy Consultation |
| After discussion amongst the IAQM Committe, the Institute has responded to 'Clearing the air', the Mayor’s draft air quality strategy for public consultation. You can read the response here. |
| 22nd June - UK receives "final warning" from Europe over air pollution levels |
Defra have launched our new and improved Local Air Quality Management website today! |
| 11th June - UK receives "final warning" from Europe over air pollution levels |
Instead of an agreement to extend the deadline by which emissions must be reduced, the UK government has received a "final warning" from the European commission about non compliance with airborne particle levels in London. The commission seemed to be concerned that there was no "real plan" in place to ensure compliance with European levels. The warning came as a surprise to the UK government who had been hoping for a positive outcome to their request for nine more months to meet the European targets. Read more. |
| 11th June - Scotland launches boiler scrappage scheme |
Scotland has unveiled a scheme to subsidise the replacement of 5000 inefficient household boilers, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 5000 tonnes per year, the equivalent of removing 2000 vehicles from the road. The scheme follows the example of similar schemes in England and Wales and will be administered by the Energy Saving Scotland network. |
| 11th June - Study in Germany suggests a link between air pollution and diabetes |
The results of a study started in 1985 have just been published. The sample group (all women aged between 54 and 55) living in rural or highly industrialised areas were monitored and between 1990 and 2006, 187 cases of type 2 diabetes were diagnosed. Air pollution levels were studied for each of the cases reported so that the exposure levels could be calculated. Type 2 diabetes is commonly diagnosed in middle age and incidences of it appear to be exacerbated where low grade inflammation is present, such as in areas where the levels of nitrogen dioxide or particulate matter are high. How this sub clinical inflammation leads to diabetes is a matter for conjecture, one theory is that the immune cells in the airways are triggered and this leads to a widespread chronic inflammatory response which makes the subject more prone to developing diabetes. |
| 11th June - Consultation: Development Control - Planning for Air Quality - 2010 update |
Environmental Protection UK has put its new guidance document "Development Control - Planning for Air Quality - 2010 update" out for consultation. The document aims to ensure that air quality issues are dealt with in a timely fashion within the development control process. |
| 5th May - The Icelandic volcano update |
The volcano which lies under a glacier 120km southeast of Reykjavik erupted last month bringing havoc to air travellers, it continues to erupt, spewing a steady column of ash into the the atmosphere. Prevailing winds have curtailed the movement of ash in recent days, so that air traffic in the UK and continental Europe has been operating normally. However a cloud of ash this morning has lead to the temporary closure of airports in Ireland. Authorities have warned that occasional disruption to air traffic might be a feature of summer travel. |
| 5th May - Road transportation may contribute more to global warming than previously realised |
Research funded by the EU Quantify project had concluded that aerosols (fine particles suspended in the air) produced by road transport, traps more heat than it reflects, thus contributing a warming effect to the atmosphere. Conversely particles emitted from shipping reflect more heat than they absorb thus contributing an overall cooling effect. As road transportation is predicted to grow considerably in the next few decades, it is important that the effects of the aerosols are understood more fully. |
| 9th April - Air Pollution: Action in a changing climate |
In the above report published by Defra, the main issues concerning air pollution are summarised and are considered alongside climate change data. This report does not replace the more detailed strategy for air quality in the UK outlined in 2007, but provides a wider view as to how these two main drivers can be linked together for a more consistent approach. The main findings of the report can be summarised as follows: |
| 11th March - Methane releases from arctic shelf may be larger and faster than anticipated |
An international research team led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks has found that the East Siberian Arctic Shelf, long thought to be an impermeable barrier, is showing signs of instability and widespread venting of methane gas. Indeed the amount of methane being released is considered comparable to the amount coming out of the entire of the worlds oceans. The East Siberian Arctic Shelf is a frontier in methane research, the shelf itself is shallow at only 50m or less in depth, which means that at various points in its history it has been submerged or terrestrial depending on the sea level. As sea levels rise it is inundated with seawater which is on average 12- 15 degrees warmer than the prevailing air temperature, facilitating the release of methane. In deep water, methane oxidises into carbon dioxide before it reaches the surface, but methane released from the shallow shelf simply doesn't have time to do that, so more of the gas is released into the atmosphere. Research is ongoing to try and determine how much methane is stored beneath the shelf and the climatic consequences of its partial release. Read more. |
| 8th March - Soil deposits of CO2 "not fuelling global warming yet - but will in future |
| A recent study undertaken for the UK government has cast doubt on the claims that rising temperatures are causing CO2 from the soil to be pumped into the atmosphere. In 2005, the science journal Nature reported that CO2 emissions released from the soil over the last 25 years, 100m tonnes of it would cancel out any emission cuts in the UK since 1990. However a national survey of the soils of Great Britain claims to have found no net loss of carbon over about the same period, scientists meanwhile are recommending that the reports be re- examined with an independant statistical expert to establish which result is more likely to be correct. Read the full article. |
| 5th March - QA/QC Data Ratification and Intercalibration Report for AURN, July - September 2009 |
| AEA carries out quality assurance and control activities for the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly and the DoE in Northern Ireland. This report details the ratification and calibration activities that have been undertaken across the network to ensure that network performance is maximised. |
| 5th March - Development Control: Planning for Air Quality |
| Environmental Protection UK has updated this popular guidance and are now inviting comments and views on the draft. The document provides guidance to help ensure that air quality issues are properly accounted for in the development control process. Last updated in 2006, this new draft has been through a significant rewrite to encompass changes in planning processes and encompass new documents such as the 2007 Air Quality Strategy. Comments are welcome on this draft until Friday 26th March 2010. EPUK would particularly appreciate comments directed at the accuracy of the background information, validity of the processes suggested and omissions. |
| 9th February - Defra publishes low emission strategies guidance |
| Defra and the Low Emissions Strategies Partnership (LES) have produced guidance on using the planning system to reduce emissions, through the effective integrated use of planning and transport policies. Using real life examples from Beacon Councils it encourages other local authorities to do the same. The guidance, aimed principally for local authorities in England, seeks to stress that economic growth does not have to come at the expense of the environment. It is intended to help demonstrate how the planning system maybe used to reduce air emissions from transport and in doing so encourages local authorities to take a coordinated approach, tackling air pollutants and greenhouse gases together. |
| 9th February - Air Quality Indicator suggests drop in particulate levels as part of a decreasing trend |
| A report published by Defra in January 2010, suggests a general improvement in air quality measures as compared to 2008. Some of the headline findings include a drop in both roadside particulate levels (part of a decreasing trend) and urban background particulate levels (the trend for which had shown a rise since 1992, followed by a levelling off in more recent years). The air quality headline indicator was introduced in 1999 in support of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy. When the strategy was updated in 2005 the new air quality indicator was included and split into two parts, which better represented the health effects of long term exposure to air pollutants. |
| 9th February - Scottish air quality adversely affected by localised road traffic |
| A report published by audit Scotland this week found that although the overall air quality in Scotland is good, there were 21 locations where air quality is poor enough to cause concerns that EU targets may not be met. These locations are characterised as being in heavy urban traffic areas, where the pollution originating from buses and other heavy vehicles is significant. The report calls for the government and local councils to work more closely together to formulate a strategy for reducing pollution levels in these areas. |
| 8th January - Road barriers stifle more than just sound and sight |
| Barriers erected along roads to reduce road noise and improve visual amenity for local communities, may also be effective at lifting and channeling pollutants away from adjoining, often residential areas says a study conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The study also found that the barriers tended to trap pollutants in the roadway itself, particularly in low wind conditions and at night. |
| 8th January - Warmer climate could stifle carbon dioxide uptake by trees |
| Contrary to popular belief, that a warmer climate and therefore a longer growing season would increase the carbon dioxide uptake by trees, findings by scientists at the University of Colorado in Boulder have suggested that the extension of the growing season increases the possibility of water stress later in the summer and autumn. Trees experiencing water stress were then less effective in converting carbon dioxide into biomass, the presence of summer rains were inadequate to make up the difference. Full details of the study will be published in the February edition of the journal "Global Change Biology", read a shortened press version here. |
| 8th January - Monkey hair could provide early warning of toxic threats to humans and wildlife |
| In a report published by the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, testing the hair of Asian monkeys living close to people may provide early warning of toxic threats. In parts of South and Southeast Asia, monkeys and humans share the same ecological niche, ice the same water, food and air sources. Exposure of the monkeys to toxic substances such as lead was detectable in hair samples from the monkeys, the research team hope that the analysis of the monkey hair will provide a non-invasive technique for determining human exposure to toxic elements. |
| 8th January - National Audit Office Publish Briefing Report on Air Quality |
| The National Audit Office has published a briefing for the Environmental Audit Committee. This acts as a summary of the background and a look at how close the UK is to meeting targets rather than a critical appraisal of the AQ management regime (that will come out of the Environmental Audit Committee's enquiry). Details of the Environmental Audit Committee sessions are available here. |
| 8th January - Air Pollution in the UK 2008 |
| This is the latest in a long running series of annual reports summarising ambient concentrations of a wide range of air pollutants, from the 130 locations in the UK where air quality is continually and automatically measured. The annual reports from previous years (back to and including 2003) can be found in the same location. |
| 8th January - UK Annual Air Quality Report Submission |
| The UK's annual assessment of air quality has been completed and submitted to the EU, data within it is compiled from the national monitoring networks and the Pollution Climate Mapping models. The assessment includes comparisons with the limit and target values with the EU ambient air quality Directives. |
Site designed by Alex Ledbrooke - Cornwall College Air Quality Unit 