The Institute of Air Quality Management

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News Archive 2008

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5th December 2008 - Climate Change Bill for Scotland
The Bill was published after public consultation earlier this year. It sets out a framework for reducing emissions by 80% by the year 2050, with an interim target for 2030. The Bill includes targets for all six greenhouse gases as well as targets for aviation and shipping. The Bill can be found by following this link - click here.

4th December - Defra launches two consultations on air pollution regulation
Defra is consulting on a review of the air pollution regulations in England. Defra state that air quality in England has improved considerably over the last few decades due to tighter controls over the emissions of harmful pollutants from industry, transport and households. England is now meeting the objectives of the national Air Quality Strategy in ninety five per cent of the country. The better regulation review consultation seeks input on proposals looking at how air pollution regulations can be delivered more cheaply and effectively without compromising air quality policy or international obligations. Defra has also launched a consultation on the six-year review of Process Guidance Notes for the mainly-industrial installations regulated by local authorities to control air emissions. The guidance notes specify pollution control standards for about 20,000 installations in England and Wales. For more information on these consultations please follow the link http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2008/081114c.htm

1st December - EU to exceed air pollutant limit due to growth in road transport
The European Environment Agency has announced that despite significant emissions reductions in recent years, only 11 EU Member States expect to remain within their emission limits for all four air pollutants set by the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive (NEC Directive). The nitrogen oxides ceiling remains the most difficult to comply with. This is partly due to the fact that demand for road transport has grown faster than anticipated. Please follow the link for the full article: http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/eu-to-exceed-air-pollutant-limit-due-to-growth-in-road-transport.

5th November - AURN Particulate Monitoring Procurement
Defra has announced that it awarded the contract to purchase monitoring equipment to Air Monitors Ltd. The equipment plus upgrades will be used for the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) and should ensure that the network is compliant with the requirements of the new ambient air quality Directive. For more details please follow the link here .

5th November - Air Pollution May Increase Risk of Appendicitis
In a novel piece of research presented at the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology scientists compared data on patients hospitalised for appendicitis in Calgary between 1999 and 2006 against the hourly levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulate matter. They found that patients were approximately 15 percent more likely to be hospitalised for appendicitis on days of the highest ozone concentrations. Previous studies have shown that air pollution may promote other diseases through inflammation and this maybe the mechanism by which air pollution increases the risk of appendicitis. Read the full article here.

5th November - Wildfires Cause Ozone Pollution to Violate Health Standards
Research by scientists at the National Centre for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in the US, have concluded that the California wildfires boosted ground level ozone levels to unhealthy levels across a broad area. Although scientists have known for a long time that wildfires effect air quality by emitting particles and gases into the air, there has been little research to quantify these impacts. The research showed that ozone hit unhealthy levels even in places where people couldn't see smoke. For more information on the use of tracking methods and fire modeling, please follow the link here

5th November - Rising Carbon Dioxide Levels "Will Hit Coral Reefs Harder"
A major investigation by Australian scientists has revealed that the acidification of the oceans from human CO2 emissions, together with the impact of global warming will have a far greater impact on coral reefs than was previously thought. Vital coralline algae which serves both to glue reefs together and settle coral larvae was found to be highly sensitive to increased CO2 levels and is at risk of being completely lost in some areas. These effects are in addition to the more publicised effects of coral bleaching arising from global warming alone. Read the full article here.

17th October - Fellowships at the IAQM
The IAQM has decided to accept applications to the Institute at Fellowship Grade. Candidates for election to the class of Fellow shall be at least thirty- five years old and be able to fulfill the following criteria; Hold a relevant degree (or be able to demonstrate education to a comparable level) Have at least ten years full time experience in one of the following fields, air quality management, air quality policy, research, monitoring, modelling, emission inventories, and other related and relevant areas to satisfy the Membership Committee. Hold a responsible position within the field of Air Quality.

30th September - Unnecessary red tape must not harm ability to produce food
The NFU has joined the Crop Protection Association and other key stakeholders in a letter send to Gordon Brown calling on the Government to ensure proposals to cut crop protection sprays, under a revised EU's Pesticides Registration Regulation, do not reduce farmers and growers ability to produce food at a time of rising prices and concerns over food security. The EU regulation is looking to move from a risk-based assessment to a hazard based assessment which will have a huge impact on the number of approved and available pesticide sprays. Growers could initially lose 15% of these sprays, but the proposals could go much further resulting in a loss of 85% of all EU approved pesticides. The NFU is concerned that the removal of these pesticides will greatly reduce crop yields and contribute to shortages and rising food prices. Details of the pesticide legislation can be found at the NFU website here.

9th September - Inauguration of worlds first coal fired power plant with CO2 capture
The plant with a thermal capacity of 30 megawatts, costing approximately 70 million Euros has officially commenced operations in Lausitz region of Germany. The carbon dioxide produced in this pilot plant will not be released into the atmosphere, but will instead be separated, liquefied and treated for long term underground storage. The plant, built by Vattenfall is considered to be a milestone on the way to converting coal to electricity without the harmful emissions. Read the full article.

4th September - Sustainability and cautious approach are key to future of biofuels
On the 7th July 2008 the Department of Transport Secretary, Ruth Kelly, and Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, set out a new approach to biofuels based on recommendations from the Gallagher review, concluding that the introduction of biofuels in the UK should be slowed down to take into account emerging scientific evidence about their sustainability. The review, commissioned by Ruth Kelly in February, looked at the wider social and environmental impacts, particularly the indirect impacts of different forms of biofuel production. The review expresses concerns that the whilst biofuels have the potential to deliver greenhouse gas savings their uncontrolled expansion could lead to changes in land use which are unsustainable. Read the key findings here.

4th September - Consultation on new UK road vehicle emission factors database
The Department of Transport is particularly seeking the views of environmental modellers and practitioners who prepare air quality inventories at a national or local level, to improve the quality of modelling exhaust emissions from road transport. The closing date for consultations is 24th October 2008 and full details of the consultation as well as a response paper can be found here.

4th September - UK Air Quality Forecasting Operational Reports for 2007
These reports cover the operational activities undertaken by AEA Energy and Environment and the Met Office under the UK Air Quality Forecasting Contract. The data produced from the 16 zones is used to prepare forecasts of the following days air pollution level. These forecasts are then disseminated through Teletext, the web and a freephone telephone number. They are used by the BBC to produce their 5 day air pollution index for 230 UK towns and cities on their BBC online service. The reports are quarterly and can be accessed through the following four links covering all the data for 2007; January to March 2007 April to June 2007 July to September 2007 October to December 2007

May 21st - US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Proposes Stronger Air Quality Standards for Lead
Washington DC - 1st May 2008). "The EPA is taking steps towards revising the nations air quality standards for lead for the first time in 30 years, proposing to strengthen the standards to reflect the latest science on lead and health." The proposal recommends revising the existing standard of 1.5 micrograms per cubic metre of air to a level in the range of 0.10 - 0.30 per cubic metre. Since 1980 emissions of lead have dropped nearly 98% nationwide, due mainly to the use of unleaded petrol.Todays lead levels are far below those of 1978 but still 1,300 tons of lead are emitted to the air annually, according to the EPA's most recent estimates. Public comments are being accepted on the proposed revision of the limits and the EPA must issue a final decision on the lead standard by 15th September 2008. www.epa.gov/air/lead/actions.html.

May 20th - Air pollution by Ozone across Europe during Summer 2007
This document published by the European Environment Agency (EEA), provides an evaluation of ground level ozone pollution in Europe for the period April - September 2007 and compares the data for the last 10 years. The results from last summer were among the lowest in the ten year period. Ozone pollution was at its highest in July and the relatively low temperatures of June led to a much lower number of exceedences of the information threshold compared to the summer of 2006.The highest one-hour ozone concentration of 479 µg/m3 was observed in Sicily, followed by 363 µg/m3 in Romania. France, Greece, Italy and Romania also reported high hourly ozone concentrations at least six times last summer. Copies of the full report can be obtained from the EEA website: http://reports.eea.europa.eu/technical_report_2008_5/en/technical_report_5_2008.

May 19th - Update to the diffusion tube database April 2008 - AQM Review
Further investigation has found that one of the co-location studies for Lambeth Scientific Services was provided with the automatic monitor results in ppb rather than µg/m3. This has now been rectified, with implications for the 2007 bias adjustment factor for this laboratory. A factor of 1.056 has been calculated and is provided in an updated version of the Diffusion Tube Database (v. 04/08). To download the updated version please follow this link: http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/review/diffusiontube230408.xls

April 30th - University of Greenwich Questionnaire
Dear IAQM Members We have been asked by the University of Greenwich to provide input on a questionnaire requesting data regarding Environmental modelling activities within your organisation. The data collection exercise is part of an INTERREG project entitled ‘Air Quality Modelling Actors and Skills Inventory’. The objective of the project is to gather data from a range of organisations (e.g. Universities, Consulting Firms, Associations, etc.) that use modelling tools for air quality predictions within the UK. A similar exercise is also underway in France. The data gathered will form part of a database which will be freely available on the web. As part of the questionnaire they are also looking for details of the projects that you would like to share with the community. In particular, they are looking for projects that involve modelling; data gathering and public awareness. Please do not forget to include your contact details, as without this, the information provided would not be included in the database. They have indicated that the questionnaire should only take a few minutes to fill and your participation in providing the requested information will prove very valuable to the Environmental Modelling community. It is hoped that the material gathered will provide you with links to organisations between the UK and France. Dr Mayur K Patel would like to thank you for your support and looks forward to receiving your completed form by the 15th of May. Please forward completed forms to Dr Patel at: m.k.patel@gre.ac.uk Download the questionnaire.

24th April - Report on the IAQM Health, Wellbeing and Air Quality Workshop, held on the 4th April, 2008
The discussions at this informal workshop were led by Professor Stephen Holgate and Dr William Bird who gave inspirational talks designed to question our current view of air quality and its effects on health. They advocated considering air quality as just one of the factors having an impact on community health. They concluded that it was vital to consider all these other factors, for example access to open spaces and greater physical activity alongside air quality issues in formulating urban and transport plan. Download the reports and presentations by Bernard Fisher Stephen Holgate William Bird

April 10th - UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network , Assessment of the the First 18 Years of Data
This report produced by the Defra funded UK Acid Waters Monitoring Network (AWMN), an integrated long-term freshwater monitoring network is concerned with assessing the impact of acidic emissions on UK waters. The report presents and reviews data collated in 2006. At the time of release of this report the AWMN will have been in operation for 20 years and over this period substantive interpretive reports have been produced every 5 years. These reports reviewed the operation of the Network, summarised trends in the data and integrated the information at site and national levels. The next substantive report is due to be published in 2008. The report can be found here back to top.

April 9th - Freshwater umbrella - The effects of Nitrogen deposition and climate change on freshwaters in the UK
In upland areas of the UK, most lakes and streams are generally located above centres of urban development and intensive agriculture and are therefore not vulnerable to the major direct sources of pollution such as urban runoff, sewage or fertilizer applications. Instead, the main threats to the quality of upland freshwaters are long range air pollution and climate change. Results from the Freshwater umbrella report have provided substantial evidence for adverse effects on N deposition on sensitive water bodies of the UK. The full report can be accessed here.

April 8th - Release of practical guidance on the use of diffusion tubes
Diffusion tubes are widely used in the UK to measure ambient concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in the context of air quality management. No standard methods currently exist for tube preparation or analysis and as a consequence, there is considerable variation in procedures amongst both laboratories and end users. Reducing these variations in methods should reduce the inter-laboratory variation in results. Defra and the Devolved Administrations commissioned AEA Energy and Environment and Air Quality Consultants to set up and manage a working group on harmonisation of nitrogen dioxide diffusion tube preparation and analysis methods. The full report produced by this working group can be viewed here.

April 4th - The EA responds to the DfT’s consultation paper on adding capacity at Heathrow Airport
The Agency has opposed the proposal to add capacity at Heathrow Airport on air quality grounds. The proposal to add a third runway and use the additional two runways for mixed activities would appear to compromise the ability to meet EU air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide. As the Governments White Paper states, not meeting these standards would be against the law. The Agency concludes that the evidence presented in the consultation is not sufficiently robust to ensure that nitrogen dioxide limit values will not be infringed. This is because the assessment of air quality in the consultation document pays insufficient attention to future uncertainties, particularly with regard to climate change, road traffic patterns, background air quality and meteorological variability. The full Agency response to this consultation can be accessed here. A second paper providing more background information into the project and a Q & A covering frequently asked questions is available here.
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February 8th - The London Low Emission Zone
The London Low Emission zone (LEZ) is now in place (as of Monday 4th February) and is designed to deter the most polluting vehicles from driving in the area. Motorcycles and cars are unaffected, however lorries, buses and coaches weighing over 12 tonnes whose exhausts do not meet EU emission limits will be subject to a daily fee of £200. It is planned, in 2010, for the scheme to be extended to other vehicles such as mini-buses and heavy vans, which will face a £100 charge to enter the zone if they do not comply with stringent emission standards. The LEZ is much larger than the existing congestion charge zone, extending over 610 square miles.
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February 9th - European Low Emission Zones
Low Emission Zones or “Environment Zones” are now in place in over 70 cities and towns in Europe, including Berlin and Amsterdam. Non-compliant vehicles are subject to a charge or are banned from entering the zones. For more details on European LEZ’s please refer to www.lowemissionzones.eu
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February 10th - Air Quality Forum
Defra’s Air Quality Forum (including representatives of the IAQM) met on the 16th January to discuss general issues, but with particular emphasis on the European Air Quality and National Emissions Ceiling (NEC) Directives. A full report of the meeting can be downloaded here; the key points raised are summarised as follows: The Air Quality Directive passed through parliament with a successful vote in December 2007. There has been no change on the commons position on PM2.5 and limit values/exposure reduction targets remain as detailed in the 2007 Air Quality Strategy. However, the PM2.5 issue is due to be reviewed by 2013. Member states now have 3 and 5 years to meet the PM10 and NO2 limit values respectively. Only anthropogenic contributions to PM concentrations are to be considered and guidelines will be issued as to the fraction that may be assumed to be from natural sources by the end of 2008. There will no longer be a requirement to assess compliance at locations where there is no public exposure. The Directive will be transposed into UK law by 2010. The revised National Emissions Ceiling Directive will have an end date of 2020. The NECD will add primary PM2.5 to the pollutants currently regulated. There is some concern that the 2010 ceiling for NOx will not be achieved due to increased coal combustion (due to high energy prices), a failure of Euro 4 to deliver forecasted improvements in NOx emissions and significant emissions from Non-road mobile machinery. A study by NETCEN suggests that targets to reduce CO2 will lead to a continued drift towards diesel vehicles with potentially twice as many diesels as petrol vehicles on the road by 2020. It is suggested that this may lead to adverse health effects. The IAQM representative gave two presentations, the first highlighting that air quality is not just an issue around bonfire night and that there are now many other festivities during the calendar year that lead to elevated PM levels. The second presentation summarized the results of the second round of remote emissions testing carried out in Bristol which showed that as many as 10% of vehicles may be exceeding the emissions standards.
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February 11th - Defra Air Quality Indicator 2007 Preliminary Results Published
An air quality “headline” indicator was introduced in 1999 in support of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy. When this strategy was updated in 2005, a new air quality indicator was included, better reflecting the effects on health of long term exposure to lower levels of pollution. It measures annual levels of pollution from particulates (PM10) and ozone (O3), the two pollutants thought to have the greatest health impacts, as well as the number of days on which levels of any one of a basket of five pollutants were ‘moderate or higher’. A summary of the results can be found here.
January
22nd January - European Network of Environmental Professionals (ENEP)
The European Network of Environmental Professionals (ENEP) is an online database of environmental professionals from across Europe that is being set up by the European Federation of Associations of Environmental Professionals (EFAEP). It has now reached the stage where it is accepting entries onto the database from members of constituent bodies of EFAEP and where members are invited to enter their details. The two main aims of ENEP are: To facilitate active communication and exchange of knowledge between EFAEP members; and To provide access to the expertise and experience of environmental professionals at the European level. This will give the environmental professionals of Europe a platform where they can present their professional profiles, where they can get in touch with each other, and where clients and service providers can meet. The IAQM has indirect links to the ENEP and all IAQM members are encouraged to register onto the database. Access to the ENEP website via the following link: www.environmentalprofessionals.eu
22nd January - Europe Gets a New Air Quality Directive for Christmas
Those seeking an early resolution on the new EU Air Quality Directive received a Christmas present late last year, when the European Parliament approved a proposal earlier than expected. Formal approval by the Council of Ministers should follow imminently. The new Directive merges the current EU Air Quality Framework Directive and the first three ‘daughter directives’ that specify standards for air quality in member states. At the committee stage amendments had been introduced giving long time extensions for some existing limits, and also introduced areas where limit values do not apply. Happily these changes were thrown out for the final Directive. The new Directive introduces new targets and limit values for PM2.5, and possible derogations for achievement of existing PM10 objectives. In the latter case the Directive allows a three-year exemption on the PM10 limit values for areas that cannot meet the targets "because of site-specific dispersion characteristics, adverse climatic conditions or transboundary contributions". This exemption would be granted only if Member States submit a plan showing why the targets can’t be met despite measures taken at national and local level. For PM2.5 the Directive introduces two new limit values and a non-binding target. These are limit values of 25 μg/m3 (maximum) and 20 μg/m3 (average urban background) to be met by 2015, and a nonbinding exposure reduction target to further reduce the background levels by 20% between 2010 and 2020. The UK introduced its own exposure reduction target in the new Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland launched earlier this year6. The new EU target is tougher (a 20% reduction as opposed to 15%), however its non-binding nature will mean the UK will not be required to raise its game. Environmental Protection UK sees the new Directive as a mixed bag. Whilst it will do little to improve air quality in the UK, we are pleased that the amendments introduced to weaken the legislation were thrown out for the final approved Directive. The key issue now is to ensure that the new Directive is fully implemented by EU member states. Many EU countries, including the UK, have breached existing limit values with little action taken by the European Commission. It is therefore essential the Commission provides tough enforcement of the limit values in the new Directive to ensure member states provide cleaner, healthier air for their citizens. Article provided by Environmental Protection UK. Information provided by Defra for the Air Quality Forum. Click to download the new Ambient air quality directive