Air pollution caused 160,000 deaths in big cities last year: NGO

KUALA LUMPUR - Serious pollution caused around 160,000 premature deaths in the world's five most populous cities last year, even as air quality improved in some places due to coronavirus lockdowns, an environmental group said Thursday.

The worst-affected was New Delhi, the most polluted capital on Earth, where around 54,000 deaths are estimated to have occurred due to hazardous PM2.5 airborne particles, according to a report from Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

In Tokyo, the figure was 40,000 with the rest spread across Shanghai, Sao Paulo and Mexico City, according to the report, which looked at the impact of microscopic PM2.5 matter produced by burning fossil fuels.

"When governments choose coal, oil and gas over clean energy, it's our health that pays the price," said Avinash Chanchal, climate campaigner at Greenpeace India.

PM2.5 particles are considered the most harmful for health. They damage the heart and lungs, and increase the chances of severe asthma attacks.

Some studies have linked PM2.5 exposure to a higher risk of dying from Covid-19.

The report used an online tool that estimates the impacts of PM 2.5 by taking air quality data from monitoring site IQAir and combining it with scientific risk models, as well as population and health data.

The tool is a collaboration between Greenpeace, IQAir, and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Despite the high numbers of deaths, coronavirus lockdowns imposed across the world -- that took traffic off the streets and shut down polluting industries -- did temporarily clear the skies above big cities.

Delhi, for instance, underwent a dramatic transformation for a period last year when curbs were imposed, with residents reveling in azure skies and clean air.

Scientists say that massive drops in some pollutants due to lockdowns are bound to have prevented deaths.

Nevertheless, Greenpeace urged governments to put investment in renewable energy at the heart of plans to recover from the pandemic-triggered economic downturn.

"To really clean up our air, governments must stop building new coal plants, retire existing coal plants, and invest in clean energy generation, such as wind and solar," said the group's air pollution scientist Aidan Farrow.

Agence France-Presse

Smog over Taj Mahal

Tourists visit the Taj Mahal in smoggy conditions in Agra on Wednesday. Smog in northern India reached hazardous levels on Tuesday, with tourists complaining of coughing and only a few wearing protective masks while visiting the famous landmark.

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Delhi fights hazardous pollution after Diwali party

NEW DELHI - After India's biggest firework party of the year, Delhi awoke to a pollution hangover Monday with the capital forced to breathe hazardous levels of toxic particles.

A thick smog engulfed landmarks such as the capital's Red Fort and India Gate while drivers had visibility cut by the haze that built up after the Diwali holiday weekend.

With the pollution threat growing over the past decade, the Supreme Court banned most fireworks for the Hindu festival of lights. However, few revelers followed the order.

Firecrackers and rockets lit up the night sky and left clouds of smoke, adding to emissions from cars and trucks and stubble fires by farmers around Delhi that have made it the world's most polluted capital.

Tens of thousands of people set off firecrackers into the early hours of Monday, pushing the government air quality index beyond the top recordable level of 999.

While the pollution was less serious than previous years, the amount of the most harmful PM 2.5 pollutants was still more than 20 times international safe levels at several locations in the city of 20 million people during commuting hours.

The government monitoring system said air quality was "very poor" on Monday morning.

The 2.5 particulate matter (PM2.5) measures less than 2.5 microns and can penetrate the lungs through the blood system, causing serious respiratory and heart diseases.

Experts say the toxic cocktail that hits Delhi and other Indian cities each winter causes the premature deaths of more than one million people each year.

Weather officials said moderate winds will help clean the city's air but that increased fires on farms in Haryana and Punjab states was a particular threat.

Thousands of farmers in Haryana burn their rice and wheat stubble in between planting new crops sending clouds of smoke toward Delhi.

Experts say this contributes a fifth of the PM2.5 pollution that hits each year, while the millions of vehicles on the roads and unregulated construction and factory emissions are the major cause. 

The government has taken a slew of anti-pollution measures in recent years, including shutting down thermal power plants and banning construction during the pollution season.

In November, a bid to reduce road traffic will be introduced with odd and even registration plates allowed on Delhi roads on alternate days.

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US minorities consume less but suffer more from pollution - study

WASHINGTON - US air pollution is disproportionately caused by white consumers, while African-Americans and Hispanics are burdened most by the emissions, a peer-reviewed study showed on Monday.

On average, African-Americans are exposed to about 56 percent more fine particulate matter pollution than is caused by their consumption of goods and services, said the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Hispanics, on average, bear a burden of 63 percent excess exposure, it said.

Whites, on the other hand, experience a "pollution advantage," meaning they are exposed to 17 percent less pollution than is caused by their consumption.

"What surprised me the most was the magnitude of the discrepancy," said Jason Hill, a biosytems engineering professor at the University of Minnesota and co-author of the study. "It's surprisingly large."

The study was the first to quantify what it called "pollution inequity" and to track it over time.

Particulate matter pollution has a wide variety of sources including coal-fired power plants, agriculture, road dust, and industry. Blacks and Hispanics bear a higher proportion of the pollution because of where most of them live, compared with where most white people live, said the study, which tapped census data.

The problem occurs across the country, not just in industrial areas alongside major cities like Houston and New York, it said.

The study was paid for in part by a 5-year grant that included money from federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency and was launched when Barack Obama was president. The grant has continued to be funded by the administration of President Donald Trump.

Both racial minorities and whites have benefited from clean air regulations, the study found, with fine particulate pollution falling about 50 percent on average between 2003 and 2015.

But the pollution inequity remains stubborn, it said. Public-health advocates and environmentalists say the Trump administration's push to unravel regulations on power plants, industry, and vehicles while pursuing increased drilling and mining will make air pollution worse.

The study found that fine particulate pollution from domestic sources caused about 102,000 premature US deaths a year from heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer, and other diseases.

Julian Marshall, an engineering professor at the University of Washington and co-author of the study, said its approach could be extended to other pollutants.

"When it comes to determining who causes air pollution, and who breathes that pollution, this research is just the beginning."

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Beijing slashes traffic in pollution red alert

BEIJING - Half of Beijing's private cars were ordered off the streets Tuesday and many construction sites and schools were closed under the Chinese capital's first-ever red alert for pollution.

A grey haze descended on the city of around 21.5 million people, with levels of PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs -- at one point above 300 micrograms per cubic meter according to the US embassy, which issues independent readings.

The World Health Organization's recommended maximum exposure is 25.

The alert coincided with global climate change talks in Paris, where Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed "action" on greenhouse gas emissions.

Most of China's greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating, which spikes when demand peaks in winter and is the main cause of smog.

It was the first time authorities declared a "red alert" since emergency air pollution plans were introduced two years ago, although levels were far from the city's worst.

It came a week after thick grey smog shrouded Beijing, cutting visibility severely and sending PM 2.5 levels as high as 634 micrograms per cubic metre.

Under the alert -- the highest in a four-tiered, colour-coded warning system -- an odd-even number plate system bans half the city's roughly 4.4 million private cars from the streets on alternate days.

Outdoor construction sites are ordered to close and some industrial plants told to cease or reduce operations.

Some schools are also urged to close, and several Beijing residents said their children had been told to stay at home.

Authorities in the capital were heavily criticized after only issuing an orange alert for last week's pollution.

“The red alert is a welcome sign of a different attitude from the Beijing government,” said Dong Liansai, climate and energy campaigner for environmental group Greenpeace.

“However, this, the latest of a series of airpocalypses to hit Beijing, is also a firm reminder of just how much more needs to be done to ensure safe air for all.”

Nonetheless some social media commenters said the measures were not enough.

"Can we apply to work at home? The air in our office is totally 'poison gas'", said one poster on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.

The decision to issue the red alert despite relatively low numbers also provoked ridicule.

"Today wasn't as serious as the previous time," said one commenter. "How could they not issue a red alert then and issue a red alert now?"

An editorial in the government-published newspaper the China Daily on Tuesday said the move showed that "authorities have listened to residents' concerns."

"Of course," it added, "we don't expect the frequent issuance of a red alert, and we hope that we will be able to forget about it in the near future", when the government can "keep the air clean for good".

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Winter inversion bring bad air to Utah

PROVO, Utah - Marathon runner Ruthie Veater normally trains for her long-distance races outside, but due to the fact that northern Utah has had some of the worst air in the nation this year, she's been keeping her workouts indoors.

"Running outdoors when the air is really bad, it kills me. I feel like I'm suffocating," Veater said.

The cause of the smoggy skies is winter inversions, which is unique to Utah because of the region’s Wasatch Mountains. Inversions take place when a layer of warm air sits between mountain ranges and keeps cold air and pollutants from vehicles and fireplaces from escaping.

"The air is full of contaminants. It's just really dirty," Veater said.

The Salt Lake City area has recently had some of the country's highest air quality index. Earlier this month, the AQI rose to 120, a number that signifies unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups.

"It also affects people that have a lot of health issues, like respiratory distress," said Veater, who has worked as a registered nurse for 35 years.

"When they have lung problems, it's hard for them to breath," she said.

The registered nurse also said that it's not a bad idea for even healthy people to avoid the poor air.

"I would suggest staying indoors when there's an inversion. You don't need to be outdoors. You don't need to be breathing this nasty air," she said.

In an effort to clean up the air, the state has proposed a permanent winter-long ban on wood burning in counties that have the worst problem. For now, though, residents can only hope for relief through Mother Nature.

According to local weather forecasters, the dirty air will remain in Utah until a storm system is strong enough to push it out of the valleys.

Read more from Balitang America

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Singapore air pollution slips into unhealthy level

SINGAPORE - Singapore's air pollution rose to unhealthy levels on Monday, the National Environment Agency said, as winds changed direction and brought in light smoke from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia.

Singapore is in the middle of its "haze" season, when smoke from forest clearing in Indonesia traditionally chokes the air, but this year has been practically haze free, despite warnings in May it was going to be worse than 2013's record pollution.

The three-hour Pollution Standards Index broke above 100, the level beyond which the air is considered unhealthy, at 1 a.m. and remained above that level into the daylight hours, the government agency said on its website.

The NEA warned on Sunday that if the wind blew from the southwest, Singapore could experience occasional haze from fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island.

The smoke blanketed Singapore last June, pushing the air pollution index to a record 401.

In August, Singapore's parliament passed a bill proposing fines for companies that cause pollution regardless of whether the companies operate on the island, though it remains to be seen how the law can be enforced.

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Pollution, smoking, roads, obesity kill 4.7m Chinese a year

PARIS - Air pollution, smoking, obesity and accidents, especially on the road, kill at least 4.7 million Chinese a year and cost the country tens of billions of dollars, researchers said on Friday.

In an overview published in The Lancet, they said China had in some respects made great strides in health, boosting the average lifespan from 40 years in 1950 to 76 years in 2011 and rolling back many infectious diseases.

On the other hand, the risk of premature death and sickness from pollution, smoking, road crashes and "lifestyle" ailments is worse than before.

The trio of Chinese and US experts said China had the chance of learning from rich countries which had already been down this path, a by-product of rising prosperity.

"Many of these risks can be lowered by interventions with shown effectiveness," they said.

"China has the opportunity to avoid repetition of the full toll of preventable disease burdens suffered by high-income countries from non-communicable diseases."

The research, led by Jeffrey Koplan, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, provides the following snapshot, which includes figures that have been published previously:

-- Air pollution: A million deaths annually are attributable to inhaling indoor smoke from solid fuels, and another 1.2 million from inhaling fine particulate matter outdoors.

The economic cost from particulate air pollution among urban dwellers was 341 billion yuan ($55 billion, 42 billion euros) in 2006, according to the paper.

-- Smoking: 1.4 million premature deaths each year, costing 41 billion yuan annually on the basis of values for 2000.

-- Road fatalities: China has more than 800,000 deaths annually from accidents, which are "mainly" accounted for by road accidents, according to the report. (Separately, the United Nations estimated 275,000 road deaths in China in 2010).

Accidents of all kinds are the leading cause of death in the 1-39 age group and cost 65 billion yuan in medical expenses alone, said the study.

-- Obesity: 363,000 fatalities each year attributable to high body-mass index, a condition linked to heart disease, diabetes and other ailments. The cost -- in 2003 -- was 21 billion yuan.

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Singapore smog breaches 'hazardous' level

Smog levels in Singapore from Indonesian forest fires hit the highest level on record Wednesday as the air pollutant index breached the "hazardous" level.

The index soared to 321 at 10:00 pm (1400 GMT), according the the website of the National Environment Agency (NEA), well past the 300-mark considered "hazardous".

Before Wednesday, Singapore's most severe haze reading was in September 1997 when the number peaked at 226.

Anything above 200 is considered "very unhealthy", particularly to the elderly, young children and people with heart and lung disease.

When levels hit hazardous, vulnerable people can experience "early onset of certain diseases in addition to significant aggravation of (already present) symptoms," the NEA said. Healthy people also find it harder to exercise in such conditions, the agency added.

Now that the pollution levels have topped the 300 threshold, elderly people with existing heart or lung diseases are advised to stay indoors and the general population to "avoid vigorous outdoor activity", according to government guidelines.

The smog, which had been worsening since Monday, triggered a run on medical masks and angry complaints from foreign tourists and locals.

"We are going to leave Singapore two days early because we are having trouble breathing," said Zac Kot, 40, a business owner from the United States who was on holiday with his wife and two young girls.

Indignant Singaporeans attacked their government on the web for its handling of the problem. Disposable medical masks flew off drugstores' shelves as consumers and companies bought them in bulk and placed orders for more.

Even tourists from Indonesia -- traditionally the largest source of visitors to Singapore -- protested about the smoky haze from Sumatra island, where some farmers and plantations deliberately set off fires to clear land for cultivation.

"It's not very good, and it's getting harder to breathe. I just don't know where to go," said Rangga Adisapoetra, 30, a risk management executive from Indonesia's main island Java attending a mobile communications and broadcasting expo.

"Maybe tomorrow, I'll visit Universal Studios," he told AFP, temporarily lifting a grey face mask to speak.

The pollution problem peaks during the June-September dry season, when monsoon winds transport thick clouds of smoke from Sumatra to neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

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