Pollutionwatch October 2008

Last month was colder and wetter than average across the UK, but also the sunniest October for a number of years.  The lower height of the winter sun in the sky meant that despite the number of sunshine hours, there was no problem with photo-chemical pollutants like ozone.  The only notable pollution event recorded was in Salford on the nights of the 27^th and 28^th.  For several hours on both nights, nitrogen dioxide concentrations exceeded government limits.  At the same time there was also a slight rise in levels of particle pollution.  The monitoring site is located in the middle of a residential area and the event coincided with cold snap where a lot of the UK was experienced snow.  This suggests that the pollution may well have been caused by people suddenly deciding to boost their heating using solid-fuel fires.   

 

Open fires or solid-fuel stoves are becoming increasingly popular once more, particularly with the recent rises in the cost of running central heating on gas, oil or electricity.  Whilst coal has recently been highlighted (particularly in the context of large power stations) as being a very dirty fuel, many people see wood as being an ‘environmentally friendly’ fuel as it is often considered as being both ‘renewable’ and ‘carbon-neutral’.   Whilst it maybe appropriate to use solid fuels in sparsely populated rural areas, we currently face a significant risk of increasing urban pollution levels in this country through the use of wood-based fuels by both individual households, and as a means of providing heating and electricity for small industrial or commercial buildings.    

Pollutionwatch: September 2008

Compared to August, the weather in September seemed positively balmy.  However, things were merely relative and it was still the coldest, dullest and wettest September for a good few years. Consequently there were just a handful of polluted days. Particles only reached moderate concentrations in London, on Marylebone Road on the 11^th and in Camden on the 22^nd and 23^rd.  Nitrogen dioxide reached moderate levels once, during the morning rush hour on the 19^th in Bury Roadside next to the M60.  Ozone pollution, was far more widespread, mainly over the second half of the month when more consistent patterns of high pressure brought sunnier weather to much of the UK.  There was still no occasion when the number of monitoring stations reporting moderate concentrations of ozone got into double figures (out of 75 ozone monitoring stations in the UK network).

There was much discussion last month about the news that the recent increases in fuel prices had led to significant reductions in levels of traffic and congestion across much of the UK.  It is too early to tell whether this led to measureable improvements in air quality, due to the dominating effect that weather conditions have on the concentrations of pollutants in the air we breathe. It has clearly shown though that there is significant room for flexibility in the way we travel and this can only be good news for those responsible for trying to air manage pollution.

Pollutionwatch: August 2008

Every cloud has a silver lining!  Although many people in the UK were undoubtedly disappointed at experiencing the dullest August since records began, the poor weather did mean we experienced unusually clean air throughout the month.  There was only one day last month when the number of monitoring stations reporting moderate concentrations of ozone rose in to double figures – on the 30th.  This was for only 12 stations – compared to August last year when we had three days when 20 or more stations saw the targets broken.  The only other significant events to report were in Port Talbot where monitoring recorded three days of particle pollution, including one day of ‘high’ and one day of ‘very high’ concentrations, probably related to activities at the steel works there.

The beginning of the month saw large numbers of people attending the Climate Change Camp in Kent, close to the Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent.  Pollution problems from energy generation from coal are not limited simply to CO₂. It has recently been announced that the UK is likely to fail to meet EU targets in 2010 for nitrogen oxides (which lead to ozone and acid rain) due to recent increases in the use of coal-fired power stations.

Tim Chatterton.

Pollutionwatch: July 2008

Earlier this year the Met Office predicted a return to the traditional English summer of “three fine days and then a thunderstorm”. Whilst July was one degree warmer than average and had around 50% more rain than usual, fulfilling predictions that the weather was going to be warmer and wetter than usual, it was a long time before we got the 3 fine days in a row! The 1st was hot and saw moderate ozone concentrations reported at over 30 monitoring sites, but the air was rapidly cleared by heavy rain. Dust problems due to demolition work in Leamington Spa continued with daily concentrations of particles breaking standards on the 1st and 2nd, and significant peaks in pollution up until the monitor stopped working on the 7th due to computer problems. There was an unusual peak in nitrogen dioxide on Marylebone Road in London on the Saturday 5th of July. This coincided with the start of the Pride London parade in Baker Street and was probably caused by congestion due to the re-routing of traffic around the march as Baker St, Oxford Street and Regent Street were all closed off.

Most places in the UK then had clean air up until the 24th when stable conditions brought hot weather to most of the UK , lasting through till the 29th. Over this week much of the country experienced moderate ozone concentrations. Although particle levels were also elevated, it was only places with nearby traffic or industrial sources, like Marylebone Road, Glasgow, Scunthorpe and Stockton that saw standards being broken. The low, north-easterly winds also led to sulphur dioxide standards being broken in Grangemouth in Scotland due to the nearby oil-refinery. Tim Chatterton.

Pollutionwatch: June 2008

Pollution levels across the UK in June were generally very low, however Leamington Spa suffered from its own special, localised pollution problem. Demolition began on a building containing the town’s magistrates courts. The site is very close to a national monitoring station which provided a very clear picture of significant pollution levels that some building practices can lead to. Concentrations of particles exceeded health based targets on 12 days out of 30 last month, with concentrations rising to ‘High’ on 4 days and even to ‘Very High’ on the 9^th.

Major cities are increasing concerned about the impacts of building work and are putting regulations and guidelines in place to minimise dust, noise and other environmental problems. The extent to which the construction industry is taking this on board is illustrated by the fact that the term ‘demolition’ is gradually being replaced by ‘deconstruction’. In Leamington Spa however, images in the local media show the local Sheriff proudly commencing the demolition with no apparent measures put in place to control dust from the site, and the consequent impact of the resulting pollution has been clearly measured.

Particle pollution is comprised of a range of very small lumps suspended in the air. Some of these lumps are soot from combustion processes such as industry and vehicles, some are formed by chemical processes in the atmosphere, and others are simply ‘dust’ – lifted from soil, roads or building works. Whilst most dust is not considered to be directly toxic (except specific cases like asbestos), many people think that there may be a significant impact on our health simply from our bodies having to react to every particle we inhale as a separate ‘invader’.

Pollutionwatch: May 2008

Still only late spring and the summer pollution season is well and truly upon us. Despite varied conditions across the month, on average the weather was like a good cup of tea, warm and wet – it being the hottest May since 1914 with, for southern England and Wales at least, above average rainfall. As temperature and sunlight increased so did air pollution. Moderate concentrations of ozone were recorded somewhere in the UK on every single day of the month – indicating what a significant problem this pollutant now is. One of the main reasons we have been unable to control ozone in the way that we have most other pollutants is that it is not emitted directly from cars or industrial processes, but is formed in the atmosphere from chemical reactions between other air pollutants. This means that by the time concentrations are highest, the polluted air is often far from the source of the original ‘precursor’ pollutants – giving little incentive for the local management of pollution sources. In order to help tackle the problem more effectively, last month saw the UK government launch a draft report by its Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) examining in detail many aspects of ozone pollution.

The mini heatwave at the start of last month also brought about a particle pollution episode – with over 20 monitoring sites reporting pollution targets being broken on the 10th, mainly across northern parts of the UK with Sheffield, Scunthorpe and Middlesbrough the worst affected. Later, between the 22^nd and 28^th, whilst southern England and Wales suffered some rotten wet weather, sunshine and particle pollution returned to much northern England and Scotland.

Pollutionwatch: April 2008

Last month’s weather was fairly average over much of the UK, and in contrast to the heatwave this time last year, there was very little in the way of air pollution. Lengthening daylight hours saw some ozone pollution, the worst on the 12th and 26th when over 20 monitoring stations recorded moderate levels. Also, between the 17th and 23rd, easterly winds brought polluted air from central Europe increasing particle concentrations, but not by enough to cause targets to be broken in many locations. The first week of April saw links made between two important conferences in the UK relating to air pollution – those of the UK Public Health Association, and Environmental Protection UK (formerly the National Society for Clean Air) The development of air pollution regulation in the UK began in the late nineteenth century closely linked with birth of the public health movement, which sought to improve water quality, housing and sanitation. By the end of the twentieth century though, air pollution control became a somewhat abstracted discipline, focussed on meeting numerical targets and sometimes failing to remember that human health was at its heart. Increasingly though, air pollution and its causes are becoming linked with other key concerns in public health – including obeisity and mental health issues such as stress and depression. As we enter the 21st Century, we are beginning to deal with the environment and human health as a complex web that will require much broader and far reaching solutions than the measures we have relied upon so far and the relinking of Public Health and Environmental Protection will play a key part in bringing this about.

Pollutionwatch: March 2008

March was wet! With above average rainfall across most of the UK there was no way we were going to continue to widespread pollution experienced at the start of the year. However, with the onset of spring and the longer daylight hours we saw the start of the annual ozone season. Moderate concentrations of ozone were reported somewhere on most days. The worst days were the 2nd, 10th, 29th and 30th when more than 10 stations reported targets being broken. The site with most problems throughout the month was Aston Hill - a rural location on the Welsh/English border just west of Birmingham. There was a scattering of problems with particle pollution across the month, with isolated days of moderate concentrations in most parts of the UK. Marylebone Road in London also saw particle concentrations reach "high" on the 5th and "very high" on the 25th - unusual, especially in a month when there were no nitrogen dioxide problems recorded there. Last month saw the launch of a new way to bring about improvements in air quality in England. As part of the local area agreement framework, which sets out priorities for local councils in England, the government has set an "indicator" which will measure an authority's progress in reducing emissions of air pollution (nitrogen oxides and particles) from its own activities. The indicator is matched with a similar one on carbon dioxide that assesses the authorities' performance with regard to climate change.

Pollutionwatch: February 2008

February was the one of the most polluted months for a long time in the UK. Although the first and last weeks were very wet and windy, the middle of the month was dominated by a huge area of high pressure extending over most of Europe which brought cold, still weather to the UK leading to classic winter smog conditions. What was particularly notable during this episode though was that problems were recorded for not just particles and nitrogen dioxide, but also for sulphur dioxide which is very rarely a problem nowadays aside from a very limited number of industrial locations. The worst problems were caused by particles. There was hardly a day between the 6th and the 22nd when targets were not being broken. On five days, one or more stations reported 'high' or 'very high'concentrations and the number of sites reporting problems was well into double figures. Initially the pollution episode mainly affected the midlands, northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but it later became much more widespread, extending down to the south coast, and west into Devon and Wales. Between the 11th and 13th February, nitrogen dioxide concentrations rose across the midlands. The worst affected place was Nottingham, but significant peaks were also recorded in Bury, Birmingham, Leeds, Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester. Nottingham also experienced another episode later in the month, on the morning of the 18th. The problems with sulphur dioxide were far more limited. Between the 17th and the 20th there were a number of large peaks in sulphur dioxide recorded at the Freetown monitoring site in Hull, and to a lesser extent in Barnsley and London.