A Parenting & kids forum. ParentingBanter.com

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » ParentingBanter.com forum » misc.kids » Kids Health
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Britain. A breath of foul air



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old March 22nd 10, 10:24 PM posted to misc.health.alternative,misc.kids.health,sci.med
john[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 822
Default Britain. A breath of foul air

Britain. A breath of foul air
The UK faces £300m in fines after failing to meet EU pollution targets, but
Britons also pay the price with heart disease, asthma and cancer

By Nina Lakhani
http://www.independent.co.uk/environ...r-1924790.html

Sunday, 21 March 2010

More than 50,000 people are dying prematurely in the UK every year, and
thousands more suffer serious illness because of man-made air pollution,
according to a parliamentary report published tomorrow. The UK now faces the
threat of £300m in fines after it failed to meet legally binding EU targets
to reduce pollution to safe levels.

Air pollution is cutting life expectancy by as many as nine years in the
worst-affected city areas. On average, Britons die eight months too soon
because of dirty air. Pollutants from cars, factories, houses and
agriculture cause childhood health problems such as premature births, asthma
and poor lung development. They play a major role in the development of
chronic and life-shortening adult diseases affecting the heart and lungs,
which can lead to repeated hospital admissions. Treating victims of
Britain's poor air quality costs the country up to £20bn each year.

Nearly 5.5 million people receive NHS treatment for asthma, and more than
90,000 people were admitted to hospital as a result of the disease in
England in 2008/09. US research has found that the lungs of children who
live in highly polluted areas fail to develop fully.

Poor air quality is caused by three key pollutants - nitrogen oxides;
particulate matter and ozone - where Britain fails to meet European safety
targets.

Britain is Europe's worst emitter of nitrogen oxides and exposed 1.5 million
people to unsafe levels in 2007, according to the World Health Organisation
(WHO). Long-term exposure can cause breathing problems, worsen asthma and
bronchitis in children and aggravate allergies. They are by-products of
burning fuel, and contribute to acid rain and make plants more susceptible
to disease. Despite almost halving emissions since 1990, Britain is widely
expected to fall short of the 2010 EU target for nitrogen oxides, which are
a precursor to particulate matter (PM), the most dangerous of all
pollutants. They play a major role in the development of chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease in adults which will affect more people than heart disease
by 2020.

Particulate matter is airborne and comes from materials ranging from
sulphates, ammonia, carbon and water to mineral dust. Sources include coal
burning, exhaust emissions, tyre wear, quarrying and construction. There is
no safe level of PM; some people are affected by very low concentrations
over a long period. It is also linked to heart disease and cancer.

Reduced coal use in the 1990s led to a 20 per cent reduction in PM, but a
big increase in diesel vehicles on the road has seen progress stall since
2000. Eight areas, including Greater London, Swansea, and Yorkshire and
Humberside have exceeded 2005 EU limits at least once. Last December, the EU
rejected an application from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) to give Greater London more time to meet the target after it
was unable to prove the city had worked hard to meet the target.

Britain is also doing badly on ozone in the lower atmosphere, a toxin formed
from chemical reactions between various air pollutants and sunlight. Ozone
concentrations are rising in UK cities, though, generally, rural areas and
sunnier climates fare worse. Ozone causes eye and skin irritations, reduces
lung function and damages airways and can be deadly; ozone-related summer
smog caused an additional 800 deaths in 2003. There is no legally binding EU
limit but, in 2007, nearly 90 per cent of the UK population were exposed to
levels above WHO recommendations.

The Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) will tomorrow issue damning
criticism of the UK's failure to prioritise air quality despite more than a
decade of pressure from scientists and the EU. Ministers from all
departments will be told that our air quality is "shameful", and they must
"drive this from the top... and accept responsibility for policies that
conflict with air quality".

The Government will also be asked to explain why millions of pounds have
been spent raising awareness about obesity, passive smoking and alcohol, but
not air quality - even though the costs to human life and the NHS are
similar. The Government will also face pressure to instigate immediate
cross-departmental action to address the country's air quality, in order to
meet EU pollution targets, avoid spiralling fines and ultimately reduce the
unnecessary deaths and illness that disproportionately affect people from
lower socio-economic groups.

Frank Kelly, professor of environmental health at King's College London, who
gave evidence to the committee, said: "We have been banging this drum in the
scientific community for 10 years and it now must be taken more seriously by
the Government because this really is a damning report.... We must have an
immediate major education campaign, because if people had an inkling about
the impact of poor air quality on their children, then they would stop
sitting outside the school gates in their big cars and would be much more
likely to help. Maybe the threat of enormous fines from the EU will finally
get the Government's attention."

While the air quality in the UK has improved significantly over recent
decades because of cleaner fuels, vehicles and improved industrial processes
required by national and European laws, these improvements have levelled off
or slowed down.

Londoners live with the worst air quality in Britain. Eight million people
live amid millions of vehicles and close to several airports. But some
policies targeted at improving air quality have been scrapped or delayed
since the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London. These include plans
to charge £25 per day for the biggest, heavy-polluting vehicles, and a
westerly extension of the congestion charge.

Professor Kelly said: "Instead of tightening up our policies, they have been
dismantled instead."

Environmental Protection UK, an influential campaign group, condemned what
it called the Government's "wait and see" approach to air quality, which has
meant pinning too much hope on the impact of European standards for cleaner
vehicles.

Ed Dearnley, the group's policy officer, said yesterday: "Resources
dedicated to air quality have been tiny in comparison to other areas of
public health work such as obesity and passive smoking. Defra has struggled
to get other departments, such as transport and health, to understand the
problem and to act. The failure to get to grips with [more] vehicles on the
roads, and the well-intentioned but counter-productive policies that have
encouraged more diesel vehicles, means their 'wait and see' policy has
failed."

A Defra spokeswoman said the EAC report described fines as "potential" not
"expected". She added that the Government intends to avoid them by asking
for more time to meet the limits. "Over the last few years there have been a
range of measures introduced which demonstrate close working between
departments. These include substantial investment in public transport and
incentives through vehicle excise duty for less polluting vehicles," she
said. "Of course, we accept that further measures are needed, and discussion
is continuing on some of these."

In the air: The UK's clean-up success rate

Where we do well

Britain has never exceeded the EU lead target since it was set in 2007.

The introduction of unleaded petrol in 1986 eradicated the main source of
the highly toxic chemical.

Carbon monoxide emissions have decreased by 75 per cent since 1990, largely
as a result of catalytic converters in machinery and vehicles.

Britain produced 16,800 tonnes of the cancer-causing benzene in 2007 - a 72
per cent decrease since 1990. The EU target was met well in advance of the
2010 deadline.

Where we fail

Nitrogen oxides levels in some cities are 20 per cent higher than the
European average. The 2010 target will not be met unless new national and
local strategies are introduced.

Although EU ambient air targets for ozone have been achieved, nearly 90 per
cent of the country is exposed to levels considered too high by the World
Health Organisation.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons increase risk of cancers. High levels were
found in S****horpe in 2007, but the rest of the UK meets targets.


  #2  
Old March 23rd 10, 12:25 PM posted to misc.health.alternative,misc.kids.health,sci.med
Happy Oyster
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 259
Default Britain. A breath of foul air

On Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:24:15 -0000, "john" wrote:

Britain. A breath of foul air
The UK faces £300m in fines after failing to meet EU pollution targets, but
Britons also pay the price with heart disease, asthma and cancer

By Nina Lakhani
http://www.independent.co.uk/environ...r-1924790.html

Sunday, 21 March 2010

More than 50,000 people are dying prematurely in the UK every year, and
thousands more suffer serious illness because of man-made air pollution,


Okay, that is a good start. Now lets get the number of people who die
prematurely because they fell victim of homepathy.

..
--
Unter dem Bischofshut
gedeiht Unrecht doppelt gut.

Über Sodom + Gomorrha, über Papst + Dogmata: http://www.reimbibel.de
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Murdering Fosties Cry Foul Bob Foster Parents 3 October 27th 06 11:57 PM
Why are so many teenagers so foul mouthed and disgusting? [email protected] General 8 April 13th 04 06:59 PM
Foul-smelling poop Irrational Number Breastfeeding 3 December 31st 03 11:25 AM
foul-tasting vitamin drops Irrational Number Breastfeeding 6 October 30th 03 07:11 PM
Foul odor discharge (graphic) daisy Pregnancy 3 July 25th 03 10:04 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:27 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 ParentingBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.