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Air Pollution May Cause Genetic Harm in Kids, China Study Finds

Air pollution led to genetic changes that may have sapped learning skills in children whose mothers were exposed to a Chinese coal-fired power plant before it was shuttered a decade ago, researchers found. Babies born in the southwestern Tongliang county just before the plant was shut in 2004 had significantly lower levels of a protein crucial to brain development in their cord blood than those conceived later, a March 19 report in the Plos One journal said. They also had poorer learning and memory skills when tested at age two, the study by Columbia University and Chongqing Medical University found. […]

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Paris imposes partial motoring ban in battle to control pollution

France has enforced a partial motoring ban in Paris and surrounding areas from Monday morning as it battles to control dangerously high pollution levels. The move, the first of its kind since 1997, comes as a spell of unusually warm and windless weather has exacerbated the level of pollution in the French capital – now at its highest in 16 years, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA). More than 30 departments in France have been hit by maximum-level pollution alerts since Thursday. The ban from Monday will be enforced on private vehicles with petrol or diesel engines whose number plates end in an even number. It will then apply to vehicles with number plates ending in an odd number on Tuesday. Cars carrying three passengers or more will be exempt, as will taxis, buses, emergency vehicles and refrigerated lorries. All other lorries will be banned. “Our primary goal […]

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No fare, pollution: French public transport free

Air pollution that has turned Paris skies a murky yellow is giving a break to millions of French travelers – all public transportation in the Paris region and two other cities is free for the next three days. Nearly three-quarters of France is under alert in what the European Environment Agency says is the worst air pollution since 2007. Subways, buses and trains are free Friday through Sunday in the entire Paris region, as well as the cities of Caen and Rouen. Bike-shares are also free, as are one-hour sessions for electric car shares. Meteorologists say unusually warm days followed by cool nights have worsened the situation. An environmental group brought a complaint earlier this week denouncing the "inertia of the government" that it says has put lives in danger.

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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U.S. oil group questions EPA rules, auto sector sings praise

Representatives from the automotive sector praised U.S. rules for lower emissions, though the oil industry said it questioned the benefits. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency introduced new so-called Tier 3 standards Monday aimed at cutting the amount of sulfur in gasoline by two-thirds by 2017. The EPA said the new standards would lower the health risks from smog and other airborne pollutants at pennies on the dollar. Michael Stanton, president of the Global Automakers Association, which represents the interests of companies ranging from Aston Martin to Toyota, said the standards would provide "instant benefits" to consumers as well as the environment. "This rule-making will reduce emissions from the existing fleet of vehicles on our roads today and opens the door for even cleaner cars in the future," he said in a statement Monday. Bob Greco, the director of downstream operations at the American Petroleum […]

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EPA sees win-win-win with tailpipe rules

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Monday new fuel and automotive emissions rules will create a better environment and improve public health. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Monday so-called Tier 3 standards, which aim to curb emissions from cars and trucks, would help avoid 2,000 premature deaths and as many as 50,000 cases of respiratory illnesses. "These standards are a win for public health, a win for our environment, and a win for our pocketbooks," she said in a statement Monday. The new standards should reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60 percent, cutting some of the components that make up smog. The new standards will be introduced gradually beginning with model year 2017. The Natural Resources Defense Council said the proposals would have a marginal affect on retail gasoline prices. "These standards will clean our air, protect our health and save money," […]

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EPA Said Poised to Issue Lower Sulfur Limits on Fuel

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to unveil new regulations March 3 to reduce smog from automobiles, including cutting by two-thirds the level of sulfur in gasoline, people familiar with the agency’s deliberations said. The EPA is expected to stick to the broad targets included in a proposed rule published last year that would lower sulfur in gasoline to 10 parts per million from the current 30 parts, the three people said. New limits will also be imposed on tailpipe emissions. “This is the most significant move to protect public health that the EPA will make this year,” said Frank O’Donnell , president of Clean Air Watch , who said he hasn’t seen the final rules though supported the proposal. “There is literally no more effective tool to fight smog. Every American will breathe easier because of these standards.” Supporters of the rules say they could be one of […]

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India’s Diesel Subsidy Spurs Pollution Worse Than Beijing

Molecular biologist George Easow’s move to India to start a clinical diagnostics business lasted just three weeks before he was convinced to return to the U.K. The convincing was done by his seven-month-old daughter Fiona. Within days of moving to New Delhi , the child was wheezing and gasping for air because of smog. “She could hardly breathe,” said her father. Fiona was kept indoors and put on medication. Nothing worked. “We had to make a call,” Easow said, adding her symptoms disappeared once back in the U.K. and haven’t returned. For the 16.8 million residents of India’s capital, the wheezing continues. The bad news is it’s going to get worse. New Delhi isn’t alone as cities across the nation suffer from some of the worst air quality in the world. That’s costing the country 1.1 trillion rupees ($18 billion) in shortened life spans of productive […]

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Chinese man sues government over smog

A Chinese man in a smoggy northern city has become the first person in the country to sue the government for failing to curb air pollution, a state-run newspaper reported on Tuesday. Li Guixin, a resident of Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province, submitted his complaint to a district court, asking the Shijiazhuang Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to "perform its duty to control air pollution according to the law," the Yanzhao Metropolis Daily said. He is also seeking compensation from the agency for residents for the choking pollution that has engulfed Shijiazhuang, and much of northern China, this winter. "The reason that I’m proposing administrative compensation is to let every citizen see that amid this haze, we’re the real victims," Li was quoted as saying by the newspaper. It is unclear whether the court will accept Li’s lawsuit. His lawyer, Wu Yufen, declined to comment, telling Reuters, "this information is quite sensitive." The court and the Shijiazhuang environmental protection bureau could not […]

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China to Reward Cities and Regions Making Progress on Air Pollution

Chinese officials announced Thursday that they were offering a total of 10 billion renminbi, or $1.65 billion, this year to cities and regions that make “significant progress” in air pollution control, according to a report by Xinhua, the state-run news agency. The announcement came from the State Council , China’s cabinet, after it held a meeting on Wednesday to discuss, among other issues, the country’s immense air pollution problem. “Control of PM2.5 and PM10 should be a key task,” the State Council said in a statement, referring to two kinds of particulate matter that are deemed harmful to human health. The meeting was presided over by Li Keqiang, a member of the Communist Party’s ruling Politburo Standing Committee and China’s prime minister. The announcement of the financial incentives revealed how difficult it has been for some leaders in Beijing to get many Chinese companies and government officials […]

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In China’s war on bad air, government decision to release data gives fresh hope

BEIJING — China’s Communist state is hardly known for its transparency. So when environmental groups appealed to the government last year to disclose official data on air pollution, they were not expecting much. “Way beyond our expectations, the government actually said yes,” said Ma Jun, head of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs in Beijing. “I am quite amazed.” Since Jan. 1, the central government has required 15,000 factories — including influential state-run enterprises — to publicly report details on their air emissions and water discharges in real time, an unprecedented degree of disclosure that is shedding light on the who, what, when and where of China’s devastating environmental problems. The reporting requirement is part of a striking turnaround by China’s government, which is also publishing data on the sootiest cities and trying to limit the use of coal. The country’s appalling air is blamed for more than a […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple