Current developments in air pollution prevention

Mit der Novellierung der NEC-Richtlinie müssen in Deutschland bis zum Jahr 2030 die Ammoniakemissionen um 29 % auf dann 482 Kilotonnen gesenkt werden und die Feinstaubemissionen (PM 2,5) um 43 %. Für die Ammoniakemissionen ist die Landwirtschaft Hauptemittent. Hier müssen in Zukunft verstärkt emissionsvermeidende und emissionsmindernde Verfahren eingesetzt werden. Die Abluftreinigung leistet dazu einen wichtigen Beitrag, kann aber allein aus wirtschaftlichen Gründen nicht bei kleineren Stallgebäuden flächendeckend eingesetzt werden. Daher werden alternative Verfahren mit ähnlich hoher Reduktionseffizienz benötigt. Hier sind eine angepasste Abluftreinigung mit Umluftwäschern und die Güllebehandlung besonders vielversprechend. Der Fokus sollte zudem mehr auf die Rinderhaltung gelegt werden, da sie einen Großteil der gasförmigen Emissionen (auch Methan) pro-duziert und es bisher hier die wenigsten Emissionsdaten und vor allem kaum technische Lösungen zur Emissionsminderung gibt.With the amendment of the NEC Directive the ammonia emissions in Germany will have to be reduced by 29% to 482 kilotons by the year 2030, and fine particulate emissions (PM 2.5) even shall be reduced by 43%. Agriculture is the major emission source for ammonia. Here more emission-reducing and mitigating procedures have to be used in the future. The exhaust air purification makes an important contribution to this. Though, in its current form it cannot be used on large scale for smaller sheds at least because of economic reasons. Therefore, alternative methods with similarly high reduction efficiencies are required. Here, adapted exhaust air purification with recirculating air cleaners and the liquid manure treatment are particularly promising. The future focus should also be on cattle since cattle farming produces a large proportion of gaseous emissions (including methane), and so far there are very few emissions data and, above all, hardly any technical solutions for emission reduction

The cardiovascular effects of air pollution: Prevention and reversal by pharmacological agents

Air pollution is associated with staggering levels of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Airborne particulate matter (PM), in particular, has been associated with a wide range of detrimental cardiovascular effects, including impaired vascular function, raised blood pressure, alterations in cardiac rhythm, blood clotting disorders, coronary artery disease, and stroke. Considerable headway has been made in elucidating the biological processes underlying these associations, revealing a labyrinth of multiple interacting mechanistic pathways. Several studies have used pharmacological agents to prevent or reverse the cardiovascular effects of PM; an approach that not only has the advantages of elucidating mechanisms, but also potentially revealing therapeutic agents that could benefit individuals that are especially susceptible to the effects of air pollution. This review gathers investigations with pharmacological agents, offering insight into the biology of how PM, and other air pollutants, may cause cardiovascular morbidity

Analysis of Driver's Behaviour Toward Vehicle Emission Test as Air Pollution Prevention in Palembang

Background: Air pollution problem gets worse recently. It comes from industries, transportation and daily household activities. Transportation gas exhaust contributes 70% to pollute the air and emission exahaust is influenced by some factors and one of them is driver's behaviour in driving and caring the vehicle.Method: It was analytic study using cross sectional approachment. Study sample were 80 bus drivers who worked around Palembang and have ever got information about vehicle emission test. The data was obtained through interviews by accidental sampling. The data was analyzed by using univariat and chi-square for bivariat. This study analyzed driver's behavior toward vehicle emission test that was influenced by independent variables are attitude, knowledge, age, income, education level, information source.Result: Almost half of respondents had bad behavior toward vehicle emission test. Others had conducted emission test for fulfilling the procedure. The result showed that a significant relation was found between behaviours with age (p=0,000), length of work (p=0,000), income (p=0,000), knowledge (p=0,000) and attitude (p=0,009) but no significant relation between behaviours with education (p=0,085) and information source (p=0,06).Conclusion: Most of bus driver's did emission test because it was one of procedure in vechile proper test not because they know why it is important to do. So that, the researcher suggests Palembang government to maximalize the campaign and law enforcement of vehicle emission test

AIR POLLUTION MANAGEMENT IN TWO COLOMBIAN CITIES: CASE STUDY

This document is a case study that focuses on the air pollution problems of Bogotá and Medellín. These are the largest; most populated and industrialized cities of Colombia. The document presents a brief description of the evolution of relevant institutional aspects. It describes the pollution problems of these cities, their sources, their effects on health and the measures to control and to prevent them. Following the framework of the WDR 2003 , this document analyzes how society becomes aware of air pollution problems and the mechanisms that have generated the decision to undertake air pollution control strategies. It also discusses the mechanisms which have been in place to balance legitimate, competing social interests, and the means by which the adopted solutions are executed. Finally, the document presents a series of lessons and recommendations.air pollution

Recommendations for reducing energy consumption and improving air quality through energy efficiency in Indian Country: Working paper series--04-04

The strongest recommendation stemming from the Air Pollution Prevention forum of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) was for tribes to develop and implement energy plans. This paper provides a discussion of the benefits of any such plan and itemized a variety of components of any said plan. A brief discussion of the WRAP is presented is the framework of improving air quality. Based on the background of Jacobs (2000) and Smith (2000), the primary and secondary benefits of energy efficiency plans are then discussed. Then a series of specific recommendations are itemized. These include tribally sponsored programs, collaborative opportunities, and tribal leadership programs

Identification and implementation of potential energy efficiency programs in Indian Country: Working paper series--04-03

The strongest recommendation stemming from the Air Pollution Prevention forum of the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) was for tribes to develop and implement energy plans. This paper provides a discussion of the benefits of any such plan and itemized a variety of components of any said plan. A brief discussion of the WRAP is presented is the framework of improving air quality. Based on the background of Jacobs (2000) and Smith (2000), the primary and secondary benefits of energy efficiency plans are then discussed. Then a series of specific recommendations are itemized. These include tribally sponsored programs, collaborative opportunities, and tribal leadership programs

Long-term trends and drivers of aerosol pH in eastern China

Aerosol acidity plays a key role in regulating the chemistry and toxicity of atmospheric aerosol particles. The trend of aerosol pH and its drivers is crucial in understanding the multiphase formation pathways of aerosols. Here, we reported the first trend analysis of aerosol pH from 2011 to 2019 in eastern China, calculated with the ISORROPIA model based on observed gas and aerosol compositions. The implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan led to −35.8 %, −37.6 %, −9.6 %, −81.0 % and 1.2 % changes of PM2.5, SO42-, NHx, non-volatile cations (NVCs) and NO3- in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region during this period. Different from the drastic changes of aerosol compositions due to the implementation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, aerosol pH showed a minor change of −0.24 over the 9 years. Besides the multiphase buffer effect, the opposite effects from the changes of SO42- and non-volatile cations played key roles in determining this minor pH trend, contributing to a change of +0.38 and −0.35, respectively. Seasonal variations in aerosol pH were mainly driven by the temperature, while the diurnal variations were driven by both temperature and relative humidity. In the future, SO2, NOx and NH3 emissions are expected to be further reduced by 86.9 %, 74.9 % and 41.7 % in 2050 according to the best health effect pollution control scenario (SSP1-26-BHE). The corresponding aerosol pH in eastern China is estimated to increase by ∼0.19, resulting in 0.04 less NO3- and 0.12 less NH4+ partitioning ratios, which suggests that NH3 and NOx emission controls are effective in mitigating haze pollution in eastern China.</p

Fighting coal — Effectiveness of coal-replacement programs for residential heating in China: Empirical findings from a household survey

Household fuel substitution has been a crucial step for controlling air pollution in China, but the performance evaluation of household fuel substitution policies is overlooked. This study capitalized on the opportunity to use data collected during the household coal-replacement program in North China to evaluate the effect of a mandatory policy on fuel substitution at the micro-level. The results indicate that there is a significant effect of the coal-replacement program on fuel substitution, as we expected. The coal-to-electricity policy is effective in achieving the goal of a clean winter but not a warm winter due to the decline of delivered energy, while the high-quality coal replacement policy results in better performance in delivered energy but no improvement in indoor air quality. It is recommended to prioritize supporting measures on both the supply and demand sides before implementation, along with undertaking differential measures during the implementation phase to better address energy inequality

PM2.5-Related Health Economic Benefits Evaluation Based on Air Improvement Action Plan in Wuhan City, Middle China

On the basis of PM2.5 data of the national air quality monitoring sites, local population data, and baseline all-cause mortality rate, PM2.5-related health economic benefits of the Air Improvement Action Plan implemented in Wuhan in 2013–2017 were investigated using health-impact and valuation functions. Annual avoided premature deaths driven by the average concentration of PM2.5 decrease were evaluated, and the economic benefits were computed by using the value of statistical life (VSL) method. Results showed that the number of avoided premature deaths in Wuhan are 21,384 (95% confidence interval (CI): 15,004 to 27,255) during 2013–2017, due to the implementation of the Air Improvement Action Plan. According to the VSL method, the obtained economic benefits of Huangpi, Wuchang, Hongshan, Xinzhou, Jiang’an, Hanyang, Jiangxia, Qiaokou, Jianghan, Qingshan, Caidian, Dongxihu, and Hannan District were 8.55, 8.19, 8.04, 7.39, 5.78, 4.84, 4.37, 4.04, 3.90, 3.30, 2.87, 2.42, and 0.66 billion RMB (1 RMB = 0.1417 USD On 14 October 2019), respectively. These economic benefits added up to 64.35 billion RMB (95% CI: 45.15 to 82.02 billion RMB), accounting for 4.80% (95% CI: 3.37% to 6.12%) of the total GDP of Wuhan in 2017. Therefore, in the process of formulating a regional air quality improvement scheme, apart from establishing hierarchical emission-reduction standards and policies, policy makers should give integrated consideration to the relationship between regional economic development, environmental protection and residents’ health benefits. Furthermore, for improving air quality, air quality compensation mechanisms can be established on the basis of the status quo and trends of air quality, population distribution, and economic development factors

Balancing Economic Growth and Air Pollution: Prevention of Significant Deterioration and the Protection of Florida\u27s Future

This Article researches the history of the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program of the Clean Air Act, which serves to protect air quality in areas of the nation where the air is cleaner than the national ambient air quality standards. The Article also attempts to align the goals of the PSD program with those of the State of Florida, and proposes a system of administration that would accomplish these goals with the fewest restrictions. Finally, the Article analyzes the present methods adopted by other states, as well as those proposed by economists, industry members and environmentalists