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December 2017 Headlines
Diesel surcharge defies UK plan
Islington is stepping up its efforts against diesels by introducing a diesel surcharge – expressly defying warnings within the UK NO2 plan that councils must not do this.
Defra fund will ‘ideally’ improve air
The £220m Clean Air Fund announced in last month’s budget will “ideally” improve air quality.
Court action #3 launched
Clientearth has launched a third Court challenge to Government plans on air quality.
£220m clean air fund and tax to raise it
The annual Budget announced a new Clean Air Fund in support of the National Air Quality Plan. It will be worth £220m
Challenge to Edinburgh planning approval
A campaigner has failed to overturn a planning approval for an Edinburgh Old Town development.
Nearby AQMA is material consideration
A High Court case has confirmed that a housing scheme in Kent can be refused if
it affects nearby AQMAs.
Noise from AQC
Air Quality Consultants Ltd has launched a sister company
dealing with noise.
Noise and vibration expert, James Trow, will be MD.
l www.noiseconsultants.co.uk
Odour eliminated
Defra has pulled guidance on the control of odour from commercial kitchens first released in 2005. It has not been replaced.
Treasury knew
BBC freedom of information requests have shown that the Treasury was warned that diesel caused health effects but chose to ignore it.
Oxford St plans
The Mayor of London and Westminster City Council are consulting on closing part of Oxford Street.
Bristol extends delays to mull legal warning
Bristol’s air quality plan is now to be delayed by months.
News from EPUK conference held in Birmingham last month
Further Brexit fears from Whitty
Deregulation is a huge risk to environmental protection post-Brexit, chairman Lord Whitty told Environmental Protection UK’s annual conference held in Birmingham last month.
Gove promises environment regulation body
Environment secretary Michael Gove claims he will create an independent environmental body to replace the European watchdog role post-Brexit.
Waverley withdraws NO2 reports
Waverley Council has accepted it used incorrect bias factors for its NO2 diffusion tubes.
Brexit preparations
Environment secretary Michael Gove has provided some more detail on how environmental legislation will be dealt with post-Brexit.
Epuk county offer
Local authority members of a county group can now join Environmental Protection UK for £125 each, provided that all members of the group join.
Wildfire increase
The EU Joint Research Centre’s annual forest fires report confirms a trend towards longer and more intense fire seasons in Europe and neighbouring regions, with wildfires now occurring throughout the year.
Demolition plan criticised
Cornwall Council has been criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman for publishing an air quality plan that included the possibility of demolishing an identifiable house.
Mayor brings forward date for ULEZ
The “world’s first” Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will operate from 8 April 2019 in Central London – 17 months earlier than planned.
ET assesses Opsis PEMS equipment
Opsis – marketed in the UK by Enviro Technology – has developed a portable emission monitoring system for testing vehicle emissions in real time (real world emissions).
Silvertown delay
Air quality arguments have prompted a further delay – six months – to a decision on the Silvertown tunnel in east London.
Putney plummets
Provisional 2017 data suggests that new buses have eliminated hourly NO2 exceedences in Putney High Street.
McCrae award
This year’s IAQM award in honour of former TRL consultant Ian
McCrae has been awarded to Laurence Lovell of Arup.
Laurence wrote about the importance of particulate matter and how in the future
air quality professionals will be able to quantify health effects in addition to
air quality impacts.
Wealden prepares its case
Wealden has taken a stand against new housing on habitats grounds.
NAO peeks at JAQU activity
The National Audit Office scrutinises air quality in advance of the Parliamentary “superinquiry” which is currently underway (full report next month).
Tables turned in Kent appeal
Air quality is the central argument in an important Gladman v CPRE high court appeal case centred on housing in Kent near an AQMA
Four 'Kent' cases
There are four legal issues going on in Kent at the moment on
air quality:
l Shirley & Rundell vs SoSCLG for failing to call in a large Canterbury planning
application on air pollution grounds;
l Resident Emily Shirley is also challenging the Canterbury local plan on air
pollution grounds and awaiting to hear if there is permission to appeal;
l The Gladman case was brought by CPRE but uses the same air pollution expert as
the ‘Shirley’ cases;
l And then there is Wealden (Not strictly in Kent! – see previous page).
Humble action plan assumes planning significance
One of the curiosities of the judgment is the weight given to a throwaway line in Swale Council’s air quality action plan.
More legal arguments on damage costs
Defra assessment methodology encourages councils to go away and work out how much a development will ‘cost’ in terms of extra pollutants.
November 2017 Headlines
Court threat to authorities
Public authorities failing to produce action plans that deliver results may receive legal threats from Clientearth, Andrea Lee told last month’s IAQM Routes to Clean Air conference.
2030 PM2.5 WHO target for London
The London Mayor has pledged to meet the PM2.5 10µg/m3 WHO guideline by 2030 in a bid to improve London health. It is the headline measure within the Mayors draft Environment Strategy which is currently out to consultation
T-charge now in
The London T-charge (toxic charge) is now in force. Older more polluting cars accessing the central London congestion charge zone must pay a £10 a day charge (on top of the £11.50 congestion charge) or face fines.
News from the IAQM Routes to Clean Air conference
King: ‘too little too late’
Former government chief scientific advisor Sir David King gave the keynote speech to the IAQM Routes to Clean Air conference held in Birmingham last month: “Action on air quality is too little too late.
Leeds reveals real-world CAZ stresses
Leeds City Council’s Polly Cook revealed what it was like for a local authority under the cosh of the Defra/DfT Joint Air Quality Unit and day to day constraints on clean air zone-planning such as local election purdah.
Is planning being taken seriously?
Rose Grogan of law firm 39 Essex Chambers analysed whether air quality was being taken seriously by the planning system.
Kelly: no NO2 death numbers yet
Head of Comeap Frank Kelly once again had to explain why the expert group had failed to finalise numbers on NO2.
Real world performance hopes and fears
David Carslaw of Ricardo/York University reviewed NO2 and NOX trends in London: “There is an apparent trend in London that NO2 is rising but this is because we are adding new sites in polluted locations. People need to take extreme care when drawing trends on this monitored data because of this – we do need to look after our long term sites.
Aviation revision
Release of the UK NO2 plan has contributed to the need to re-consult on the aviation national planning statement. The NPS is the parliamentary device that will precede a planning application for expansion of Heathrow (AQB March 2017).
Tubes ranked
Diffusion tube laboratory rankings have been published. Fewer local authorities continue to offer testing services with some struggling to meet consistent accuracy standards.
Europe snapshot
The European Environment Agency has released its yearly update on air quality across the EU.
Legal bill
Freedom of information requests have revealed Government costs of defending action against Clientearth. “Clientearth #1” in 2015 cost Defra over £80,000 in fees and costs, the more recent court case cost Defra over £280,000.
Inquiry relaunched
The Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs, Environmental Audit, Health, and Transport Committees have re-launched their joint “superinquiry” into improving air quality.
News from the Welsh Air Quality Forum conference
Speed cut yields big benefits
Public Health Wales believes speed reductions can provide huge benefits for pollution.
Excess NO2 at Welsh ‘demolition’ hotspot
Remote sensing has been carried out at the Hafod-yr-ynys hotspot in Wales. The site has made the news as one of the policy options is to demolish the houses to reduce exposure (AQB Sept p4).
Formal compliance statistics are released
The UK has published EU Directive compliance assessment information for 2016. There have been few changes.
World medics unite
An international grouping of medics has been pulled together by The Lancet commenting on air pollution and climate change. It uses WHO statistics to highlight widespread air pollution problems in UK and the wider world.
Feasibility studies commissioned
Local authorities across England are signing off contracts for feasibility studies to comply with the UK air quality plan.
Metal box AQ garden
Bankside business improvement district in Southwark is trialling portable gardens mounted in skips in a bid to improve air quality.
Research wish list
NICE is working with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to encourage targeted research into air pollution.
Glasgow first
Glasgow has confirmed that it is the first of four Scottish cities to bring forward a low emission zone (AQB October p1).
Nuisance clarification
A local authority may bring summary proceedings (prosecute) a person who contravenes, or fails to comply with an abatement notice without reasonable excuse.
Councils poll
Research commissioned by London Councils shows 47% of 1,000 respondents felt that their health had been impacted by London’s air.
Fracking banned in Scotland
Jack Pease questions the quality of policy making behind Scotland’s decision to ban fracking.
Zero emission zone for Oxford?
Oxford claims a ‘world’s first low emission zone’. Is it as ambitious as it claimed?
Regulation for zone enforcement remains unclear
It seems remarkable that despite years of questioning whether there are sufficient powers to implement low emission zones, councils remain uncertain on what powers they can use.
Zero emission zone conflicts with clean air zone
Ricardo’s report explains the differences between the proposed zero emission zone and government-favoured clean air zones (for those areas affected by the UK plan which does not include Oxford). Oxford does not appear keen to adopt a clean air zone.
October 2017 Headlines
Police called in to Cheshire East
The police are investigating fiddling of LAQM results in Cheshire East.
Broadcast plea
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has encouraged leading TV and radio broadcasters to work with him to help inform Londoners about poor air quality through their news and weather bulletins so they can take action to protect themselves from its harmful effects.
Scotland consults on LEZ framework
The Scottish Programme for Government – much like Westminster’s Queen’s Speech – has pledged to introduce four low emission zones by 2020. The first is set to be Glasgow.
Edinburgh moots diesel penalty
Edinburgh is considering introducing a surcharge for parking diesel vehicles.
Limited hours no safeguard for STORs
The Institute of Air Quality Management is warning that mini generating stations should not be exempted from pollution regulations just because they work for a few hours a year.
Jenkins moves to Phlorum
Nigel Jenkins has joined Phlorum Consultants based in Brighton as a principal air quality consultant.
Helpful limit lifted
A speed limit imposed to improve road safety had the effect of improving air quality in Dover. But Highway England is removing it in favour of intermittent controls.
Highways info
Several months later than required by law, Highways England has responded to AQB’s freedom of information request on its claimed monitoring and air quality performance.
Highways info
Several months later than required by law, Highways England has responded to AQB’s freedom of information request on its claimed monitoring and air quality performance.
Canterbury local plan case fails
A Canterbury resident has failed in her attempt to challenge the local plan and an urban extension. She applied for a Judicial Review claiming the plan and development failed to properly take account of air pollution.
Dartford in limbo due to plan modelling errors
Despite having high pollution levels, and expecting to be included in the list of authorities required to introduce additional measures, Dartford has not been told to take further action.
Airport modelling
The US Transport Research Board has released guidance for selecting and applying dispersion models to study local air quality health impacts resulting from airport-related emissions.
Wellbeing in
The Welsh Wellbeing Act has become law.
Diesel eroded
The CO2 benefits of diesel over petrol are overstated, says Transport & Environment (T&E).
Schools chosen for audits
The London Mayor has re-announced his plans for 50 air quality audits of polluted London schools. He first announced the policy earlier this year (AQB February P4) but has now outlined which schools are included.
School no-go zone
Croydon has taken the draconian step of introducing a no-drive zone outside two of its schools.
Taxi emissions
The High Court has struck out a claim for judicial review brought by the Bristol Blue Licensed Taxi Association against Bristol City Council’s decision to introduce a new policy that imposes more stringent emissions standards on licensed vehicles.
Uber over?
Uber’s news that it intends to move towards low emission vehicles has been over shadowed by TfL threats to suspend its licence.
Highbury Fields BBQ action draws nearer
Islington residents continue to complain about smoke from barbecues on Highbury Fields in London. They say a private nuisance action could start soon.
More NO2 for Sheffield Tinsley
Despite high profile arguments against building of a traffic-generating Ikea near Sheffield’s polluted Tinsley AQMA, the council has now approved a £300m extension to the Meadowhall shopping centre.
ICCT meta-analyses conformity factors
The International Council on Clean Transportation has carried out an analysis of more than 500 Euro 5 & 6 cars to compare them with standards.
NPL relaunch
NPL is to relaunch with an increased focus on air pollution and climate change. It recently pulled out of noise measurement.
Aarhus rethink
Clientearth, RSPB and FoE have won a favourable High Court ruling on costs for environmental cases.
LEZs not clean air zones
Scotland is consulting on the shape of low emission zones which it hopes will delver clean air.
glasgow set to be first low emission zone
Chicken and the egg. Scottish Government has pledged to have an LEZ in by 2018 – but needs a local authority to put itself up for that with uncertain funding. Who blinks first?
Schools front air quality concerns
Polluted inner city schools are increasingly being used as weapons in the war for hearts and minds on air quality.
September 2017 Headlines
‘Deliberate manipulation’ of data
Cheshire East has admitted air quality data has been deliberately manipulated
Defra (and councils) told not to screen out expensive options
Clientearth has written to the UK Government and local councils warning them not to screen out policy options simply on cost. Bristol is the first council affected and has had to rethink its air quality plan as at the eleventh hour.
NO2 ‘Direction’ is published
Legislation has been published requiring councils to prepare action plans as set out in the recent NO2 plans document (AQB August p1)
Caution urged on road hump removal
The eyecatching policy suggestion in the Government’s NO2 plan to remove road humps has attracted criticism from road safety groups.
AQEG looks at land impact of shipping
NOX from shipping is projected to rise – but PM10 and SO2 are set to fall by 2020, the Air Quality Expert Group says.
Plant limits set
Polluting power stations have four years to meet newly agreed EU standards.
Aqeg search
Due to natural turnover, the Air Quality Expert Group is seeking five new members.
Biomass needs data
Aqeg says lack of monitoring data makes it hard to assess the impact of biomass in the UK.
Leeds hosts geofencing trials
Leeds will be the testbed for a consortium hoping to prove that geofencing can improve air quality. Geofencing involves sending signals to hybrid cars to switch off the internal combustion engines when in the most polluted streets.
Car makers offer their own scrappage bungs
Faced with Government reluctance to fund a nationwide scrappage scheme for private cars, manufacturers appear to have taken the initiative with their own scrappage schemes.
Further £11m green bus cash allocated
Local authorities and bus companies in Bristol, York, Brighton, Surrey, Denbighshire and Wiltshire will share £11m funding under the Government’s Low Emission Bus Scheme to help them buy 153 cleaner buses.
IEMA calls for end to EIA ‘obesity crisis’
The Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) is calling for the uptake of proportionate approaches to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to drive improved practice and support future decision making
LAPC refuseniks
More councils have failed to disclose LAPC results.
Permitting fees set to rise by 4.5%
Defra says it will allow local authorities to charge more for LAPC permits.
Caerphilly mulls demolition
Demolishing a row of terraced cottages in Hafod-yr-ynys in south Wales is the most cost effective option to solve problems in an AQMA
Retrofit accreditation scheme launched
With local authorities expected to deliver clean air zones in the shortest time possible based on restrictions on polluting vehicles, a retrofit accreditation scheme has been launched in a bid to ensure that conversions are actually clean.
Diesel decline not at the expense of CO2
CO2 targets can be met even if diesel share drops due to air quality restrictions, a report claims.
Heathrow U-turn
Having appeared to support the expansion of Heathrow before the recent General Election, the Labour party now appears to have changed its mind.
Planning shake up?
Experts are arguing that the planning system needs another shake up.
Aviation tax cut
Environmental groups and MPs are questioning the environmental side effects of Scotland’s desire to halve flight taxes.
Air quality positive for London
The Mayor of London is consulting on a new environment strategy. Air quality is top billing alongside other issues such as noise, green infrastructure and climate change, all combined for the first time
Highways strategy looks weak
Jack Pease struggles to review Highways England risible efforts on air quality with its laughably thin ‘strategy’ released last month
What is happening in Waverley?
Trouble is brewing in Waverley which is also accused of understating NO2 results. Just like Cheshire East, the authority has had to withdraw reports to correct them – unlike Cheshire East, there is no suggestion of deliberate manipulation.
August 2017 Headlines
£40m – now get on with it
Local authorities have been told that £40m has been immediately made available to them to get on with studies to reduce NO2 near roads.
NO2 backtrack undermines case for action
As flagged up by AQB two months ago, the business case for tackling NO2 has collapsed.
France ban
Some weeks before a similar pledge within the UK NO2 plan,
France has pledged to ban sales of all petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.
Meanwhile Volvo has said that it will cease development of new internal
combustion engined cars from 2019.
Councils write to Gove
Leaders of six councils have taken the step of writing to environment secretary Michael Gove saying air quality plan proposals do not go far enough.
Clean surge
The number of ultra-low emission vehicles on British roads
has reached the 100,000 milepost.
108,641 ULEVs are registered in the UK – nearly double the 2015 number.
In the first quarter of 2017, ULEV registrations were also up 17% year on year.
Short term NO2 sinks STOR
A diesel powered generating station in Bristol has been turned down due to potential breaches of one hour NO2 standards.
Cold start headache for new technology
Emission Analytics says cold starts could thwart the ability of new Euro standards to clean up emissions.
Combustion outcome
Government has released a summary of responses to a consultation on how it intends to transpose the Medium Combustion Plant Directive.
Battery van boost
The Government is consulting on allowing heavier electric vans to be driven on an ordinary drivers licence. Electric vans are heavier than their conventional counterparts.
Aviation strategy pre-consultation starts
Pressure for further aviation growth has prompted a pre-consultation on a new UK aviation strategy.
Fleming relaunch
Peter Fleming has returned to air quality as Air Quality Monitoring Consultants specialising in providing independent advice on all
Agriculture guide
Defra has produced a guide for English farmers to reduce their environmental impact, including emissions to air.
Gatwick prompts worsening
Increased air pollution appears to undermine a key argument used by Gatwick Airport in bidding to host a new runway.
AQ directive to receive fitness check
The European Commission is to carry out a ‘”fitness check” of EU air quality directives 2008/50/EC and 2004/107/EC which sets standards and monitoring protocols.
New remote sensing LIDAR
Enviro Technology has formed a partnership with US firm Sigma Space and has been busy trialling a new micro-pulse LIDAR (MPL).
Public health cuts
Central government cuts have forced councils to reduce planned spending on public health services by £85 million, according to new analysis by The King’s Fund.
Airport panel
Heathrow Airport has set up an “independent” air quality
expert review group.
Imperial College’s Helen Apsimon will chair the group which has been set up by
the airport to “provide expert perspectives to ensure a third runway is
delivered without compromising the UK’s ability to comply with legal air quality
requirements”.
Scottish MSP probe
Scottish Parliament’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee has launched a hearing into air quality and is seeking views on....
NO2 impact outweighs PM2.5
Health impacts from traffic pollution are dominated by NO2 – not PM2.5 – claims Roy Harrison of Birmingham University.
Further all-clear for waste incinerators
The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) has revisited research on incinerators and reaffirm they cause a small impact.
Petrol releases more carbon than diesel
A study suggests modern petrol cars emit much more particulate matter – including black carbon and primary organic aerosol – than modern diesel cars.
AQ business fund
The London Mayor has launched a new £1m air quality business fund.
Ammonia rise
The annual European Union emission inventory report 1990-2015 under the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP) shows that ammonia emissions fell by 23% between 1990 and 2015, but increased in the EU-28 between 2014 and 2015 by 1.8%. l www.eea.europa.eu
Stamford Bridge
A judicial review of Hammersmith and Fulham’s planning permission allowing expansion of Chelsea Football club’s Stamford Bridge ground has been thrown out.
NICE guidelines finalised
Jack Pease remains hugely disappointed by the finalised NICE guideline on air quality. Vague. Superficial. Unhelpful. Irrelevant. Here’s what people said.
July 2017 Headlines
Wales dumps rigid LAQM
Wales has drastically culled LAQM policy guidance in favour of more general duties to improve air quality.
NICE guidance
NICE guidance on air quality was finalised as AQB went to press.
29,000: about right
The argument about the total numbers of deaths from air pollution rumbles on.
Variable charging to replace ULEZ?
Even before introduction of the London ultra low emission zone and the ‘toxic’ T-charge for older cars, the Mayor has mooted an emission-based pay-as-you-drive system which will render them obsolete.
Zero emission city?
“To help support the Mayor’s wider ambition to radically improve air quality across London and make London a zero emission city, TfL will work to make London’s entire road transport system zero emission by 2050 at the latest.
Google (air) maps
Google – with the help of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Aclima – is sharing the first results of air quality measurements from Aclima sensors mounted on Google Street View cars. Maps have been produced for Oakland, showing NOx, NO2 and black carbon.
Greenhouse gas up
Total European Union greenhouse gas emissions increased by 0.5% in 2015, according to new European Environment Agency (EEA) data published today.
Diesel surcharge in Westminster
Parts of Westminster will see diesel car drivers charged 50% more for parking.
Cheaters may be caught but not fined
Authorities have pledged to restart roadside checks to ensure that truck operators do not circumvent pollution reduction devices. Cheaters will not be automatically fined!
AQ plan for Port of London Authority
The Port of London is to draw up an air quality strategy with
the help of consultant Aether.
An initial document sets out the work it is doing to establish the baseline for
vessel emissions on the Thames and to explore options for reducing emissions.
June heatwave
The heatwave last month led to the rare issuing of alerts by Defra – and even a press release.
Manchester says no
Incoming Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has rejected plans by Transport for Greater Manchester for congestion and emission charges.
Concerns rejected in Harrogate
A high profile battle to stop housing on air quality grounds has failed.
Diesel share falters in wake of scare stories
Public confidence in diesel appears to be taking a hammering in the wake of near-constant coverage of air pollution in the national press much of which is blamed on diesel.
Grenfell tower monitoring by Kings
During the catastrophic Grenfell tower block fire in West London, King’s College London experts worked with Public Health England to monitor the impacts.
Zone enforcement
An enforcement firm is pitching itself to councils looking at clean air zones.
Munich set to ban diesels
Environmental activist law firm Clientearth has won a court action in Munich that has prompted a pledge to ban diesel vehicles in the city.
Clientearth challenge: more details emerge
Further details have emerged on the shape of the latest challenge to Defra’s air quality plans by Clientearth.
Early results from roadside testing
Ricardo has recently entered the roadside testing arena offering services to local authorities to support clean air zone plans.
US sees diesel rise
The U.S. added more than 280,000 new “clean” diesel passenger vehicles across the country last year, according to the Diesel Technology Forum.
400 milestone
The Institute of Air Quality Management membership has reached 400 members.
Booklet update
Environmental Protection UK has re-launched its public information leaflets
Schemes ‘doomed to fail’
The increasingly influential Equa Index of real world emission performance of new cars run by Emission Analytics has been updated. More cars have been tested with some surprisingly clean and some surprisingly dirty.
Low hedges better than tall trees
The harmful impact of urban air pollution could be combated by strategically placing low hedges along roads in a built-up environment of cities instead of taller trees, Surrey University researchers say.
Bristol approach to tackle air pollution
Citizens across the Bristol region are being invited to give their views on the future of work, travel, and leisure in the city.
Tory plans dropped
Prime Minister Theresa May’s failed gamble to increase her Parliamentary majority has led to a number of changes to expected policies that affect the environment.
App for that
Greenzones.eu has produced a smartphone app that provides a key to the increasing number of environmental zones in the EU.
Scathing criticism revealed on NO2
The deadline for responding to the NO2 plans consultation has passed. What have people said? Jack Pease reports. The gut reaction to the UK Government’s plans to deal with NO2 was scathing. Now the deadline for responding has passed, the more measured and detailed responses being released appear even more scathing.
June 2017 Headlines
‘Plan of plans’ released
Finally – after much drama in the High Court – the air quality NO2 plan is out. It is already being challenged by Clientearth.
U-turn on NO2 damage costs undermines need for action
This is a nitrogen dioxide plan driven only by the need to cut NO2 to avoid court action and infraction. Actions have been chosen to reduce NO2 concentrations, with those actions justified with cost benefit analysis.
News from the IAPSC conference held in Telford last month
Help! AQMA’s or zones?
Local authority frustration at lack of guidance spilled out
into the open at last month’s Iapsc conference (with a tie up to the biennial
AQE exhibition) held in Telford.
Local authorities have LAQM duties that require them to
assess local air quality and based on local population exposure, declare air
quality management areas. But with the increasing urgency to tackle NO2
directive exceedences, Defra is telling dozens of local authorities to set up
clean air zones based on modelling.
Predictions show huge optimism
Official forecasts of future pollution hugely underestimate actual concentrations, Air Quality Consultants’ analysis suggests. NO2 is underestimated by 10% – and NOX 20% – and the gap is widening.
Welsh comparison
A report compares Welsh modelled and monitored values for 2015.
Another clean year
2016 was another clean year, according to official statistics.
Traffic up
Traffic levels continue to rise. Provisional estimates show that motor vehicle traffic was at a record high in the year ending March 2017 – 1.7% higher than the previous year. and 3.2% higher than the pre-recession peak in the year ending September 2007.
Waste fire camera
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has purchased a new thermal imaging camera to help identify fire risks at waste sites before they happen.
PHE annual air quality meeting held in Birmingham last month
NO2 death burden reduces
Paul Wilkinson dropped a bombshell at last month’s PHE annual air quality conference by suggesting that the burden of air pollution is lessened by worsening death rates.
Van emissions under scrutiny
Having been pivotal in exposing continuing emission failures of cars, real time emissions specialist Emission Analytics is turning its hand to vans.
Medics mull air quality research
This year’s annual Public Health England air quality research conference was held in Birmingham. The forum – slightly muted due to purdah rules – brings together the academic world to disseminate latest research on outdoor and indoor air quality.
Care about air quality? Who to vote for
The General Election is just days away. If you voted solely on air quality grounds, who should you vote for?
Purdah arguments
The High Court told the Government to publish the air quality plan as it considered that the daily death toll from air pollution – 64 deaths – constituted sufficiently exceptional circumstances to override purdah guidance.
Scottish LEZs
Councillors in both Edinburgh and Glasgow have suggested they are keen to adopt low emission zones.
First in Scotland for vehicle monitor scheme
The first scheme in Scotland to use NASA technology to monitor vehicle emissions has been launched.
Guidance for citizens to challenge decisions
The European Commission has adopted a guidance document on access to justice in environmental matters which clarifies how individuals and associations can challenge decisions, acts and omissions by public authorities related to EU environmental law before national courts.
Chaotic plan package
In the following pages within the proper subscription newsletter we pick out what is new in the package, what is surprising, what is annoying and what signals there are for future policy
End of the road for the PCM model?
The plan package contains few conclusions but quite a lot of detail about the much- vilified PCM model used to underpin government air quality directive compliance policy.
NO2 rush creates long term problems?
Was it just a few years ago that the air quality community was in revolt at Defra’s preferred LAQM option that would see the dismantling of local monitoring? How things change. It looks like local monitoring could see a renaissance to support planned local measures.
Exceeding councils
The Government has not said who must adopt clean air zones but it has produced a list of who exceeds and when the will comply. So you can decide where the ‘as soon as possible’ line can be drawn.
Local authorities: buck passed down
“It will be the responsibility of local authorities to develop innovative proposals for their local area that will bring pollution levels within the legal limits within the shortest time possible. “
Monitoring bonanza mooted
Comments were sought from a “high powered review group” (a bunch of random professors) regarding the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of future air quality policies.
Professors only
The review group was formed of professors rather than practitioners. Many didn’t bother to attend a meeting convened to scrutinise the policy, presumably as they probably weren’t qualified to comment and wondered why they’d been asked in the first place.
What options are proposed?
The first thing many did when the plan package was released was to see what options were being mooted. Many will be surprised to find that this was not obvious, partly as there was very little detail in the package – any of the sparse detail is buried away.
Full Monty is costed up
A fascinating part of the plan package models the ‘full Monty’ – what would happen with certain measures if funding were not an issue (as the court hinted) maximising pollutant reductions.
May 2017 Headlines
Election delays plan release
Calling of a snap election has prompted a week of high drama in the courts while the Government attempted to delay publication of the long awaited and much-hyped air quality plan.
Final plea to treat IANs with caution
The Examining Authority has completed gathering evidence for the Silvertown Crossing in East London. Air quality has dominated discussions (AQB April p6).
Super inquiry halt
The snap general election has claimed a further scalp – the ‘super inquiry’ into air quality. In an unprecedented move, four parliamentary select committees had formed a joint inquiry into air quality (AQB April p1).
£41k AQ bung
Teignbridge Council is requiring a £41,000 air quality contribution from a developer of a car showroom.
Cleanliness check
Emissions Analytics is to produce a clean vehicle checker for London and Paris.
Planning trumps permitting
An appeal decision reiterates that odour issues are a matter for the planning system and cannot just be dealt with through the permitting system.
...and again, permitting may not be enough
A 40,000 bird chicken facility has been allowed on appeal – North Warwickshire Council originally refused the facility on odour grounds.
Helpdesk changes
The Defra air quality helpdesk has announced a series of changes – local authorities now need to upload reports via a new link.
Buyers club
The West End Buyers Club, a preferred supplier scheme pioneered by New West End Company and Cross River Partnership, has launched.
Parties blame each other for diesel woes
Three long air quality debates took place in Westminster – on the plan delay (above), VW cheat devices and what a diesel scrappage scheme might look like.
Monitor site award launched
A new award has been created to highlight the importance of air quality monitoring stations by recognising those that create and maintain the best sites.
MPs on VW
MPs discussed the aftermath of the VW emissions cheating scandal. Despite promises to MPs last year that a full report would be published, MPs noted that no evidence has been produced by VW – nor payments made.
Effective block put on housing
Soon after successfully winning a high profile court case, Wealden Council has released a draft local plan which effectively blocks unmitigated new housing on air quality grounds.
Anti -cheating rules approved in Europe
Final reports (AQB March p6) on how to foil emission cheats have been agreed by the EU.
Costs probe ok
The High Court will hear a challenge against new environmental justice rules. Three NGOs, including Clientearth, lodged a challenge (AQB April p2).
Air research
Air quality is included in a pared-down list of Defra research priorities.
Traffic generated
New roads have failed to improve the environment due to generated traffic.
Green wall yields huge cuts
Ivy is being credited with cutting air pollution in London playground by a third.
Grants released for clean technology
Before the election was called, a series of grants were announced for developing clean technologies.
Dispersion modelling update from Cerc
Cerc has updated ADMS-Urban & released ADMS-Roads 4.1. New features in version 4.1 include the latest UK emissions factors from EFT 7.0.
World death toll increases
Global deaths from PM2.5 is increasing, ongoing analysis funded by the Bill Gates Foundation suggests.
Uber goes electric
App-based taxi firm Uber is planning to expand the number of fully electric vehicles available on its app in London.
Good and bad
New York researchers have studied the impact of Uber on traffic levels.
Mole dug out to push air message
Last month St Edwards Primary School, Romford was entertained by a show from Performance in Education (PIE) based around air quality and featuring Miles the Mole – the Havering borough’s new clean air champion.
Bristol death toll
Air Quality Consultants has reworked air pollution death statistics to take into account mortality risks of air pollution in Bristol.
Oxford Street
A consultation is due soon on pedestrianising Oxford Street.
US air improves
Average concentrations across the US have fallen, a new report suggests.
Truck comparisons prove surprising
Earlier this year a hybrid truck was tested and compared to conventional diesel. The results were surprising
ULEZ set to go ahead
National clean air plans may have stalled but work in London continues apace. More details emerge on planned ULEZ – but not where it’ll apply
April 2017 Headlines
Wealden habitat wins again
The saga of habitats v. houses is back in the High Court. Once again habitats won in a judgment that challenges DMRB, IANs and Highways England methodology. Natural England has been crucified.
Budget on diesel
Despite widespread pleas to increase taxation on diesel to reflect increased health impacts, the recent Budget did not change the fuel duty differential.
‘Super-inquiry’ to look at air quality
A plethora of Parliamentary reports into air quality are to be followed by a ‘superinquiry’.
Costs ruling thwarts challenge
Liverpool Green Party, with the support of the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF), has been prevented from mounting a judicial review against a 333-space city centre car park.
Groups mount challenge to costs rules
Three NGOs have launched legal proceedings over new costs rules that came into force this week amid claims the reforms could make it “virtually impossible” to bring a public interest case to protect the environment.
Fracking challenge
Fracking in Lancashire is back in the High Court.
Protesters have launched a judicial review to probe whether the go ahead to the
two fracking site breaches NPPF and EU laws.
PRTR probe
Government is seeking views on whether the PRTR is fit for purpose.
Aecom additions
Aecom has two new recruits – Kevin Turpin and Anna Savage, who are based in its Leeds and Basingstoke respectively.
Smelly pig guide
New standards on resources and emissions will help national authorities across the EU to lower the environmental impact of around 20 000 large poultry and pig farms.
Real world Ricardo
Ricardo is launching a “real-world” vehicle emissions monitoring service.
Savaged, and a DMRB ‘direction’
The Wealden Court battle (p1 & below) is being blamed on bad advice on air quality delivered by a Natural England’s ‘protected species’ advisor.
City trees
Six ‘city trees’ are to be installed in Modena in a bid to prove the concept of ‘smart’ smart trees.
Oxford goes for ‘zero emission zone”
LEZ. ULEZ. Clean Air Zone. AQMA. Now Zero Emission Zone.
Fowler retires
Professor David Fowler CBE FRS – a world expert who led research on air pollution issues including acid rain,
NO2 damage cost lifted
Failure of Comeap to decide on a figure for health impacts of NO2 has prompted interim updates to TAG values for NO2 damage costs.
Emissions argued in Bus Bill
Tighter emission clauses were put into the Bus Bill by the Lords – but then removed by Government.
NECD projects missed deadlines
The UK is set to miss many NECD targets, a new report suggests.
MOT relaxation
The DfT is consulting on extending the three year period new cars are exempt from MOT testing to four years.
World death toll
UNICEF says satellite imagery confirms that around 2 billion children live in areas where outdoor air pollution, caused by factors such as vehicle emissions, heavy use of fossil fuels, dust and burning of waste, exceeds minimum air quality guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.
WHO history
A potted history of the World Health Organisation’s air quality activities has been published.
Low NOx advice ignored?
Hackney Council has set up a scrutiny panel into air quality that is considering bolstering plans set out by London Mayor. Along the way the panel has heard how air quality advice is being ignored for three quarters of planning applications.
4.5% LAPC increase
It is proposed that local authorities may increase permitting charges by 4.5%. The increase follows pegging of charges since 2010.
Biomass bad
A report from the Chatham House thinktank questions the carbon benefits of burning biomass.
Silvertown air arguments rumble on
The Silvertown tunnel inquiry rumbles with air quality arguments proving highly sophisticated.
TfL sets out new monitoring and mitigation strategy
TfL has responded to widespread criticism at the inquiry by tabling a comprehensive strategy on air quality.
Government funds electric taxis
Government development funds will enable production of an electric taxi.
EU accepts emission inquiry criticisms
The VW defeat device scandal led to an EU probe into the ability of member states to police emission standards (AQB January p4). MEPs have now endorsed the inquiry report.
Brexit plea
The Mayor, in London’s official response to the government’s Brexit White Paper and triggering of Article 50 last week, is calling on the government to introduce a new Environment Act.
Public health drawn in
At last an ambitious air quality document from Defra! It champions the role of public health directors in tackling air quality. Jack Pease reviews it
March 2017 Headlines
Appeal uncontested – no expert
Harrogate Council’s inability to field an air quality expert has left it unable to defend a planning appeal.
Toxic diesel and petrol charge for London
The T-charge (toxic charge) will come into force on 23rd October, the London mayor has confirmed.
Directive infringement
The UK is a step closer to being infracted by the European Union for poor air quality.
London doubling
Analysis by Kings College London suggests London was up to twice as polluted this January compared
No to flats due to Scunthorpe PM
A block of 16 flats in Scunthorpe has been refused planning permission due to PM10 concerns.
More electric buses
Two more London bus routes will run exclusively electric buses,
All go for Heathrow
Heathrow dominated the news last month as planning gets underway.
Edinburgh flats refused due to dock PM
Edinburgh City Council has refused permission for a block of flats in Leith Docks due to particle concerns.
Clean Air Day?
Pressure group Global Action Plan is seeking a campaigner for a Clean Air Day – on the 15th June.
Fire fears
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has refused an environmental permit application for a waste storage and treatment facility in south west Wales.
Free Fleming
Peter Fleming has now left Air Monitors and is now operating as an independent consultant specialising in air quality monitoring. Although Fleming started out in sales,
Habitats policy survives test
Wealden Council’s tight planning controls on development near the nitrogen-sensitive Wealden Forest have withstood an appeal by the developer and the Government.
Ammonia up
UK ammonia emissions were up in 2015, the latest year for which figures are available.
Housing push
Denser housing on brownfield land and in city centres is a key feature of a new housing policy contained in a white paper.
Monitoring reveals commuters personal exposure
Surrey University researchers say car drivers are not unduly exposed to air pollution.
Air quality grant leaps to £3.7m
Air quality grant has been awarded – and there is even more than promised.
Doctors ramp up pressure
Doctors are ramping up pressure on the Government to bear down on diesels.
Bill sets out new plug-in demands
Government has listed what powers it intends to seek in a proposed Modern Transport Bill in a bid to enable electric vehicles (EVs).
Action please say UK cities
London and provincial cities have joined together to urge the Prime Minister to act on air quality
NECD guide
The European Environment Bureau pressure group has released an updated guide to the National Emission Ceilings Directive which was adopted in December 2016.
Spotting devices
The EU has published guidance aimed at helping member states spot defeat devices used by car manufacturers to sidestep emission regulations.
Charging approved
Huge subsidies for electric vehicle charging points in Germany have been approved. There were fears such subsidies could breach EU state aid rules.
Gas vehicles tested by DfT
DfT has attempted to allay fears that gas powered trucks only provide limited air quality benefits.
Post Brexit environment fears
This month the Government claims it will trigger Article 50 which will see us out of the EU within two years. The Lords report on implications for environmental regulation.
Heathrow planning commences
The first step for gaining planning consent for an expanded Heathrow has commenced with the launch of an aviation NPS. Jack Pease reports
Health impact analysis summarises NPS effects
A heath impact analysis has been carried out – it suggests impacts are not quite as insignificant as the main report might suggest: “It is likely that a large number of those most affected by the expansion schemes are unlikely to benefit from the opportunities provided. This issue of equity will need to be considered further in the development of mitigation for each shortlisted scheme to reduce the overall impact on health and wellbeing.”
Heathrow ‘warm up’ appeal
Heathrow? No – not the third runway. An appeal on the Cranford ‘noise’ agreement reveals air quality concerns can easily be put to one side
A glimpse at the streamlined PCM
The expansion of Heathrow Airport has opened up the previously-secret workings of the PCM model. Jack Pease tries to unpick what is tucked away in a WSP document used to support Heathrow.
February 2017 Headlines
Big project planning by Agency
The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has formally become a government agency taking on more policy significance than hitherto had been expected.
Aviation NPS released
As AQB was about to the printed, the NPS on aviation was released. This pledges to re-examine air quality at Heathrow. More next month.
Westminster targets diesels in street bays
Westminster is to pioneer a surcharge for diesel cars using
its on street parking bays.
It is believed to be the first to introduce the charge for public parking. Other
boroughs such as Islington charge more for residents parking permits for diesel
vehicles – Westminster’s charge is for casual parkers and does not apply to
residents.
Housing buyback?
The latest Clean Air for Cornwall Strategy has mooted the idea of buying up houses on the A38 in Tideford to reduce excess exposure.
Sheffield limit?
There remains confusion as to whether air quality-related speed limits remain a possibility to reduce pollution on the M1 near Sheffield.
Guidance updated
IAQM/Epuk has updated its planning guidance.
Meanwhile Environmental Protection Scotland and RTPI Scotland launched a
rebadged version of the IAQM/Epuk guidelines to reflect Scottish planning law.
Scottish highers
Air quality trends in Scotland show both winners and losers.
School response
The Local Government Association has defended itself from suggestions from the British Lung Foundation that councils should monitor air quality outside schools.
Wood worsens winter smog
The worst pollution episode in many years stretched from south east England to Wales and Northern Ireland. Wood smoke has been blamed for worsening the January smog which led to the highest PM2.5 in London since April 2011.
HS2 mitigation set out for Lords
A report has set out how HS2 will mitigate air quality issues.
Nudge unit uncovers apathy
The former government ‘nudge unit’ has studied ‘soft’ transport measures and found some are ineffective. Changing perceptions may not be good value for money.
TSI DustTrak monitors gain Mcerts approval
Ashtead Technology has announced that the TSI Environmental DustTrak Aerosol Monitors have achieved Mcerts approval.
Driverless benefit
A government review suggests driverless vehicles could reduce emissions as they will travel more smoothly – but the predicted increase in mobility may swamp any emission benefits.
Ricardo reappointed
Ricardo Energy & Environment (formerly AEA) has been reappointed by Defra to run the UK’s National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) on behalf of Defra.
Black carbon success
Black carbon continues to decrease across the UK, reports suggest.
Schools to get air audits
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is funding air quality audits for 50 schools.
Low emission neighbourhoods named...
Six schemes across nine London boroughs will share £2.5m to create low emission neighbourhoods.
...and cleaner air boroughs named
The GLA has released a list of ‘cleaner air boroughs’
10 new london low emission bus zones
An expansion of low emission bus zones will see 12 zones in London seeing a concentration of clean buses.
Heathrow challenge fails
The challenge by local councils against the go ahead for a third runway at Heathrow has failed.
Congestion charge needs a rethink?
The London Assembly transport committee has suggested road pricing should replace the congestion charge.
Further reaction emerges to NICE guidelines
The Institute of Air Quality Management has released its views on recent NICE guidance put out for consultation (AQB January p7).
Construction update
The Institute of Air Quality Management is to review its guidance on air quality monitoring near demolition and construction sites.
Must monitor
Clientearth is in the Belgian High Court arguing that the regional government must reinstate monitoring equipment that has been removed from high pollution areas.
Good transport practice
A review of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund looks at good practice in areas such as buses, cycling and walking.
Diesel success
Emission Analytics has updated its Equa new vehicle emission index and noted that both small and large engines are now getting considerably closer to their claimed emission performance.
California success
A 667-page report confirms that the previously adopted package of GHG standards, technology-forcing zero-emission vehicle standards, and the most health-protective PM standards in the world are working.
US fines
VW has pleaded guilty to charges relating to defeat devices. Following EPA action, has agreed to pay $4.3bn in penalties.
Paris Crit’Air sticker solution
Paris has recently been hit by high pollution events – until now it has used odd/even number plate bans to limit vehicle number but these have not been well enforced.
Agencies get tough on dirty burners
Natural Resources Wales has refused to grant a permit to the Cwmfelinfach incinerator near Caerphilly despite it having gained planning permission.
Another non-burner
A waste incinerator has been refused permission by the
Environment Agency.
Work has already started on the burner at Kelvedon, Essex, but the 35m high
stack was considered too low.
Clientearth bags £100k from City of London
Environmental lawyer Clientearth has been awarded a grant of £100,000 by The City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, to expand its work improving London’s air quality.
Silvertown crossing tests IANs?
A new potential flashpoint for air quality is the proposed new river crossing in east London. Jack Pease reports
Wales ponders new AQ duties
Welsh Assembly members probe how air quality fits into new joined up thinking that imposes a duty for wider consideration of air quality.
New action plan for Croydon
Croydon appears to be sticking its neck out by proposing exciting actions – including banning bonfires
January 2017 Headlines
Coffey disappoints MPs
MPs on the Commons environment select committee have once again called in witnesses as part of their new inquiry into air quality. They were left ‘disappointed’.
Minister goes over the head of the Mayor
Ministers appeal to councils direct to give them some policies to report to make up a plan
5 days for breach
On the fifth day of 2017, London bust European Directive guidelines for hourly NO2. Kings College London’s new data visualisation tool makes the check very easy – and the allowable 18 exceedences was reached at 9pm on January 5th at the Brixton Road
SO2 AQMA
Cheshire West and Chester has declared an AQMA due to excess SO2 from the Stanlow refinery.
ADAS absorbed
Environmental consultant ADAS went into admini-stration – and was promptly bought for £10m by RSK.
On-street charging
On street charging guidance has been produced by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
Iapsc conference held in birmingham last month
Zones will not solve the problem
Clean air zones were explored at the recent IAPSC conference held in Birmingham.
EIA shake up begins
Consultation has started on how to implement new environmental impact assessment rules.
Removal ad removed
A firm advertising removal of diesel filters has been criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority.
LEZ fraud
A coach operator has been banned from running coaches for falsifying documentation in a bid to escape the London low emission charge.
Health cuts
The Royal Society of Public Health has expressed
disappointment at another round of public health funding cuts.
monitoring news from the AAMG RSC conference last month
Cambridge compares sensors
Cheap sensor readings have been compared to ADMS modelling and reference monitor measurements in Cambridge.
Ammonia understated
David Fowler of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology told the conference of the contribution of agricultural emissions to air pollution.
Nanoparticle tedium
Nanoparticles are present in the air but monitoring them can be ‘tedious’ says Stephan Lambert
Antwerp blitzed with ‘curious nose’ probes
Over 2,000 diffusion tubes have been scattered across central Antwerp as part of a huge
Aether win
A consortium including Aether has been appointed to oversee a programme of work reviewing EU member states’ air pollutant emissions inventories under the National Emissions Ceilings Directive.
Tree effect
The London Sustainability Exchange held a seminar before Christmas looking at the impact of trees on air quality.
Legal action follows VW failure
The European Commission is taking legal action against seven EU countries including the UK for failing to respond to emissions cheating by top car firms including VW.
Commission inquiry
The European Commission has issued draft findings following its inquiry into its handling of the VW emission fraud.
Doctor no
Doctors, health professionals and medical students launched the Doctors Against Diesel campaign by holding up giant numbers which read ‘9,400’, representing the number of early deaths in London each year due to toxic air pollution.
Villain is diesel
A new IPPR report supported by Greenpeace shows that diesel vehicles are responsible for nearly 40% of all NO2 emissions in London and need to be phased out in order to ensure air pollution is brought down.
UK inaction criticised
MPs have criticised the transport secretary on failures to properly deal with the VW emissions scandal.
Pollutant trends
The official emission trends for 2015 has been published.
Once again it reveals that emissions of SO2, NmVOCs and particles are down – but
ammonia rises slightly.
NECD agreed
The European Parliament and the Council have signed into law the new National Emissions Ceilings (NEC) Directive and it is now law.
Petrol particulates
European pressure group Transport & Environment (T&E) welcomes the agreement European Council’s Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) to introduce new real world emissions tests to measure particles from new petrol engines.
MPs in wider debate at ministerial response
A wider Parliamentary debate followed the Westminster environment committee hearing on air quality (see above). Committee members commented that they were “unconvinced by the evidence that there is enough urgency in the Government’s policy”.
New Environment Act needed post-Brexit
MPs are warning the Government that environmental protections must not be weakened during the process of leaving the EU or afterwards.
London air quality spending to double
Transport for London’s new business plan sees funding for air quality doubling, claims the Mayor.
OBE for Pyle
Professor John Adrian Pyle of Cambridge University has received an OBE for services to atmospheric chemistry and environmental science.
Epuk responds to zones plans
Environmental Protection UK has tabled its concerns on plans for clean air zones.
2016 another clean year
AQB’s rough and ready ‘yardstick’ suggests 2016 was another clean year.
Using unratified data gleaned from the Government’s archive we use a crude but consistent algorithm to plot air quality and compare it to official indicators that only come out in late Spring.
Glasgow landmarks highlight air pollution
Innovative teams from across Scotland pitched their ideas to tackle air pollution at a series of events delivered by YoungScot, Glasgow City of Science and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) before Christmas.
Biomass bad
Wind and solar power are likely to be less expensive than
burning trees in order to replace coal in the UK.
A new study says: “The science already shows that burning biomass on a mass
scale for electricity is extremely harmful to the environment. The emissions
risks associated with biomass are simply too big to be ignored.
l www.nrdc.org
PhD slots
Three PhD studentships are on offer within the MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, starting in 2017. One PhD studentship will be based at the Environmental Research Group (King’s College London) while the other two 3,5 year PhD studentships co-funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Imperial College will be based in the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU).
Midlands clean up
West Midlands authorities have released a proposed low emissions vehicle strategy.
Monitors move
Air Monitors has moved to new larger, more modern facilities,
still in Tewkesbury.
MD Jim Mills says the new facility is 60% larger to cope with an expanded
service department and other new staff following success with its high end Fidas
monitor and low cost AQMesh sensor system.
l www.airmonitors.co.uk.
NICE focuses on air quality
Air quality is under scrutiny from an unusual direction – health professionals through the influential National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Heathrow PM episode
While planes are not suppose to emit particulate – independent air quality monitoring expert Geoff Broughton noted a recent PM10 (80µg/m3) & PM2.5 (71µg/m3) episode centred on Heathrow (pictured) on the 31st October.
Leicester spin off views the earth
Earthsense Systems, a new joint venture between aerial mapping company Bluesky and the University of Leicester, is set to spearhead innovations in air quality monitoring.
December 2016 Headlines
NO2 plan drafts by April
Following Clientearth’s High Court win over the Government on inadequate NO2 plans to meet the EU objectives, judges have gone further and given Defra less than eight months to prepare new plans.
NICE on air
Just as AQB went to press, long awaited NICE draft guidelines have been released.
Traffic up
Van traffic continued to shoot up in the first three quarters of 2016, new figures reveal. Overall traffic volumes were at a record high.
NECD agreed
Members of the European Parliament meeting in Strasbourg have finally approved new E
Derby demands assurances before action
Derby – one of the five cities outside London expected to introduce a clean air zone – has gone public with disapproval at being mandated to act on air quality which it says is not a local issue.
‘Golden thread’ mantra at risk?
The High Court has challenged the assumed presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Alarm at Brexit repeal bill implications
Air quality experts gathered last month for Epuk’s annual conference in Birmingham.
Wealth and health link
Public Health Wales’ environmental public health team has published its fourth annual review. Air quality will be one of three priorities for 2016/17.
VW US pullout
VW is to cease selling diesel cars in the US. It is a year since the firm was caught cheating with defeat devices in the US leading to large fines.
IAQM mulls zones and action
The Institute of Air Quality Management met last month to discuss a new study showing the effectiveness of existing measures in London, the draft CAZ Framework and the Mayor of London’s ULEZ proposals.
European air pollution remains poor
The annual report on European air quality shows continued poor air quality – with the UK reporting the second highest number of NO2 -related deaths in Europe.
Nickel exceedence
Only nickel failed to meet EU limit values in 2015 – and that was at Portardawe in Wales, reveals a heavy metal network summary report.
Barrier rejected
Highways England appears to have rejected a call to use roadside barriers to reduce air pollution near the M1 in Sheffield.
NI high
Two monitoring sites in Northern Ireland close to busy roads in urban areas did not meet the limit values and objectives for nitrogen dioxide in 2015.
BaP: no change
The number of BaP exceedences across the network remain roughly the same in 2015 as 2014, monitoring reveals. 10 stations in the UK exceed the 0.25ng/m3 objective.
Scrubber saves basement hotel
Camden Council has refused permission for a basement hotel in Bloomsbury on air quality grounds – but the decision has been overturned on appeal.
Scotland 2018 LEZ pledge draws near
The Scottish Transport Emissions Partnership (STEP) has held its annual conference in Edinburgh.
Hope for diesels, says Emission Analytics
Emission Analytics – the firm that has broken many stories about the poor real world performance of diesels – says it would be a mistake to assume diesels are dead.
Iapsc/Mcerts tie-up
Seminar organisation Iapsc and the AQE (formerly Mcerts) exhibition are to combine next year.
Sepa compliance
Scottish environmental licence holders have been assessed under the 2015 Compliance Assessment Scheme (CAS).
4-yr odour win?
Wychavon District Council has won the latest round in a near-five year battle with an unauthorised farm development that was causing excess odour. Unconsented lagoons were responsible for the smells.
Generators in the spotlight
Emergency short term generators (STORs) are causing headaches as they may only be used for a few hours a year, but are often located in urban areas. A consultation is out.
Environment post-Brexit discussed
OMG not more on Brexit? Yes indeed – the huge vacuum delivered by the out vote in Summer leaves the environment in a limbo. The House of Lords does its best to try and see into the future.
Planning law unpicked
How will Brexit affect planning? Lawyers outline how a future outside Europe may look
Clientearth judgment: full analysis
The Clientearth victory last month against the Government explains why Defra has been so weak in recent years – and how it justified its thinking. Jack Pease reviews the judgment.
November 2016 Headlines
Ashamed. Holgate.
Stephen Holgate – former head of Comeap – says he is ashamed that he didn’t do more while heading up the government advisory panel.
Heathrow it is. Let battle commence
The Government has decided that long awaited airport expansion will take the form of a third runway at Heathrow – with air quality at the heart of the inevitable legal and political backlash.
50,000. Official
At conferences up and down the country, there remains some confusion on what ‘the number’ is for number of deaths caused by air pollution.
Air quality grant becomes £3m
Air quality grant has risen to £3m – and is now administered by the joint DfT/Defra air quality unit.
News from the IAQM Routes to Clean Air conference in Bristol
Manchester ‘surprised’ to miss zone status
Manchester’s Jon Lamonte told last month’s IAQM Routes to Clean Air conference he was ‘quite surprised” not to have been chosen as a clean air zone.
Bulk data starts to show up where model may be wrong
Sam Chapman of Sheffield’s The Floow explained how he was combining telematics data with ‘big data’ on traffic to better characterise emissions. Already the system has found quick wins to cut pollution.
Managing York and Bradford
Liz Bates – now managing air quality in both York and Bradford – told the Bristol audience how hard it was for authorities with air quality problems that have not been chosen to be clean air zones.
Marsh award
Daniel Marsh, a member of the environmental research group at King’s College London, was recently awarded the Ian McCrae award for ‘outstanding work in air quality’ at the Institute of Air Quality Management’s annual routes to clean air conference in Bristol.
Dutch discuss factor fuss
Factors were much discussed in Bristol.
Coal call
Improving environmental performance at European coal power stations could save 20,000 lives every year. By setting and enforcing pollution limits in line with the best industry-recognised, tried-and-tested techniques, the annual number of premature deaths caused by burning coal could be reduced from 22,900 to 2,600 deaths.
Breathelife launched
World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition have launched a new global campaign to protect health and the climate.
Clientearth awaits court ruling
Clientearth has presented its case against the Government in its two day hearing at the High Court.
London ‘T-charge’ due next year, tightened ULEZ to follow
London is forging ahead with plans to bring forward tighter emission standards. While campaigners argue whether Defra’s NO2 plan for five cities is enough, London has extracted itself from all of that fuss by already proposing policies far above the minimum.
Wellbeing applies to air
The Wellbeing Act could prove a useful legal weapon to make sure air quality is given more priority in Wales
Wales worsening?
The latest Welsh annual report for 2015 suggests PM2.5 exposure is worsening slightly.
LAPC fees consult
Local authority concerns that they are not recouping permitting fees have prompted a consultation on fee rates for local authority pollution control (LAPC).
£35m clean cash
£35m is being made available for ultra low emission cars and scooters.
Bus Bill
A Bus Services Bill draft guidance and policy statement includes advice on how authorities can drive up emission standards and improve air quality.
Pollution no bar to Heathrow
A reworking of modelling for Heathrow Airport suggests that expansion will not jeopardise limits. But only just, finds Jack Pease.
Clean Air Zones set out
Year’s after being first promised, finally Defra consults on a framework for low emission zones. Jack Pease skims through the voluminous policy detail
Euro evaluation
Seven European labs came together in a joint monitoring intercomparison exercise.
2014 UK episode worsens health
Public Health England researchers have analysed the impact of two pollution spikes during March and April 2014. Researchers logged GP and casualty visits, health helpline and 999 calls.
October 2016 Headlines
Medics mull asthma incidence
“Asthma is in search of a cause and just about everyone wants there to be a link between asthma incidence and air pollution,” said Ross Anderson of St George’s London.
15,000 Londoners back clean up plans
A public consultation on tougher air quality policies has been overwhelmingly endorsed by Londoners.
Wales ambition
Wales is consulting on a new air quality strategy – which uniquely for the UK will be joined up with noise.
September ozone
Ozone peaked on the 13th September – at 34 deg C the UK’s hottest September day since 1911. The previous hottest days of this year had been 24th August and 19th July when moderate ozone was also recorded.
2014 episode: 600 extra deaths
Researchers have counted up the impact of the 2014 pollution episode – 600 deaths were brought forward and 1,500 emergency hospitalisations were prompted due to excess PM2.5.
Newcastle Staffs odour fears fail at appeal
Warnings that residents could suffer from odour have been overturned at appeal.
Health a material consideration?
Health should be material planning consideration, say MPs on the Commons Health Committee. Its report on public health changes post-2013 recommended more focus on planning and health.
Emissions summary
A summary report has been released revealing highlights of emission trends up to 2014.
Emissions in detail
As well as the summary report (above), the full inventory for England, Wales Scotland and Northern Ireland has been released.
World strategy
An air quality strategy embracing international energy generators is key to reducing air pollution health effects.
No improvement, says Chatterton
UWE’s Tim Chatterton also popped up at a widely reported Royal Geographical Society conference. “Two decades of air quality management has done little to improve matters.”
AQC in London
Air Quality Consultants Ltd has opened a new central London office near Paddington.
UK loses Aberthaw ruling
Europe says that the UK was wrong to allow Aberthaw Power Station pollute above limits.
£24m for freight
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles has launched a £24m funding competition to enable industry-led research trials and development of innovative vehicles or on-vehicle technology. The competition’s aim is to trial or develop low emission vehicles in the freight, logistics, utilities and emergency industries.
Diesel Bill
Another attempt has been made to introduce a Private Parliamentary Bill on diesel.
Electric buses
Two new all-electric bus routes for central London have been announced.
MPs seek post-Brexit safeguards
MPs on The Environmental Audit Committee have been quizzing ministers on environmental safeguards following possible departure from the EU.
Clientearth v Brussels
Environmental law group Clientearth is to challenge Brussels – the city – on its failure to tackle air pollution. It is working with local pressure groups to force the Belgian government to do more on the capital’s air quality.
Air Force marshalls
A team of ‘Air Force’ Marshals have been tackling idling in Westminster.
Yalpag formed
The Yorkshire and Humberside Pollution Advisory Council (YAHPAC) has been relaunched as the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Pollution Advisory Group (YALPAG).
Cycleway cuts pollution
Camden is consulting on permanently widening a cycleway in Torrington Place. A trial has shown dramatic concentration reductions.
Human health cost of VW fraud
Economists have calculated the human health costs of the VW emissions scandal.
City airport contains monitoring requirement
The go ahead for expansion at London City Airport contained detailed monitoring requirements.
Clean ship discount for London docks
The Port of London Authority (PLA) is set to introduce a discount on port charges for vessels with lower emissions that meet an Environmental Shipping Index (ESI) score of 30, or above.
Agricultural bio-aerosol models compared
ADMS and Aermod have been compared in a bid to improve modelling of bioaerosols from sources such as chicken sheds.
World deaths
Air pollution deaths cost the global economy about US$225 billion in lost labour income in 2013, a new World Bank study has found.
Surrey bung
Surrey University has been granted £500,000 as part of the iSCAPE project, which aims to develop next-generation environmental living labs in cities across Europe.
Defra ducks criticism from MPs
Government appears to take nothing on board from a critical report by MPs on UK air quality policy. Jack Pease reports.
Significance questioned for M4
Inevitably the M4 widening project has got the go ahead despite air quality concerns. But significance guidance has been questioned, finds Jack Pease
Wales displays air ambition
Wales has been quiet of late in terms of air quality - but it has released an air quality strategy that on the face of it suggests it has high ambitions
September 2016 headlines
Emission factors still ‘wrong’?
A new set of emission factors have been released – in some cases they increase errors that have plagued past forecasts.
Cruise port OK
A legal challenge to a proposed Greenwich cruise terminal has failed.
Indicators axed
Sustainable Development Indicators are to be abolished.
London turns the corner as emissions fall
London air quality is improving once again, Kings College researchers believe.
Putney pioneers bus zone
Putney High Street in south west London will be the first of a series of low emission bus zones with Brixton to follow.
Public alerts to be displayed on bus stops
Air quality alerts will be included in bus arrival information at London bus stops, tube stations and roads.
South London councils logistics tie-up
Lambeth, Southwark, Croydon and Wandsworth councils have formed a low emissions logistics partnership to reduce delivery pollution.
Ayan appointed
Following the appointment of operations director Phil Battye, DustScan Ltd has just appointed Ayan Chakravarty (formerly of Mott MacDonald) as principal air quality consultant.
Factor update
Defra has released a number of updates to its LAQM tools:
Deputy Mayor
Shirley Rodrigues has become deputy London mayor for the environment.
Heatwave triggered
Temperatures in the east and south east of England were sufficient to trigger a level 3 heatwave alert on the 24th August.
Defeat the devices
The ICCT has proposed amendments to proposed European vehicle testing rules to make it harder for firms to cheat on emissions.
Delay to Scotland LEZs?
Scottish opposition MPs say that Scotland’s timetable for ambitious plans for low emission zones is slipping.
Traffic booms outside London
UK traffic levels are booming, official statistics reveal.
Eyecatching pollution campaign launched
Young people have launched an eyecatching air quality campaign. The group includes photographers who have creating stylish air quality protests from around the capital.
All clear for 250m composting cordon
A large study of England suggests that composting is safe.
Thurrock biomass
A large wood fired biomass plant in Essex has been given the go ahead at appeal.
Cambridge points
Cambridge won funding for a Feasibility Study but not won funding to support rapid electric vehicle charge points and subsidise purchasing low emission taxis (AQB July p3).
TAG update
TAG environmental impact workbooks on air quality, noise and greenhouse gases have been updated.
Northampton plans
Northampton Borough Council is consulting on an air quality action plan and special planning guidance on air quality.
Storrington bows out of LEZ plan
An unusual low emission zone in the Sussex village of Storrington is not to be.
HS2 drags feet on real time monitoring
Camden Council is concerned that HS2 is not carrying out real time monitoring.
Sepa sets out ‘21st century’ vision
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published its new strategy for regulation.
Harley-Davidson defeat devices
Harley-Davidson has been ordered to stop sales of illegal defeat devices in the US.
Truck fines
The European Commission has fined truckmakers for operating a cartel which fixed prices and emission improvements.
EU goes low
Europe has set out its low carbon plans.
Court case lumbers on
Clientearth continues to progress its High Court case against the UK Government to be heard in October. It has submitted its response to the Government’s legal defence.
Tories join call for low emission framework
A Conservative political grouping has demanded that all English cities should have the power to introduce LEZs.
Smart sensors handed out to map pollution
Drayson Technologies is launching a new campaign that aims to map pollution levels across London. ‘
Smart trees can mop up pollution?
Paris is trialling smart trees to mop up air pollution with claims of incredible air pollution clean up properties.
Performance drops
Data capture of the UK monitoring network dropped in the most recent quarter.
NO2 Mcerts
Enviro Technology has announced that its T500 NO2 analyser has achieved Mcerts certification. The T500U CAPS (Cavity Attenuated Phase Shift) direct reading analyser is claimed to offer “true” NO2 measurements across the ranges 0-5ppb to 1 ppm.
Electric surge
In the April-June period of this year, 38.0% more electric cars were registered compared to the same timeframe in 2015, Plug-in registrations totalled 19,252 for the year-to-date, 4,640 units ahead of the same period last year.
Internet interest
UK internet searches relating to air pollution have increased up to 750% in the last ten years according to Nissan (maker of the LEAF).
Fracking has respiratory effect
Fracking causes respiratory symptoms for locals, Pennsylvania researchers suggest.
US advice for schools
Earlier this year US Environmental Protection Agency offered advice for reducing pollution exposure in schools. What advice did it have on mechanical ventilation?
Website review
Air quality has never been higher in the news – but funding continues to drop. Websites have unsurprisingly continued to suffer, we find in our annual review
August 2016 Headlines
Odour sinks nappy recycling plant
A proposed nappy recycling works in west London has been turned down due to odour fears.
Broad support for London Mayor’s T-charge proposals
The GLA Environment Committee has formally responded to the Mayor’s consultation on tougher air quality policies in London – including a ‘T-charge’ (toxic) charge.
Bristol diesel STOR delayed
A decision on a huge short term energy generating plant in Bristol has been deferred due to air quality concerns.
13 areas share £30m for clean buses
13 areas will share £30m of clean bus funding.
Yet another Parliamentary drubbing for VW
MPs on the Transport Select Committee have issued a third report on the VW scandal.
Leadsom in
Former Tory leadership hopeful Andrea Leadsom has become Environment Secretary in the new Government.
Summer pollution
The day or two of hot weather prompted smog warnings – even one from Defra.
McCrae award
Entries are sought for the 2016 IAQM Ian McCrae award to recognise significant contribution to the air quality management community and, in particular, the work of practitioners.
Sensors for schools and cyclists
In what is claimed to be a first, school teachers and pupils are to carry small air pollution sensors to yield real-time personal exposure and join a school into the ‘internet of things’.
Defra thinkpiece looks at future monitoring
A report completed last year but just released compares new technologies for monitoring.
Inventory emissions drop
The latest update to the UK emissions inventory sees a switch from old style TRL-generated road traffic emission factors to COPERT 4v11.
Background update
Background maps of concentrations for 2013 have been released.
Lords discuss Brexit impact
The Lords EU Energy and Environment committee has discussed the impact of a Brexit on environmental regulation.
£60m fund helps AQ
English Councils are being asked to bid for £60m of sustainability funds.
Air award
The Energy Saving Trust is currently taking applications for its Energy Saving Trust Fleet Hero Award which has a special air quality category.
Monitoring award
Bureau Veritas – in its role as central management and co-ordinator of the UK Automatic Urban and Rural Network – on behalf of Defra, has purchased a number of BAM1020 PM analysers from Enviro Technology for both PM10 & PM2.5 to replace existing Teom analysers on the AURN “under the ET trade-in offer, providing good value for money”.
Potash mine OK
A potash mine in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park has been approved by ministers.
Reset button for clean air act?
Celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the 1956 Clean Air Act have been accompanied by calls for a new act to reflect new challenges for the 21st century.
EU goes low
Europe has set out its low carbon plans.
Heathrow challenge
hree councils have warned that if Heathrow gets the go ahead, it will challenge the decision.
Ammonia up
A report has notes that ammonia emissions rose in Europe in 2014.
Dirty diesel: solved by taxation?
A report considers how tax could be used to discourage use of dirty diesel. It proposes a “showroom” tax based on NOX damage – and a “circulation” tax – fuel duty differentials – to discourage use of diesel and incentivise other fuels. Money raised could be used to fund air quality improvement measures.
All happening in London
London is the place to be for air quality action. The new Mayor is planning restrictions on dirty vehicles and encouragement for clean measures, finds Jack Pease
City diesel ban
The City of London Corporation has banned the purchase of diesel vehicles for its business in a drive to reduce public exposure to air pollution.
Action across London
All talk is of the T-charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone – but bubbling away all of this is the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund. How is it doing?
July 2016 Headlines
‘T-charge’ targets London cars
London mayor Sadiq Khan says older cars will pay a £10 surcharge to drive into central London as early as next year.
Clean Air Act needed
On the 60th Anniversary of the Clean Air Act, lawyer Clientearth has urged a new act to take its place to deal with modern pollution.
Schools highlighted in softening up exercise
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has released “new” figures showing 443 primary schools exceed “legal” air pollution limits. 86 secondary schools are also above limits.
NECD agreed in diluted form
A classic European compromise has seen the National Emissions Ceilings Directive agreed but in watered down form.
NECD exceedences
Ten countries exceed their NECD emission limits – the UK is not one of them.
Fuller to Aqeg
King’s College London’s Gary Fuller has joined the Air Quality Expert Group which advises Government on air quality policy matters.
CHP consult
Government is consulting on combined heat and power strategies. A ‘heat networks’ fund of £320m is intended to boost take-up for centralised heating systems in urban areas.
Planning guidance
Just over a year has passed since the introduction of EPUK and IAQM’s guidance on Land use planning & development control: Planning for air quality (AQB May 2016 p6).
Paris ban
Pre-1997 cars will be banned from Paris this month in a bid to reduce air pollution.
Bus Bill still without emissions clause
An attempt has been made to insert an emissions clause into the Bus Bill currently working its way through Parliament.
VW fines fund US action plans
Diesel defeat devices fitted by VW will cost the firm nearly $15bn in consumer compensation and environmental payments. The firm is not expected to face similar costs in Europe beyond fixing customers’ cars, many suspect it will only be treated as a consumer issue and not a public health issue over here.
Cambridge consults on taxi cleanup
Cambridge City Council is to consult taxi drivers on how the use of low emission vehicles by the taxi trade could be encouraged.
Dirty Thirty
Transport & Environment (T&E) has released a list of 30 “dirty” cars with “suspicious emissions behaviour”.
Warnings inadequate
Londoners have not been sufficiently warned of pollution events, figures released by the incoming London Mayor Sadiq Khan suggest.
News from the Kings ERG conference held last month
2015. How was it for you?
Kings College London’s Tim Baker reviewed air pollution over the past year – by and large steady falls have resumed.
Sensor fears
York University’s Pete Edwards cautioned against too much reliance on new sensors. Cheap and cheerful sensors are being pushed to replace more expensive reference equipment with the hope that large numbers of cheap sensors could provide more information than small numbers of expensive sensors.
Seaton sceptical on NO2 ...
Anthony Seaton – former chairman of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution – has repeated his assertion that NO2 is not responsible for heart deaths.
...while Holgate bigs it up
By contrast another Comeap ex-chairman Stephen Holgate was strident that more should be done – and fast.
Which measures work?
London’s large monitoring network allows detailed analysis of why some monitored locations are getting worse and others are getting better.
Welsh discuss air quality: plan soon
Welsh Assembly members have discussed air quality in a long debate. Many point out that some roads have air quality almost as bad as London’s Marylebone Road
The next VW?
Vehicle NOx emissions from cars may be higher when the ambient temperature is lower, Emissions Analytics claims.
Batumi pledge
Ministers and high-level representatives from 28 countries and organisations participating in the Eighth Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference in Batumi, Georgia, have committed to accelerate action to combat air pollution over the next five years.
NPL NO award
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has been appointed the Central Calibration Laboratory for nitrogen monoxide by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), as part of a programme to better understand changes to the Earth’s atmosphere and their impact on human health and the environment.
Barbecue plea
Save Highbury Fields campaign group is lobbying to reinstate a ban on barbecues.
A14 approval
Widening of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon trunk road is to go ahead.
News from last months’s Iapsc meeting held in London
Marner warns on CHP impacts
“Even small CHP plants and emergency generators can have significant impacts” Air Quality Consultants’ Ben Marner told last month’s IAPSC conference. Such impacts are despite the plant being below screening thresholds.
Defra to create ‘a great place for living’
Despite widespread scepticism that Defra is doing enough about air pollution, Defra’s Rebecca Dangerfield titled her Iapsc talk ‘Creating a great place for living: clean air”.
Bristol fears being left behind
Bristol’s Ben Robinson explained how the city had embraced electric vehicles. “Historically we have focused on congestion but for cities and towns, air quality has become a priority.
London funds
GLA continues to fund air quality projects as part of its Mayors Air Quality Fund system. Even before the change of the London Mayor, the Capital had in place a more ambitious local authority air quality system than elsewhere in England along with funding.
NO2 dilution
The US EPA has proposed to reverse plans to monitor for the pollutant near roadways of cities between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people
Heathrow delay
A decision on where a new runway will be built near London has been delayed.
Business plan
Businesses in the West End of London are cooperating to improve air quality with a novel air quality action plan.
Brighton success
Air quality in some of Brighton & Hove’s most polluted locations is improving, according to new council figures.
Global deaths set out
A report looks forward at the cost of failing to tackle air pollution across the world.
Sheffield plants ‘air quality garden’
Sheffield is home to what is billed as the “UK’s first air quality garden”, containing plant species that are sensitive to ozone pollution.
Money missing from Clean Air Zones?
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has warned that the government must ‘come clean’ over the funding of clean air zones.
Equality: AQ hits the poor
A suppressed report spells out how the poor are disproportionately affected by air pollution in London
Unep demands more
Two new UNEP reports on air quality show more can be done to tackle air pollution
Brexit: air quality takes a hit?
The UK has voted to leave Europe and we find ourselves in limbo. How might this affect air quality, asks Jack Pease
Pollution as cigarette equivalents
Dutch researchers have expressed the health impact of air pollution exposure in terms of passive smoking.
June 2016 Headlines
Roads cut pollution says PCM
The PCM model that forms the backbone for UK air quality policy suggests roads will reduce pollution in London.
Defra flounders at Westminster conference
A conference convened to discuss air quality left Defra struggling to argue its case last month
School pollution
A “secret” report has been released by the incoming London mayor Sadiq Khan that shows how pollution affects schoolchildren and the poor.
Fracking ahead
North Yorkshire County Council has given the go ahead for fracking test well in Kirby Misperton.
Ammonia up
Ammonia emissions in 2014 – the latest year for which data is available – have risen.
AirQ+ tool
WHO/Europe has released AirQ+, updated software to quantify the health impacts of air pollution in a given population.
Incoming mayor pledges action
Incoming London Mayor Sadiq Khan has promised to step up plans to improve London air quality.
Diesel plea in Westminster motion
MP Geraint Davies has introduced a Parliamentary Early Day Motion on air quality.
Bus Bill
The Queen’s Speech signalled the Government’s intention to introduce a Bus Bill.
York taxi standards
York now has an emission based (as opposed to age based) taxi licensing policy.
Gas distraction
Pressure group T&E have countered claims that gas is a suitable fuel to reduce air pollution.
More defeat devices found
More defeat devices have been found in cars – albeit many appear to be perfectly legal.
WHO figures name and shame towns
A number of UK towns and cities have been flagged up by the World Health Organisation as having poor air quality.
UNECE finds improvement in world pollution
Air quality has improved significantly in North America and Europe over the past three decades. UNECE says this is due to the UNECE Air Convention and EU air pollution policies.
Conditions clampdown
The Queen’s Speech contained a proposal for yet another bill on planning.
£2m for fuel cells
A £2m grant for public and private sector fleets will fund up to 75% off the cost of zero-emission fuel cell electric vehicles.
Heathrow ups its offer on air quality
Heathrow Airport has promised to be more ambitious on air quality in a bid to see off objections to a third runway at the airport.
NO2 plan actions compared
A rapid thinkpiece on what to do about air quality to meet limit values has been published.
Gamers shape AQ policy
The University of the West of England is part of a £5.2m EU project to harness the power of gamers to shape air quality policy.
Undermining rules
Environmental campaign groups have written to environment secretary Liz Truss accusing her government of lobbying to weaken proposed air pollution limits.
Chelmsford Airtext
Chelmsford has joined Cerc’s Airtext air quality forecasting service.
Joining up
Defra has passed responsibility for managing air quality monitoring contracts to the Environment Agency.
Ozone alert
Very warm days, with hours of unbroken sunshine, saw moderate levels of ozone recorded at urban and rural locations across London and Sussex from Thursday 5th May to Monday 9th May, the first widespread incident of 2016. Sites in Essex, Berkshire and Hampshire also recorded moderate levels of ozone.
Numbers say that cars must be targeted
The table below is extracted from the report used to develop clean air zones – and suggests the big wins (the large negative numbers show reductions in NOx) come from tackling cars.
Dealing with dust
Lack of official guidance has prompted the IAQM to develop guidance on mineral dust. Jack Pease attended the launch.
Wider impacts costed (again)
Defra has released a one-year old report outlining how wider impacts of air quality improvements can be monetised. Jack Pease wonders what is the point?
May 2016 Headlines
Diesels exceed but don’t cheat
Tests rushed in following the VW emissions scandal suggest illegal software is not being used by other manufacturers.
UK leads the world?
While experts, MPs and campaigners have been highlighting problems with diesel cars for over a decade, Government was keen to suggest it was leading the world on the matter
MPs demand urgent action on air (again)
MPs have once again demanded further action air quality.
Guidance finalised
Defra’s LAQM guidance has been finalised with few changes from drafts released at Christmas (AQB January p8). Scotland has also finalised its guidance which is increasingly divergent from England as it now includes PM2.5 in regulations.
Approval given
Environmental law firm Clientearth has been granted permission to take the UK government back to court to Judicially Review its plans to reduce NO2 (AQB April p1).
TNO results show emission gap
Dutch research organisation TNO has released test results from Euro 5 and 6 diesel cars showing excess real life NOX emissions.
Include cars
Clean air zones should include cars, truck firms argue.
Off road vote
The EU Environment Committee has approved plans to update EU type approval rules and emission limits for internal combustion engines in non-road mobile machinery (NRMM).
Enderby challenge
Campaigners have won High Court permission to mount a Judicial Review of plans to build a cruise ship terminal at Enderby Wharf in Greenwich.
Independent emissions index
Independent emissions consultant Emissions Analytics is forging ahead with its own index of real world emissions. It is launching the Equa index rating scheme in a bid to set out impartial real world data.
Greenpeace fits masks to London statues
Greenpeace has coordinated a series of stunts in London which saw pollution masks fitted to various landmark statues.
Lean NOx to blame
European pressure group T&E warns that the continued failure by VW to meet US deadlines for fixing vehicles comes as no surprise.
Defra change
Defra air quality lead Colin Church has been replaced by Shaun Gallagher. He comes from the Department of Health’s social care department.
Phlegm: particles to blame?
One in five cases of phlegm may be due to particles, government advisory group the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants believes. But it was reluctant to go much further.
Another ‘clean’ year in 2015?
The official air quality indicator has shown yet another clean year – the number of days of moderate urban pollution is now down to just nine. Rural days rise slightly to 11.
EU benefits
Europe has benefited environmental protection, MPs claim in a new report.
Diesel surcharge
The London Borough of Brent is considering introducing a £25 supplement for diesel cars to reflect their additional contribution to NOx air pollution.
Quantitech sale
Gasmet Technologies Oy of Finland, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of gas monitoring equipment, has announced the acquisition of Quantitech Ltd based in Milton Keynes. Quantitech has been its sales and service partner in the UK and Ireland since 1995.
AURN shows modest improvements in 2015
Data capture in the automatic urban and rural monitoring network has showed a slight rise in the first three quarters of 2015, new reports reveal.
Dispersion modellers meet
Experts addressed a packed room at the IAQM Dispersion Model User Group meeting held in London last month
Standard ban
The Evening Standard newspaper continues its high profile campaign on air pollution in London.
Leeds freebie
Leeds City Council is to introduce free parking for residents who own green fuelled cars and vans.
Wandsworth testing
Local motorists were offered free vehicle emissions testing in Clapham Junction town centre.
Air theatre
A “high energy theatre” production has completed a tour of local primary schools to help teach youngsters about climate change, air pollution and how our travel choices can affect the environment.
MPs doubt clean air zones
Another year, another MPs’ report on air quality. Is anyone out there still listening, asks Jack Pease?
Spoofing used to spot cheating
Government admits being shocked by the VW emission scandal – it was shamed into carrying out its own tests on new vehicles. Here are the results.
Coatings are not worth it
For years NOx eating coatings have been a favourite in any cash-strapped council’s action plan. Maybe not for much longer now Aqeg has damped expectations in a new report, finds Jack Pease.
Antwerp needs Euro 6 to comply
Modelling of Antwerp suggests that Euro 6 diesel cars will be needed to comply with pollution limits.
Lisbon LEZ struggles with NO2
Researchers have studied the impact of a low emission zone in Lisbon and found that while there has been some success with reducing PM10 concentrations, NO2 has been more problematic. This has been the experience in London.
April 2016 Headlines
Government back in court again
The Government is back in court again over its failure to
tackle air quality.
Clientearth award
Clientearth has won the annual Sustainable City air quality
award.
Study suggests fracking worsens health
Researchers believe that fracking wells worsen air quality.
Diesel unchanged
Last month’s Budget left fuel duty on diesel unchanged.
Grants pay off
US regulators argue that clean diesel grants are hugely cost
effective.
‘Clean’ diesel?
US consumer regulators have rounded against VWs use of the
term ‘clean diesel’.
Peter Fleming returns to Air Monitors
Peter Fleming – formerly of TRL – has joined Air Monitors as
regional/sector sales manager.
PhD opportunity
Kings College London and Emission Analytics are seeking a PhD
student to study off-road emissions.
Odour sinks Gillingham housing
Potential waste treatment odours have sunk a housing scheme
in Dorset at a planning appeal.
Policymakers should avoid going for gas
European environmental pressure group T&E has warned policy
makers to avoid encouraging the take up of gas vehicles to cut air pollution.
New data tool reveals European emissions
Consultant Aether has developed a data visualisation to show
details of large sources of emissions across Europe.
LAQM ‘disconnected and disengaged’
A review of the UK local air quality management system
suggests there are failings and weaknesses.
LAQM garners luke-warm views
Defra received 72 responses to its plans to update the LAQM
regime. The new regime introduced annual status reports (ASRs) in a bid to
streamline the English local air quality management system (AQB December p1).
Scotland guidance
Scotland has released policy guidance on air quality.
Central guidance
The GLA has released supplementary policy guidance for its
central activities zone which includes advice on air quality.
Welsh ‘interim’ policy guidance
Welsh Government has released ‘interim’ policy guidance for
LAQM in Wales suggesting it may not fully adopt the path that England is
treading.
Welsh indicator
Wales is adopting 43 national indicators – indicator No. 4 is
on nitrogen dioxide.
SPD tackles cumulative impacts
Four Black Country authorities – Sandwell, Walsall, Dudley
and Wolverhampton – have produced a combined draft supplementary planning
document (SPD) for consultation. It includes tough talk on incremental
cumulative impacts.
Heathrow okay?
A report claims that air quality issues at Heathrow could be
overcome.
Blueprint update
Heathrow has updated its ‘blueprint’ for cutting emissions at
the airport.
New dust monitor
Enviro Technology Services is now marketing a new
environmental dust monitor from German manufacturer, Grimm Aerosol.
Councils tell MPs of zone fears
The Local Government Association has raised fears with MPs
that clean air zones should not be imposed on councils.
Heathrow and vans a mayorial headache
London mayoral advisor Matthew Pencharz has again questioned
the ability of an expanded to Heathrow comply with air quality standards.
Manchester won’t comply
Greater Manchester authorities have come together to consult
on a low emission strategy and air quality action plan for the region.
Inventory reveals wood smoke problem
The UK is set to meet Gothenburg emission ceilings for all
pollutants except PM2.5. The failure is due to growing domestic wood burning.
Diesel generation fears raised in Parliament
MPs have raised fears during discussions on the Energy Bill
that small scale diesel generators could worsen air quality in sensitive urban
areas.
HS2 air impacts
A report has listed environmental impacts of the HS2 high
speed railway from London to the Midlands. Air quality is included.
More lobbying
Another lobbying group on air quality was launched at a high
profile event in London last month.
Government back in court
After months of threats, Clientearth has served notice on the
UK government challenging the legality of UK NO2 plans intended to avoid
infraction
#NO2DirtyAir
Clientearth has launched the #NO2DirtyAir campaign to fund
its new High Court challenge (see above).
Reality check for projections
Air Quality Consultants has once again proposed its own methodology in absence of credible emission projections from Defra. Jack Pease reports.
March 2016
NOx impact quashes houses
Wealden Council has succeeded in preventing housing that
could increase nitrogen deposition in the sensitive Ashdown Forest habitat.
New indicator in Defra plan
Defra has released a Departmental plan for 2015-2020. It
contains a proposed new set of performance indicators on air quality.
Birmingham fines...
Birmingham estimates that it will be liable for £60m in fines
if it doesn’t get a move on with clean air zones.
Plans panned
Defra has released a summary of responses to the EU ‘plans’
consultation which proposed setting up of clean air zones in six cities (AQB
January p1).
Official toolkit still too low
Air Quality Consultants has developed a sensitivity test to
counteract errors in official emission factors.
London boroughs to share £5m funding
London boroughs will share £5m of funding to tackle air
pollution.
Medics lose patience
Influential doctors’ organisations have spoken out on the
dangers of air pollution.
Electric rules
A series of guidance and documents have been released
confirming new electric vehicle grants first announced last month.
TfL schemes
Four innovative schemes that will transform streets in the
Capital have been awarded grants as part of Transport for London’s (TfL’s)
Future Streets Incubator Fund.
Streetscape help
Transport for London (TfL) has launched the third edition of
its Streetscape Guidance.
Welsh tree benefits
A model has been used to assess the air quality benefits of
two urban forests in Wales.
Drivers exposed to dirty air
Drivers and their passengers may be exposed to more harmful
pollution inside a vehicle than on the road
Public health cuts set out
The Chancellor’s pre-Budget Autumn Statement confirmed that
local authority funding for public health would be reduced by an average of 3.9%
in real terms per annum until 2020.
Laser testing
Hager Environmental & Atmospheric Technologies (HEAT), is
carrying out remote roadside emission testing in London with new laser
equipment.
Low level studies
The respected US Health Effects Institute is to fund three
new studies to investigate health effects of people exposed to low levels of air
pollution in North America and Europe.
Masters programme
King’s College London is to offer a new Master’s programme on
Global Air Quality; Management and Science.
£110k dust fine at Horn Lane
Just weeks after a report by the regulators aimed at
downplaying health impacts of dust at Horn Lane in West London, Ealing Council
has landed Hanson Concrete with a huge fine.
Historic air pollution affects current health
The UK Small Area Health Study Unit (Sahsu) has found a
‘surprise’ result that historic pollution exposure affects current health.
Bus shake up
A new Bus Bill will be introduced in Parliament in a bid to
improve regulation of buses outside of London. Many air quality experts have
found it difficult to force bus companies to clean up emissions as councils have
no direct control over services.
NOx fudge
The European Parliament has allowed emission tests to contain
conformity relaxations subject to a future review. NOx limits come with the
ability to allow some vehicles to exceed by a large margin of tolerance.
Minister deflects policy gap
MPs have continued their scrutiny of actions that local
authorities can take to improve air quality. Has minister Rory Stewart got
anything new in his defence?
Clean air zones: on their way?
The Government has told six cities to prepare clean air zones in a bid to ward off fines from Europe. Who is bothering, asks Jack Peas
February 2016 headlines
£40m for four cities
Four ‘Go Ultra Low Cities’ – Nottingham, Bristol, Milton
Keynes and London – will share £40m funding to encourage a switch towards
electric cars.
Eight days to breach 2016 NO2 objective
The hourly NO2 limit for 2016 was breached days after the
New Year, reports Kings College London which runs the London monitoring network.
Whall to AQC
Chris Whall has become a director at Air Quality
Consultants.
Schools exposure: best practice
The US. Environmental Protection Agency has released a
guide to give schools and parents ideas on how to reduce children’s exposure to
traffic-related air pollution.
Half million grant funds 12 projects
Air quality grant has shrunk from £3m to £0.5m over the
years – Defra has now announced how that small sum will be spread out.
Nickel hunt
King’s College London has been commissioned by the Welsh
Government to undertake two sampling campaigns in South Wales.
Heavy metal low
Heavy metal concentrations remain low in the UK, annual
reports suggest.
Also... particle number
Reports have also been released on: Airborne particulate
concentrations and numbers in the United Kingdom (phase 3) Annual report 2013
website uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library
Thinktank sets out policy risks
The “moral, legal and economic case” for accelerated
improvements in air quality have been set out.
Which? tests confirm excess emissions
Consumer group Which? has carried out its own tests on
vehicles and found most of them exceed quoted NO2 emission limits.
Uber clampdown?
The Mayor of London has announced plans to increase
regulation of minicabs and Uber on-demand vehicles.
Super emitter warning
Grisa Mocnik told the AAMG audience held in December that
he had been carrying out real world black smoke tests in Slovenia.
Caulmert award
Environmental planning specialist Caulmert is investigating
airborne salt concentrations as part of a two year monitoring scheme at the site
of the proposed Wylfa Newydd power station on Anglesey.
No health impact at Horn Lane
Three agencies have cooperated to produce a report claiming
that excess dust near the much-reported Horn Lane industrial site in west London
is safe.
GLA backs down on mandatory monitoring
Plans to insist that London boroughs have a minimum of two
monitoring stations have been abandoned.
AirText 7m resolution
Some new features have been added to the airText air
quality forecasting website run by consultant Cerc for London boroughs:
Emissions explained
The European Environment Agency has released a report explaining in simple terms how vehicle emissions occur and how they are tested, and the reasons for the gap between tested and real-world driving emissions.’
Burning fine
A Sheffield double glazing business that illegally burned
waste has been ordered to pay out £355 by magistrates in Sheffield, after being
taken to court by Sheffield City Council.
Church to go
Defra’s air quality lead Colin Church is to leave his post.
Insignificance for habitats
The Institute of Air Quality Management has attempted to
define insignificance in terms of sensitive habitats.
Officials and volunteers hit the city streets
Teams of air quality wardens made up two trained City of
London residents, two City of London Corporation officers and seven volunteers
from environmental charity Global Action Plan, were out in the City of London’s
streets engaging idling engine drivers.
ULEZ extension?
London Councils and London boroughs have convened an
engagement group to discuss how the proposed central London Ultra Low Emission
Zone could be extended. What is likely to be the last consultation on proposed LAQM
guidance has been released for consultation.
Public health funding plea
The Royal Society for Public Health has warned that changes
being made to the way local government is funded threaten to further exacerbate
already-pronounced health inequalities between different parts of the country.
LoCity formed
LoCity is a new five year programme aimed at bringing
together the myriad of bodies and schemes involved in reducing van and truck
emissions in London.
Labs ranked
NO2 diffusion tube laboratories have been assessed.
Clean air zone for York
York is ploughing ahead with its plans for a clean air zone
– despite the term being ‘hijacked’ by Defra for six cities needing to cut NO2
levels to comply with European Directives.
Pollution high
Widespread moderate NO2 and moderate and high PM10 and
PM2.5 particulate pollution was measured across south east England on Tuesday
20th January as a spell of cold, still weather allowed local emissions to build.
Yet again MPs probe air
Once again MPs are discussing air quality – inevitably VW
but also the LAQM and ‘plans’ consultation
LAQM responses: early thoughts
Despite the rushed nature of the recent consultation on
LAQM, some have already manage to submit their opinions
January 2016 headlines
UK NO2 plans are released
UK plans to tackle excess NO2 have been handed to the
European Commission in a bid
AQM shake up and NO2 plans: very different
There are two hugely significant policy issues knocking
around at the moment which may cause some confusion for the unwary – the LAQM
revamp and the NO2 ‘plans’ consultation.
Brownfield presumption
Government is consulting on making it easier to pack more
affordable homes onto urban brownfield sites.
Manchester omission
Manchester City Council has asked AQB to clarify that it
did submit data to Defra.
NO2 deaths guidance delayed
Government advisory body Comeap has taken the unusual step
of explaining delays to emerging thinking on NO2.
Remap your car
Fleet firms are being offered an engine remapping service. Viezu has developed bespoke engine maps taking into account
a vehicle’s typical drive cycle, load and other key characteristics.
Consultants struggle?
Supersize international environmental consultants have
struggled in recent months, the yearly Environment Analyst review of the
consultancy market suggests.
Emissions drop
Emissions dropped for most pollutants in 2014 – except
ammonia.
Fleming leaves TRL
Monitoring specialist Peter Fleming has left TRL. l petermfleming@outlook.com
Gas generators refused
Bristol City Council has refused a planning application for
a bank of back-up diesel generators on air quality grounds.
Qualified all-clear for PCM model
Models underpinning the Government’s air quality policy
have been scrutinised by external auditors.
European Parliament to probe ‘dieselgate’
The European Parliament has overwhelmingly voted on setting
up a 45 member inquiry committee to investigate breaches of EU rules on car
emission tests and alleged failures by EU member states and the European
Commission to enforce EU standards.
Black carbon report
NPL and King’s College London jointly run the UK black
smoke monitoring network and have reported for 2013 and 2014.
NI air reported
Ricardo has completed its air quality report for Northern
Ireland for 2014.
News from the Iapsc conference held in birmingham
Taxis to blame in Leeds?Taxis may contribute
disproportionally to emissions, James Tate of Leeds University told last month’s
Iapsc conference.West Yorkshire’s Health impact assessmentDuncan Cooper of
Wakefield set out how West Yorkshire has cooperated to produce a health impact
assessment of various air quality policies.
NOx ratings scheme for cars?
Emission Analytics – the firm that has championed on-board testing of cars – is proposing a vehicle accreditation scheme in a bid to provide some benchmark measure of real world emissions. The ratings could be used as LEZ thresholds.
TAG update
Guidance on valuing air quality and noise impacts
(environmental impact analysis) has been updated.
ADMS update
New editions of ADMS-Urban, ADMS-Roads & ADMS-Airport are now available.
Pollution still biggest health risk
Air pollution is the single largest environmental health
risk in Europe, says the European Environment Agency (EEA).
VW case filed
US authorities have commenced action against VW for selling cars in the US with defeat devices which put cars into clean mode when being tested
Germans v. diesel
German modelling suggests that unless diesels are
curtailed, cities will not reach compliance by 2030. The UK believes it can
reach compliance closer to 2020 outside of London without tackling diesel cars.
BAP static
NPL reports that annual mean B[a]P concentrations in 2014
did not show a significant change from those measured in 2013.
Suite of monitors check for nanoparticles
University of Brighton has set up a £250,000 advanced air
quality monitoring station, the first of its kind in the UK dedicated to the
detection of harmful nano-sized particles and their gaseous precursors.
Heathrow decision delayed
Government says that it needs extra time to consider
expansion of Heathrow.
Academics make joint plea
Two dozen international scientists have signed a plea to
governments to reduce dependence on diesel.
Power cuts
Plug in car grant is being reduced from the current flat
rate of £5,000 and feathered to encourage more efficient hybrids.
Kent cares for air
Kent councils have together produced a public-friendly air
quality website.
Dustscan appoints
Monitoring firm DustScan has appointed Phil Battye
(formerly the general manager of Enviro Technology Services) as operations
director. Battye will be taking over from managing director Prof. Geoffrey
Walton over the next few months.
Christmas highs
The Christmas and New Year period is normally a time of
very low air pollution due to lower than usual traffic but recent years have
seen pollution problems from increased decorative home-wood burning in open
fires, Londonair has explained.
News from RSC AAMG monitoring conference
More testing – more problems
Roadside testing has picked up further irregularities in
vehicle emissions.
Euro 6: Last ever standard?
TfL’s Adam Moody told the Iapsc audience that Euro 6 could
well be the last Euro standard due the increasing problems of lab testing
ever-cleaner emissions from vehicles.
Green infrastructure improves urban air?
Rob Mackenzie of the University of Birmingham and Forest
Research outlined to AAMG the contribution that vegetation and urban form can
have on pollution.
London network sees dramatic falls
Following years of stubborn refusal to fall, pollutant concentrations in London at last appear to be dropping
LAQM: new guidance set
out
What is likely to be the last consultation on proposed LAQM
guidance has been released for consultation.
Devil in the detail?
There were fears that weakening of the technical guidance
might prove a back-door means to hide further cuts. In the event TG(16) looks
much like TG(09)
Although local authorities are free to determine the format
of their air quality action plan, in England, they are encouraged to make use of
the updated AQAP template that is now included within policy guidance.
Plans: Limited details emerge
Plans to tackle excess NO2 have been handed to the European Commission in a bid to avoid infraction proceedings. Five local authorities are being told to adopt Clean Air Zones, rather than being asked
December 2015 headlines
LAQM: Final consultation is out
The third and final consultation on local air quality
management system has been released.
Fast Track AQMA Declaration
Defra explained its thinking on the new fast track AQMA
option: “LAQM has been in operation for over a decade now and we know from
historical records that once a pollutant is identified as exceeding the national
objective or is at risk of doing so, the Detailed Assessment (which often took
at least 12 months to complete) more often than not confirmed the initial risk
assessment.
Alerts don’t work?
An experiment in Wales suggests that alerting vulnerable
people about poor air quality can worsen hospital admissions.
Scotland shows the way
Scotland is launching an all- new strategy aiming to make
its air quality “the best in Europe”.
Delivery ban
Wandsworth Council is introducing a loading ban in Putney
High Street to improve air quality. The ban is aimed at cutting congestion and
reducing inefficient stop-start traffic.
Free school air
Aether has been commissioned to undertake detailed air
quality assessments for a number of proposed free schools across London and the
South East.
Scottish fracking
The Scottish Government announced its process for
consultation on fracking and the need for a wide-range of research into the
potential impacts of such techniques.
Cuts concern Epuk
At last month’s Epuk Autumn conference held in Birmingham,
incoming president Lord Whitty was on fighting form: “It is worrying to note
that Defra was one of the first ministries to agree to a 30% cut in the annual
spending review. This is a bit of a problem for the environmental agenda.”
PHS downplays impacts
Public health experts in Scotland appear to have once again
downplayed impacts of air pollution.
Government tests
The Government is pledging increased vehicle testing in
response to the VW emissions scandal.
Peaks reach high
Widespread moderate PM10 and PM2.5 were measured across
London on 3rd October with a small number of sites exceeding the moderate
threshold the following day. This was due to poor dispersal of local and
imported pollution caused by still, calm conditions.
Trees valued
Trees play a huge role in improving air quality and remove
299 tonnes of PM10 and 698 tonnes of NO2 pollution across London annually.
Trees improve dispersion, claims Leicester
Leicester researchers believe that pollution dispersion is
improved by street trees. The findings contradict many studies that suggest
street trees can worsen canyon effects by trapping vehicle pollutants at ground
level leading to increased pollution exposure.
IAQM airs ‘plan’ fears
A succession of speakers criticised Defra’s proposed UK NO2
compliance plans at the recent IAQM discussion meeting and AGM.
Holman Chairman
At the AGM?Claire Holman of Brook Cottage Consulting took
over the IAQM?chair role from Roger Barrowcliffe
Air Monitors
Air Monitors has bagged three key ESU monitor support
contracts for Defra. The contracts have been prised off Enviro Technology which
settled for a smaller fourth contract in the three yearly reletting of work.
End of coal?
Energy secretary Amber Rudd is consulting on closing
unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025.
Heathrow on black
Ricardo Energy & Environment (formerly AEA) is working with
Heathrow Airport to monitor black carbon
Further legal action ‘likely’
Clientearth lawyer Alan Andrews suggests the recent UK
plans are not sufficient to avoid further court action.
‘Waves’ of lawsuits
ClientEarth and German pressure group DUH have launched a
wave of air pollution lawsuits against federal states in Germany.
M4 expansion slated by Slough
An inquiry into the expansion of the M4 motorway west of
Heathrow has begun. Slough – one of the most affected districts – says adding an
extra running lane will worsen pollution and wants mitigation.
TfL names and shames dirty diesels
AQB has used Freedom of Information requests to find out
which Euro 6 car manufacturers were responsible for massive exceedences of
emission limits.
VW costings
Gary Fuller of King’s College London has tried to estimate
the cost of diesels for his Guardian column on air quality.
PVR consult
UK Government is consulting on technical amendments to
petrol station Stage 2 vapour recovery requirements.
In Parliament
Government has been quizzed by air pollution sceptic
Baroness Gardner.
Scotland shows there is a way
Last month Scotland released its new Clean Air For Scotland
(CAFS) air quality policy. The rebadged Low Emission Strategy for Scotland takes
a root and branch look at delivering cleaner air and comes up with novel
solutions.
Two-level modelling to underpin planning and strategy
Of perhaps the most importance to the rest of the UK is
what Scotland is doing on modelling.
Anger at UK plans
Responses to UK plans to deal with NO2 express frustration at Defra’s lack of ambition for dealing with bad air. Jack Pease samples the responses
November 2015 headlines
Diesel slated by MPs
Transport and environment ministers have struggled to
defend policies which have led to diesel vehicles undermining air quality
policies in the wake of the VW crisis.
TfL claims diesel buses nearly match cars
Another report has emerged on real life emissions. This
time Transport for London has released a summary report of testing of heavy
goods vehicles – a headline result is that diesel cars little cleaner than
buses.
PDR permanent
Permitted development rights have been made permanent
following a three year trial.
Brownfield boost
A clause in the proposed Housing Bill will see automatic
planning consent for residential development on brownfield land in a bid to
boost housing starts.
Aqeg puts value on monitoring
Simple economic evaluation of air quality monitoring will
miss its true benefit, Government advisory body the Air Quality Expert Group
warns.
More grants for blue sky thinking
The Department for Transport (DfT) is to open a call for
proposals from consortia of academic or private sector researchers and local
authorities with novel ideas for dealing with air quality challenges resulting
from transportation.
Do not worsen air quality
Planners are warned that they must take into account air
quality. They should not take the narrow view that just because directive limits
are met, then there is no problem.
ULEV shortlist down to 12 cities
Twelve cities from across the UK have been shortlisted to
be awarded a share of £35 million of Government funding to promote ultra low
emission vehicles (ULEVs) in their city.
Meacher dies
Former Labour environment secretary Michael Meacher has
died, aged 75.
Heavy metal report
UK has reported on how it is complying with the heavy metal
reporting requirements of the 4th Daughter Directive.l Air quality assessment regime review for the fourth
daughter directive 2004/107/EC http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/
Tube update
The National Diffusion Tube Bias Adjustment Factors
Spreadsheet September 2015 update is now available.l http://laqm.defra.gov.uk
EU benefits?
The Environmental Audit Committee is holding an inquiry to
assess the extent to which EU environmental objectives and policies have
succeeded in tackling environmental issues in the UK.
Air-o-meter launched
The European Environment Bureau has launched a model aimed
at assessing air quality impacts up to 2030.
MPs again
MPs have launched yet another probe into Defra's
responsibilities for air quality.
£4m air grant
The University of Cambridge is to manage a £4.1 million
research project to reduce pollution in cities.
Paris car free
Paris recently held a ‘car free’ day to cut pollution.
Hydrogen pump
ITM Power has launched its first public access hydrogen
refuelling station just off the M1 in South Yorkshire.
Bristol talks centre on diesel
The IAQM celebrated the culmination of Bristol’s year of
being the European Green capital by hosting a two day conference on air quality.
Car makers plea
Motor manufacturers continue to defend diesel citing
economic benefits, and warn against any ‘knee jerk’ reaction against diesel.
Epuk annoyed
Epuk has published its reaction to the VW crisis.
Ozone quantification draws near
First particles – then nitrogen dioxide – and now ozone.
Another pollutant has moved closer to quantification in terms of number of
deaths and health costs.
Taxi rules set
London Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) rules for taxis and
minicabs have been tabled. From 2018, all taxis licensed for the first time must
be zero emission capable, while new diesel taxis will not be allowed in London.
Vauxhall appears as outlier in Tate’s tests
Leeds ITS real world emission tester James Tate shocked
Bristol delegates with this graph of diesel cars tested.
Dublin smoke ban celebrated
King’s College London’s Gary Fuller reports from the
conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Dublin smoky coal ban
Sepa enforcement
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is
consulting on a revised enforcement policy and guidance on the use of SEPA’s new
enforcement tools.
Permit exemption tool
Ricardo-AEA and the Environment Agency have produced an
interactive tool that enables industrial facilities to develop and assess their
case for possible exemptions from the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)
and its associated requirements.
Bam for Bat and Ball
Sevenoaks District Council commissioned a new monitoring
site by Bat & Ball Road.
Sampling changes
Revised European legislation setting improved rules on
collection, sampling and analyses of heavy metal data has come into force.
MPs question Heathrow air
MPs are probing air quality and other environmental impacts
of expansion at Heathrow
VW probe gets few answers
MPs quizzed VW and the car makers’ trade body but made little progress. As with ministers (see news, page one) many questions are being ducke
October 2015 headlines
NO2 plans set out
Defra has released draft air quality plans in a bid to see
off European infraction on air quality failures.
Years of rulebending exposed in VW scandal
VW is being fined by US regulators for installing ‘defeat
devices’ in diesel cars.
Grant cut
Air quality grant has been halved once again.
Air quality awards
The City of London Corporation has opened the 2016
Sustainable City Awards for entry. Health and wellbeing initiatives take centre
stage in the 14th year of the awards.
Leaf upgrade
Nissan is upgrading its Leaf battery electric vehicle.
Edinburgh ban
Edinburgh is piloting road closures outside six primary
schools in the city in a bid to improve air quality.
Pollutants fall
Emissions of most pollutants have fallen, the latest 2013
inventories suggest.
Cleanspace link
Drayson Technologies’ CleanSpace air quality app (AQB
August p2) has joined forces with electric Formula 1 organiser Formula E.
Schools in Scotland get new resource
Scotland has produced a new online schools resource on air
quality.
Monitoring by I-phone
I-phone users across the EU are being asked join together
to map out dirty air.
ET Appoints Duncan Mounsor as MD
Air quality monitoring equipment specialist, Enviro
Technology has appointed Duncan Mounsor as managing director. He has been with
the firm 25 years.
£5m available for clean buses
£5m has been made available for clean buses in England –
but local authorities will have to prove that clean up technologies work.
Get off the fence!
A report has emerged that urges academics to stop
over-qualifying adverse health impacts of air pollution.
Waste oil burners
Defra is seeking views on whether changes to the
environmental permitting guidance on waste incineration are clear (as opposed to
discussing further changes). The change affects small, basic appliances such as
small waste oil burners which will be subject the Industrial Emissions Directive
(IED) from April 2016.
LCP consultation
UK is consulting on a national plan for large combustion
plant.
Fracking push
Decc has set out further reporting mechanisms to identify
planning authorities that take too long to determine fracking applications,
which may have air quality and noise impacts.
Public health advice
Defra snuck out a report earlier this year setting out to
help public health professionals deal with air quality
Incinerator refused
Northern Ireland environment minister Mark Durkan has
rejected plans for an incinerator at Hightown near Belfast.
Aarhus update
A Ministry of Justice consultation sets out how costs can
be capped in environmental trials.
Gas truck tested
A Ricardo-AEA report has analysed how dual fuel diesel
trucks perform.
New NO2 plans to please the EU
Defra has released its draft air quality plans for
consultation. Rebadged low emission zones once again feature as a means to avoid
infraction by Brussels. Jack Pease dissects the important development
Clean air zones to replace LEZs
Clean Air Zones (CAZs) are the centrepiece of plans set to
be submitted to the EU?to avoid EU?infraction on air quality. In fact they are
little more than rebadged low emission zones and a relaunch of plans revealed in
2011.
Hope once again pinned on PCM modelling
A 25 page ‘evidence’ annex sets out the arguments behind
Government thinking on what areas will exceed EU limits in 2020 – and how
proposed clean air zones will solve the problem.
Health and costings
So much has changed in the past few months on the economic
justification for taking action on air quality.
September 2015 headlines
AURN goalposts moved
Defra has responded to continued failure to meet the 90% data capture target of its automatic monitoring network by revising it down to 85%.
London construction plant must now be clean
Air quality emission standards for off road construction
plant have come into force in London.
NICE guidance
High level guidance on air quality is to be provided by
NICE – The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence.
PM2.5: only 55% is ours
Experts say that only 55% of PM2.5 in the UK can be managed
by UK action. The findings will no doubt be used by ministers to claim that
pollution reduction must be carried out by other countries.
Inventories need joined up thinking
Emission inventories – based on modelling – must take more
note of monitoring data, the Air Quality Expert Group has stated.
Particles up
The UK has submitted this year’s pollution emissions totals
to Europe. Particles are up due to new methodology.
H&F probe
The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham has set up a
resident-led Air Quality Commission.
Cornwall loss
The Cornwall Air Quality Unit is to be disbanded. Boss
Barbara Parsons is to retire.
Another SANGS aids habitats
Yet another development stalled by habitats fears has been
allowed on appeal in Sussex.
Fast track for fracking applications
Fracking in England is set to be fast tracked through the
planning system to avoid excessive delays, a consultation suggests.
Posh buyers prop up low emission vehicles
Government research has found that sales of ultra low
emission vehicles are dominated by the middle classes.
Cruise ship pollution risk mitigated
Cruise ship pollution fears have been dismissed following a
large contribution to Greenwich’s air quality action plan fund.
‘Green’ red tape
The Engineering Employers Federation has criticised the
Government’s red tape review claiming that benefits have yet to improve ‘green
tape’.
Airport responses outline fears
In July, the Airports Commission summarised responses to
the detailed air quality consultation on expansion at Heathrow. A final decision
– and inevitable legal challenges – are due before Christmas.
Website review 2015
AQB has carried out a website review for nearly 20 years
and seen a dramatic improvement in air quality websites. But we were challenged
this year...
Twitter winners and losers
Twitter is not for everyone, but some users are extremely
successful in using tweets to push forward their message. A Twitter-sceptic Jack
Pease reviews the state of play
Tricks of the trade from top tweeter Birkett
We asked Simon Birkett of Clean Air in London how to make
social media work to push across the air pollution message.
August 2015 headlines
London LAQM proposals set out
The London Mayor is consulting on the shape of a revamped
local air quality management regime for London.
Housing refused
Air quality was one of three grounds contributing to
refusal of new housing in Hassocks in Sussex.
NO2 quantification doubles health impact
Inclusion of NO2 when calculating health impacts doubles
the effects, King’s College London suggests.
News from the Londonair conference held last month
London air still not good
Tim Baker told the recent Londonair conference held last
month that pollution improvements remain elusive:
Diesel performance gap is closing
Nick Molden of Emission Analytics updated work on real
world emissions of modern Euro 6 vehicles.
Cleanspace app set to hit the streets
Lord Drayson provided some glamour to the Londonair meeting
held in London.
BIDS monitoring
Andrew Grieve of Kings College London told the Londonair
conference how business improvement districts were increasingly taking an
interest in air quality. Two have already funded air quality monitoring in
London.
Berlin much like London: Lutz
Berlin’s air quality chief Martin Lutz reminded the UK air
quality community how problems in Berlin mirror those seen in London.
Inspector backs Agency cover up
A waste operator has failed to overturn a condition
requiring the site to be covered up.
Wandsworth plan
Wandsworth Council has opened a new roadside air quality
monitoring site on Tooting High Street. The site will provide continuous,
real-time air pollution measurements of NO2 and PM10 particulate.
NECD toughened
Environment MEPs have voted to tighten up Commission plans
for more ambitious national caps on emissions of six NECD pollutants.
Fracking appeal
Cuadrilla is appealing against Lancashire County Council’s
refusal of planning permission to drill two fracking wells near Blackpool. Air
quality was initially cited as a concern but the refusal focused on noise and
traffic impacts.
Jenkins going
Nigel Jenkins is to leave the Sussexair network to join
Ricardo-AEA.
UK emissions: substantial decline?
Emissions have been reported to Brussels for various UK
pollutants covered by the CLRTAP treaty.
Wales grants
The Welsh Government is urging community groups and third
sector organisations to bid for small scale project funding (£1,000 to £15,000),
including projects to tackle noise and air pollution and create tranquil green
spaces.
GLA wants to ‘bin’ diesel
“The drive to diesel cannot be allowed to continue,” says
London Assembly environment committee chief Stephen Knight in a new report – but
Tory members of the committee have refused to sign up to the report claiming
proposed measures are too draconian.
Guidance needed for habitats assessments?
Ecologists and air quality professionals gathered together
to discuss the impact of air pollution on sensitive habitats – and the possible
need for guidelines.
London shows Defra the way?
London sets out draft LAQM plans which aim to safeguard air
quality in the face of austerity
Focus areas and how action can reduce their number
Air quality focus areas in London have already been
determined by the GLA.
NO2 doubles health impact
For the first time NO2 health effects have been included to
develop policy for London.
Back to top
July 2015 headlines
Air ignored in Heathrow choice
Air pollution is no bar to further expansion at Heathrow,
says the Airports Commission.
Aberdeen Scottish testbed for modelling?
Data collection is underway in Aberdeen as Scottish
Government takes forward its national low emission zone framework proposals.
SAS ozone?
Analysis by David Muir, formerly of Bristol City Council,
has suggested there were ozone spikes at the time that three SAS soldiers died
of heat exhaustion on a training exercise on Dartmoor.
Exit Izzy
Isabella Myers is to depart Public Health England.Loophole stalls
Hastings link
A controversial link road near Hastings has been dropped
before air quality arguments could be heard at a High Court Judicial Review.
Contract and big-shots go to AEA
AEA has retained perhaps the most high profile air quality
contracts – managing the national monitoring network (AURN) – and recruited some
key air quality luminaries.
Health cuts
The Faculty of Public Health has warned that the £200m/7.4%
reduction in planned public health spending contradicts Government promises to
prop up the NHS by upgrading public health.
M20 released
Environment Agency M20 guidance for stack monitoring has
been released.
Colour coding
France has introduced a voluntary colour coding system to
rank emissions.
Appeal overrides AQ concerns
200 homes have been approved at appeal despite fears that
extra traffic could worsen air quality. IAQM/Epuk updated planning guidelines
are cited even though still in draft form (they have now been finalised).
Nature arguments squashed at Wealden
Fears that a huge 1,000 home urban extension near Uckfield
in Sussex could affect sensitive wildlife sites have been overruled.
Tata Scunthorpe wins nature award
Tata Steel in Scunthorpe has been judged overall winner of
the Lincolnshire Environmental Award
by the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. This is despite the site having some
air quality scrapes with regulators in the past (AQB June 2010).
European fudge
The European Council has come to a compromise position on
medium combustion plants emissions.
10 states exceed
Ten member states have exceeded their emission ceilings for
SO2, NO2 ammonia and NMVOCs, an EEA report suggests.
Slight rise in Part Bs
The latest LAPC survey for England and Wales suggests a
slight rise in the number of Part B permits issued. 2013/14 data reverses the
downward trend seen in recent years. The number of withdrawn applications
decreased, again reversing the decline seen in recent years.
Chook poop
CERC is working with Wiser Environment to assess the air
quality impact of a series of planned poultry-litter-fuelled boilers on farms in
the UK.
Farmers exempt
Early-round voting on revision of the National Emissions
Ceilings (NEC) Directive has opted for removal of limits on agricultural and
ammonia emissions.
Burden objection
50 various environmental and lobby groups have joined
together to challenge the widely-held belief that regulation is a burden for
society.
Tag for plasterboard burning operator
A Fife waste operator has been sentenced to be tagged for
eight months for illegally burning waste. SEPA officers attended Balmain Farm
and observed several tonnes of white waste plasterboard which was smouldering
and approximately 20-30 tonnes of soil mixed with construction and demolition
waste.
£17,000 fish odour bill
A Kilmarnock composting company was fined £17,000 on 15
June 2015 for causing offensive fish odours at its site over a three month
period in 2013.
Five low carbon Ps for success
The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership has launched a Good
practice guide for local measures to encourage the uptake of low emission
vehicles (LEVs).
Double decker zero emission London bus
The world’s first purpose-built purely electric
double-decker bus will enter passenger service in London this year, Mayor Boris
Johnson announced at last month’s
global Clean Bus Summit.
Grant advice
Guidance providing information on funding eligibility and
criteria for the low emission bus scheme has been released.
Homecharge rules
A guide has been released for installers of home charging
equipment for low emission vehicles.
LEV sales rise
Government has reported a huge rise in the number of ultra
low emissions vehicles registered in the UK. www.goultralow.com
Price important
Cost is a key issue for those considering buying electric
cars, a government survey reveals.
Tube update
The June National Diffusion Tube Bias Adjustment Factors
Spreadsheet update is now available.
Latest ADMS ‘even more user friendly’
Software firm Cerc says its ADMS 5.1 dispersion model is
“more user-friendly than ever”.
Sepa consults on new charging scheme
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has
launched a consultation on proposed changes to the regulatory charging scheme
covering annual licence costs and application fees.
Fracking exposes pollution fears
Fracking – like incineration – is seeing air quality
dragged in as a excuse for objection. Is there really anything to worry about,
asks Jack Pease?
MPs discuss air quality
MPs discussed air quality in the House of Commons – this
time not in a dusty committee room – but on the floor of the house itself
Heathrow: a taste of the battle to come?
The Commons debate gave some insight into the political
debate that will follow the Airports Commission decision to recommend Heathrow
go ahead to build a third runway.
Fracking leads to PAH risk
Fracking may raise levels of PAHs, Oregon researchers
suggest. (see also fracking decision, news p5).
Back to top
June 2015 headlines
Ventilation clause approved
A requirement for a residential development to install
mechanical ventilation has been approved at a planning appeal.
Heathrow okay?
Heathrow Airport says new air quality modelling results
show that its planned expansion will not lead to worsening of air quality.
Hastings road goes to judicial review
Protesters have succeeded in halting work on a new road in
Hastings pending a judicial review on air quality impacts.
Environmental protection Scotland conference on PM2.5
Taylor outlines PM2.5 progress
Scottish Government air quality policy manager Andrew
Taylor outlined the latest position on PM2.5.
What do local authorities think of all this?
A very useful workshop session allowed Scottish local
authorities to mull over what all this means for them.
PM2.5 reductions difficult
IAQM chairman Roger Barrowcliffe told the recent
Environmental Protection Scotland conference held in Edinburgh how difficult it
might be to cut PM2.5.
PM2.5 will stretch monitoring technology
It’s all very well having aspirations for lower PM2.5
objectives – but can monitoring equipment support that?, asked Ricardo AEA’s
monitoring expert Brian Stacey.
Testing continues
South Lanarkshire is continuing with roadside emission
tests in the coming year.
WHO talks tough
The World Health Assembly has passed a resolution seeking
tougher action on air quality.
Ozone improves
UK had seven exceedences of the long term ozone objective
in Summer 2014, European statistics reveal.
Stop start good?
Vehicle pollution specialist Emission Analytics has carried
out preliminary analysis of modern car engines which use stop-start technology
to cut emissions.
Planning guidance still flawed
Planning guidance released in draft form by IAQM and Epuk
remains flawed, claims Clean Air in London’s Simon Birkett.
Medium-size ambition for medium-size plant
New EU rules have been agreed that are aimed at limiting
emissions from medium sized combustion plant.
Real world tests agreed in Europe
EU regulators have agreed a protocol for real world tests
of on road diesel emissions.
Ministerial team
Defra’s ministerial team has been weakened in a
post-General Election shake up.
Air spend static, survey reveals
Capital spending on air quality in 2013 remained much the
same as in previous years, industry figures suggest.
Queen disappoints
The Queen’s speech has disappointed some groups due to lack
of ambition on the environment.
ITV leans on Air Monitors
Air quality hit centre stage on ITV’s Tonight programme
aired last month.
£1m low emission neighbourhood bids
London boroughs are being encouraged to set up low emission
neighbourhoods with grants for up to £1m for two schemes.
Push to extend London ULEZ
London Assembly members have voted to ask the London Mayor
to consider extending coverage of the proposed central London ultra low emission
zone.
David Hall thanks
Vivien Hall – widow of Envirobods’ David Hall who died
recently (AQB March p1) – has asked AQB to thank those who offered support via
cards and messages follow Hall’s death: “Thank you to all David’s friends and
colleagues for your kind words at this sad time.”
Aether in LAEI update
Aether will this summer be updating the London Atmospheric
Emissions Inventory (LAEI) on behalf of Transport for London (TfL).
Micro model
A new bottom-up emissions simulator of urban districts and
cities has been developed by the Energy Efficient Cities initiative (EECi), at
the University of Cambridge. The model uses highly detailed inputs such as gas
billing data to help derive emissions at a high resolution.
Construction dust targeted
Much effort is being targeted at engaging construction
sites in London. Some sites are so large that they can have real impacts on air
quality.
Off road briefing
Pressure group T&E has produced a briefing on non-road
mobile machinery – essentially construction plant.
Detail added to airports assessment
Last year the Airports Commission had to go off half cock
on air quality as it didn’t have time to do a full assessment. Now it has.
May 2015 headlines
UK must redo plans by Xmas
The UK Government has lost its Supreme Court battle
defending its air quality record and must now deliver revised plans to
strengthen its response to combat pollution – by the end of the year. The
deadline to produce plans is binding on whichever government is elected next
week.
Diesel penalty discussed in Camden challenge
Parking charges with extra penalties for diesels have been
challenged in the High Court.
ASA rap for TfL
Transport For London has been censured for making false claims for its planned ultra low emission zone.
Comeap rails against cuts
Comeap minutes reveal funding fears for the expert group.
Scottish low emission strategy too tough?
Even Environmental Protection Scotland thinks the Scottish
Government’s low emission strategy may be too ambitious.
TTR appointments
Venn Chesterton (pictured right) has replaced Tom Parker as
the lead on air quality within consultant TTR. Parker has gone to Bristol City
Council. Chesterton originates from TfL where he was involved with the low
emission zone.
BfL
After 18 years at Bureau Veritas’s air quality team (in its
various forms Stanger, Casella, Carillion and Tarmac), Yvonne Brown is joining
Transport for London.
Scrappage advice
A guide has been produced on vehicle scrappage schemes
aimed at cutting emissions.
Air quality improves in 2014. Cleanest year?
2014 was one of the cleanest years ever in air quality
terms, official statistics suggest.
Lack of info leads to refusal
Lack of information has prompted dismissal of plans for an
anaerobic digester even though odours could be less than currently, with the
planning authority criticised.
Sootfree rankings
Zurich has won the latest ‘sootfree cities’ award run by
European green groups.
Idiot’s guide to nuisance?
Defra has posted a guide aimed at explaining to the public
how odour nuisance should be dealt with by local authorities.
$1.6 trillion bill for European air pollution
The World Health Organisation has costed air pollution at
$1.6 trillion across Europe.
WHO warns on toxics
The World Health Organisation has warned on the continuing
worldwide risk of exposure to toxic pollutants such as POPs.
€3m prize for clean air ideas
€3m has been promised for the best ideas to combat poor air
quality.
Pedelec power
Pedelecs – electric bikes - are all the rage says the
German environment agency.
Yet another spring pollution event for UK
Widespread moderate PM10 and PM2.5 was measured across
London and south-east England on Wednesday 8th and Thursday 9th April due to a
high pressure system over southern England and the northern part of mainland
Europe resulting in low wind speeds and extra pollutants.
A vote for air quality?
What have the main parties got to say on air quality, asks
Jack Pease
Planning guidance toughened
The IAQM and Epuk have released a final draft of their air
quality and planning guidelines. Developers may find they no longer get an easy
ride
Heathrow pollution questioned by Gatwick
Gatwick Airport has commissioned independent consultants to
show that expansion at the rival Heathrow Airport will jeopardise attainment of
EU air quality standards.
Ikea dominates Sheffield thoughts
More from the South Yorks Care4Air conference held in
Sheffield last month. Despite austerity, local councils are still doing good
work
Cut emissions and health improvements will follow
The study referred to by Mudway was contained in the New
England Journal of Medicine. Researchers wanted to see what effects had been
seen following the long term improvements in air quality in California which
pioneered tight vehicle regulations.
All about monitors
Every two years monitor firms show off their kit – they
continue to put on a brave face at this year’s Telford show
Some progress seen
A ‘synthesis’ report suggest that Europe’s environment and
climate policies have delivered substantial benefits, improving the environment
and quality of life, while driving innovation, job creation and growth.
Cut price AEA
Ricardo-AEA has launched a “low cost” data service.
April 2015 Issue 108
£75m for strategic roads?
The successor body to the Highways Agency – Highways
England – has come into being endowed with a dedicated air quality fund.
Clientearth back in the Supreme Court
The long-running saga of attempts to force the UK
government to do more on air pollution will see Clientearth back in the Supreme
court this month (16th April). It will be streamed live on Sky News.
Budget brief
The last Budget of the current government has led to little
change on the environment beyond some tinkering with low emission vehicle tax
and benefit structures.
Expressways ahead
The outgoing government pledged a series of expressways
across the UK to increase road capacity and provide ‘mile a minute’ speeds on
non-motorway trunk roads.
Aberthaw indictment
The European Commission has referred the UK to court due to
the absence of a reduction in emissions by the Aberthaw coal-fired power station
in Wales. Emissions of NOx were found to exceed the permissible limits under EU
legislation on emissions from large combustion plants which had a deadline of
2008 to comply.
Bad air but ea okay....
The fight against Sheffield City Council’s decision to
allow a huge Ikea store to go ahead in an air quality management area has been
abandoned. The deadline for further challenges has now passed.
.... air prompts refusal despite small impact
Plans to build flats in a leafy Windsor street have been
rejected with air quality cited as a reason for refusal by local politicians.
Dundee gets electric taxi fleet
Dundee has welcomed a fleet of 30 electric taxis onto its
roads.
£20m taxi fare
The Office of Low Emission Vehicles has launched a £20m
UK-wide competition to set up ultra low emission taxi schemes.
Gas boost
There will be an additional £4m to support the early
deployment of publically accessible gas refuelling points for heavy goods
vehicles (HGVs) across the UK.
Beacons again
A dozen cities bidding for a share of a £35 million fund
will become centres of excellence for low emission vehicles.
Ultra LEZ confirmed for London
The London ultra low emission zone will go ahead largely as
planned. Plans had been criticised for being too weak and too late (AQB March
p2).
BreatheLondon website launch
The BreatheLondon website has been launched and aims is to
provide public health advice and tools to help individuals to reduce the risk of
harm from air pollution.
20mph in London
The Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL) have
outlined plans for eight new pilots of 20mph speed limits on the main road
network.
Glasgow Ecostars
Glasgow City Council became the latest Scottish local
authority to join the Ecostars clean fleet initiative.
Cycling & walking
DfT has released a paper explaining how to cost the benefits
of encouraging walking and cycling.
Fine particles dominate ‘very high’ event
Fine particle PM2.5 dominated the smog event last month.
2025 date unchanged by action
Leicester has published its draft air quality action plan.
Action will make no difference to the expected compliance date of 2025.
Government defends air quality record
In its response to criticism from MPs on the Environment
Audit Committee, before Parliament was dissolved, the Government defended its
stance on air quality.
BID London win
A business improvement district has won this year’s
Corporation of London Sustainable City Awards.
Scottish plans
SEPA has issued guidance on how air quality should be dealt
with in land use planning. It says that air quality must be explicitly included
in both strategic and local development plans.
Westminster idles not
Westminster is adopting anti-idling powers on its roads.
From 1 May 2015, if a driver is asked to turn their engine off by a marshall and
refuses they could be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £20.
Measly pot
The Local Government Association points out that care of
the young and elderly now makes up half of local authority spending.
EU exit: what it may mean
If Britain withdraws from the EU?– the so called Brexit –
where would it leave air quality and the environment, asks Jack Pease
NO2 and particles clarified (not!)
Two statements have been released intended to update the UK
position on the health effects of NO2 and particles. Jack Pease struggles to
interpret them
Diesel debate gets dirty
Motor manufacturers have launched a counter attack on what
they see as unfair demonisation of diesel. Why, asks Jack Pease?
March 2015 Issue 107
Sheffield challenged on Ikea
Sheffield has been served pre-action papers as part of a
legal challenge against its support for an Ikea store.
Consultation ends on planning guidelines
Consultation has ended on planning guidelines used for assessing air quality impacts of developments
Dr. David Hall
David Hall of consultant Envirobods died last month age 73.
He had been undergoing treatment for cancer.
Mixed responses to ULEZ
Plans for a London ultra low emission zone have had a mixed
response from stakeholders. The Mayor consulted on his plans (AQB?November 2014
p1) and responses are now trickling out. Many want the scheme to start earlier
and stretch further out than central London.
York agrees congestion commission
York City Council has set up a ‘congestion commission’ in a
bid to explore ways of cutting congestion in the city and reducing air
pollution.
Plug-in rise
More than 25,000 plug-in car and plug-in van grant claims
have been submitted since the scheme began in 2010 in England.
France v Diesel
France – which has historically encouraged diesel use to
boost its car industry – is to offer scrappage grants to get rid of old diesel
cars.
Search on for 60mph alternative
The Highways Agency has published results of its
consultation on the use of lower speed limits on the M1 to cut air pollution.
Green group highlights dirty bus loophole
The ETA (Environmental Transport Association) claims bus
operators are exploiting a loophole to avoid buying cleaner Euro 6 buses.
Aarhus weakened
Campaigners say Aarhus rights to environmental justice have
been weakened as a result of a EU Court of Justice Ruling.
Red lights spell danger
Stopping at red lights exposes drivers to high levels of
air pollution, a new study finds
Range extended petrol hybrid London taxi
Taxi maker Metrocab has made the first
zero-emission-capable taxi to be licensed by Transport for London to operate on
a trial basis as a London Hackney Carriage.
US agrees new wood boiler standard
New standards have been agreed for wood burners in the US.
LEZ works, claims Oxford....
A low emission zone based on buses has worked, claims
Oxford City Council.
...while Leeds kicks LEZ plans into touch
Leeds is unlikely to set up a low emission zone. It joins
cities such as Newcastle which believes that costs and benefits do not stack up.
Green wall for Redbridge school
A brand new green wall at Winston Way Primary School has
been opened as part of efforts to help improve air quality in Redbridge.
Kiwi move
Cheshire West and Chester air quality officer Graham
Aveyard has retired.
Poor affected
A team of researchers including the Imperial College Small
Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU) have shown that air pollution
disproportionately affects health. SAHSU advises Public Health England on issues
such as air pollution and health.
Fracking halt
Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing has announced that
there is to be a moratorium on granting consents for fracking.
Flow breakdown in DMRB
The Highways Agency has finalised DMRB guidance on how to
model emissions from trunk roads and motorways in congested conditions.
New modelling shows pollution spread
A Freedom of Information request has uncovered present and
future hotspots. Data has been provided showing the top 50 most polluted places
in the UK and it reveals that Heathrow pollution becomes an issue in future
years.
Is hydrogen clean?
Government is consulting on whether hydrogen is clean.
Black humour for dark times
Clean Air in London campaigner Simon Birkett has teamed up
with cartoonist Ed Davey to poke fun at Boris Johnson’s record on air
quality.....
Battle for hearts and minds
Local authorities are trying to persuade the public to care
about air quality and change their behaviour. Jack Pease sees what Sheffield is
doing
Data geeks crawl over Sheffield
A series of initiatives are being held to explore how data
can be used more effectively in Sheffield.
February 2015 Issue 105
Big guns seek new alliance
Lords and former ministers are backing Epuk’s hope to build
a high power alliance to raise the profile of air quality.
Diesel parking penalties in London boroughs
London Borough of Hackney drivers will have to pay an extra
£50 a year for a borough parking permit – and Islington diesel owners £96.
Scotland toughens LAQM?stance
Scotland has set out the shape of air quality in coming
years through a draft low emission strategy.
Disley dismissed
Air quality concerns over the A6 Disley road improvement
have been dismissed in a planning inspector’s report.
Model v map
A comparison has been released of Welsh modelled
concentration maps and automatic monitoring results. They were found to be
“generally satisfactory”.
M&A’s dominate global market
Mergers and acquisitions have changed the face of the
global consulting market, Environmental Analyst claims.
Further fiddling claims on NO2
London Assembly member Darren Johnson says the London Mayor
may be fiddling air pollution statistics.
Better breathing campaign for London
The London Mayor has formally launched the Breathe Better
Together campaign aimed at helping reduce exposure and encouraging lower
pollution behaviours.
Fracking impacts discounted
The highly controversial Cuadrilla fracking application
currently before Lancashire County Council’s planning committee will have some
air quality impacts but not sufficient to recommend refusal.
....but US says impacts may add up
US researchers believe fracking could cause air quality
problems.
Study fails to find cancer link
The US Health Effects Institute has completed a study which
failed to link diesel exhaust and cancer.
Common ‘smog index’
The European Commission has asked Ricardo-AEA to produce a
EU-standardised air quality index.
Low emission grant
Public sector organisations have been given guidance on how
they can bid for £5m of money for ultra low emission vehicles. Guidance from the
Office of Low Emission Vehicles is intended for public sector fleets to bid for
funding to pay for low emission fleet reviews.
Don’t just
blame the foreigners
Cold, calm, murky conditions allowed the build up of local
emissions in London over Monday 19th and Tuesday 20th January – with only
ourselves to blame.
Clean Air Act changes
A number of changes have been made to the Clean Air Act.
Changed regulations cover dark smoke, chimney heights, arrestment plant and
furnace types.
UK dirty man of Europe?
The European Environment Bureau has produced ‘infographics’
for a handful of European countries.
Aether Olé
Aether, the air emissions specialist consultancy, has
opened a new office in Madrid. This represents Aether’s first permanent base
outside the UK.
Mitigation position
The Institute of Air Quality Management has issued a
‘position statement’ on mitigation of air quality impacts.
Benzene monitored
Ion Science has unveiled what it claims is the world’s
first continuous benzene specific monitor.
Geofencing for hybrid Bristol buses
Geofencing will be used to switch off engines on hybrid
buses in polluted areas of Bristol.
New transport toolkit
A new toolkit outlining measures that can be taken to
tackle transport-related air pollution in the UK’s city regions has been created
by consultants Transport & Travel Research Ltd (TTR) in partnership with TRL.
Natural capital
Air quality is one of the areas of the environment at risk
from continued industrial growth, says the Natural Capital Committee – an
independent advisory body set up to advise the Government.
Scotland sets out ambitious LES
Scotland is consulting on a low emission strategy which
puts England to shame. Jack Pease reports
Bad reaction to LAQM plans
Some respondents have already released their responses to
the LAQM consultation. Defra reassurances on monitoring are not being heard,
finds Jack Pease
January 2015 Issue 104
LAQM review sees monitoring slashed
A new consultation on the future of LAQM expects local NO2
monitoring to drop by three quarters.
SupportingU collapse leaves £0.5m shortfall
Monitor maintenance firm SupportingU has now officially
gone into administration with a £436,000 shortfall. The firm announced it was in
trouble last month (AQB December p1).
Roads planning takes on targets
Air quality appears once again to be included in strategic
planning for new roads.
Mergers abound
The end of 2014 saw yet another consultant merge.
Amec has merged with Foster Wheeler to become Amec Foster
Wheeler Environment & Infrastructure UK ltd. Meanwhile design and engineering
consultancy Ramboll has bought Environ.
Earlier in the year consulting giants Aecom and URS merged.
Both have active air quality businesses in the UK.
WSP has bought Parsons Brinckerhoff – again, both were
active in UK air quality.
Dutch consultant Arcadis also merged with Hyder Consulting.
Croydon electric bus
The two battery electric Optare MetroCity buses are now in
service in South
NI highs
Very high levels of air particles were monitored overnight
on the 29th December 2014 in Newry, Northern Ireland.
News from IAQM Dispersion modellers user group meeting
Little agreement between firms
Arup consultant Michael Bull has compared various
consultants’ estimates of pollution impacts of new development in Essex.
Microsimulation influences local action
Microsimulation of traffic can be a useful tool for seeing
where emissions are worst – and where to focus action.
Open source models save time
An urban area twice the size of London has been modelled
with free software in just ten minutes of computing time. Such a model can
sometimes take days to run.
Beevers: the future is hybrid
Exposure modelling will in future move to incorporate
personal exposure to better reflect health impacts.
Emission factors: what changed with v6
Bureau Veritas’ Yvonne Brown explained to the DMUG
conference audience the differences between the latest version of the emission
factors toolkit (v6) and the previous v5.2.
Directive weakened
EU air quality directives are set to be retained. There had
been fears that the newly-re-negotiated air quality package (AQB December p3)
could be abolished altogether.
Epuk Alliance
Environment Protection UK is continuing with plans to set
up a new lobbying group.
Roads advice
Air Quality Consultants Ltd is part of the team assembled
by WSP and Parson Brinckerhoff
(WSP/PB) that has been appointed to a Highways Agency (HA) framework contract to
deliver its road investment programme.
iapsc conference held in Birmingham last mont
Mudway: twice the impact
King’s College London’s Ian Mudway explained the WHO
Revihaap findings to the Iapsc audience.
Particle mass or number for vehicles?
Should we use particle mass or particle number for on board
testing of vehicles?, asked Ricardo’s John Andersson at Iapsc.
More results from real world tests
More details have emerged from real world testing of
vehicles.
New buses help Putney High Street hotspot
TfL’s policy of targeting new buses on pollution hotspots
appears to be having some success.
Boiler standards underestimate emissions
A study carried out for Decc suggests small biomass boilers
are not as clean as they should be.
Ultra low city cash for LEZs
Between two and four UK cities will share £35m ultra low
emission cash which can be used for low emission zones. Bids for Go ultra low
city grants will be administered by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles.
Car industry argues for tougher ULEZ limits
UK car makers have argued for tougher ultra low emission
standards in London – in particular that standards apply equally to petrol as
for diesel.
Green screen benefits claimed
Monitoring of pollutants near a playground suggests a green
screen may be reducing pollution.
Taxi help
The London Mayor claims he intends to take action to
improve air quality on the capital’s roads by funding a scheme to help black cab
drivers affected by a ten year age limit proposed for their vehicles, and that
he will deliver another 2,400 hybrid buses in London by 2020.
Barrier modelled
Solid noise barriers have been modelled to see their effect
on air pollution.
NO2 plummets at official sites
Air Quality Bulletin’s rough and ready yardstick indicator
for 2014 suggests pollution will appear to have halved.
2015 limits breached
Analysis from Clean Air in London shows Oxford Street has
breached the NO2 hourly limit value for the whole of 2015 four days into
January. Putney High Street was expected to breach on 5th January. Brixton Road
was expected to breach soon after.
Firework night warning
Analysis of PM10 concentrations last November show dramatic
exceedences, claim AQDM’s Geoff Broughton. Broughton analysed the last bonfire
night for AQB pointing out that official metrics may underestimate the impact.
Ecodriving app
A smartphone app has been launched aimed at encouraging
ecodriving to cut vehicle emissions.
Pollutants drop
All pollutant emissions dropped according to the latest
(2013) statistics listing key polluting emissions.
Planning guidance proposed
New planning guidance has been proposed by Environmental
Protection UK and the Institute of Air Quality Management.
£1m shared across councils
T wenty four local authorities in England share £1m of air
quality grant for the current (2014/15) financial year.
Damage costs of big factories unpicked
Air pollution damage from industry has been dissected by
the European Environment Agency.
Planning key
to action
MPs suggest planning is a key to improving air quality in
their latest report
December 2014 Issue 103
Gary Mahoney
Sefton’s Gary Mahoney has died unexpectedly from a heart
attack. Mahoney, aged 56, was a friendly and well known face in the air quality
community not least because of his role in the Low Emission Strategies group for
which he was a deputy chair, and present-ations at conferences.
Government loses EU?fight
Environmental law specialist Clientearth has won another
stage of its battle to obtain an order requiring the Government to do more on
air quality.
SupportingU goes into liquidation
Monitor support company SupportingU has called in the
liquidator.
LEZ action ‘complete’
The Government considers it has completed its work on a
national framework of low emission zones.
School streets
Edinburgh is trialling street closures near schools as
means of improving the local environment and encouraging walking and cycling.
Fife stars
Fife has launched a new green recognition scheme aiming to
tackle air pollution from transport.
Body call
Another grouping has called for a body to deal with air
pollution following on from a similar call from Epuk (AQB?November p6).
Four boroughs demand ULEZ extension
Four London boroughs have written to the London Mayor
demanding that the planned ultra low emission zone be extended to their boroughs
to increase its effectiveness.
Official launch for AirSensa
There has been an official launch of the AirSensa project
which aims to install 10,000 air quality sensors across London (AQB November
p3).
Regulation plea from IAQM
Regulation has been behind historical improvements in air
quality and is needed to secure further improvements, claims Institute of Air
Quality Management chairman Roger Barrowcliffe at the group’s recent AGM held in
London.
Juncker plea
Environmental groups are lobbying European Commission
president Jean-Claude Juncker to rethink suggestions that the air quality
directive could be abandoned (AQB October p3).
Funeral protest
Thousands of cyclists staged a ‘die in’ to protest at
health impacts of traffic pollution in central London.
Breathe campaign
The European Respiratory Society is launching its Healthy
Lungs for Life campaign with a theme for 2014 on Breathe clean air.
Homes refused due to motorway pollution
A housing estate has been refused planning permission on
noise grounds – however air pollution from a nearby motorway was highlighted as
a concern.
Dust fears sink quarry plans
Dust was at the centre of an appeal to extend sand and
gravel operations at Broad Green Quarry near Hertford.
Rushed probe for post-tail pipe clean up
DfT will hand out £300,000 in grants to fund experiments to
cut ambient NOX.
Lords unveils LEZ progress (or lack of)
At a recent Lords question time, Baroness Parminter asked:
“Many local authorities are starting to introduce low emission zones. If they
are led locally, these will have different criteria and be introduced at
different times. What is the Government doing to ensure an effective network of
low-emission zones, right around the country?”
Clean air probe
Defra has run a short consultation on changes to the Clean
Air Act and its associated regulations as part of the Government’s Red Tape
Challenge. The review aims to reduce burdens on business and modernise the
legislation to make it “more relevant” to current air quality challenges
Indoor emissions
The World Health Organisation has introduced indoor air
quality targets for stoves and heaters.
Walking boost
A national scheme will reward English schools that
encourage children to walk and cycle to school.
Assembly commence diesel probe
The London Assembly is midway through a probe into diesels
and consequent pollution health effects.
Johnson rebuts claims of Kings’ threats
Meanwhile London mayor Boris Johnson has sharply rejected
claims that he threatened Kings College London over claims about pollution in
London’s Oxford Street.
QCumber opens up pollution data
David Carruthers of modelling firm Cerc told October’s Epuk
conference about his firm’s involvement in the European QCumber initiative.
Mercury method proposed by metals network
Scientists from the National Physical Laboratory (UK) and
mainland Europe have proposed a mercury measurement standard.
Europe round up
The new 2014 European annual air quality report presents an
overview and analysis of air quality in Europe from 2003 to 2012, as well as
estimates of urban population and ecosystem exposure to air pollution.
Air e-petition
An e-petition has gained over 500 signatories demanding a
public inquiry into air pollution deaths.
York gets serious with plan
Modal shift doesn’t work, says York as it plans a tough
Clean Air Zone to come into operation by 2018 – two years before London
Hard to prove text is best
King’s College research struggles to prove the financial
benefits of the Sussexair air quality health warning system
Airports Commission guesses airport impacts at Heathrow and
Gatwick
What is claimed to be a detailed analysis of airport
proposals contains a vague guess at air quality impacts. Jack Pease reports
November 2014 Issue 102
ULEZ plans spelled out
London Mayor Boris Johnson has set out the proposed shape
of the ultra low emission zone (ULEZ) for London.
Lutz warns Bristol of Euro 6 promises
Berlin’s head of air quality Martin Lutz has warned that
policymakers cannot assume that Euro 6 will rescue cities from poor air quality.
UK cleaner?
A UK report to Europe suggests further “directive”
improvements in air quality.
Mayor misleads committee, claims Birkett
Air quality campaigner Simon Birkett is claiming London
Mayor Boris Johnson misled the Environmental Audit Committee which is currently
scrutinising air quality (see p8).
Guidance aims to cut waste fire scourge
New guidance for waste and recycling sites has been issued
by the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum to provide site operators
with the information and standards they need to reduce fire risk.
Waste planning
Detailed planning practice guidance for waste in England
has been revised replacing PPS10.
Electric boost
Between July and September 2014, over 5,000 electric car
grants were provided, more than double the number than in the previous three
months and almost a third of all grants since the scheme was launched in 2010.
There are now over 17,000 (£5,000) grant-funded ultra low emission vehicles on
the UK’s roads.
Ireland review
Consultant Aether has been commissioned by Ireland’s
Environmental Protection Agency to provide a comprehensive review of its
national air quality and greenhouse gas projections.
£500,000 Sussex habitats probe
Habitats constraints have prompted Wealden Council in
Sussex to commission a £500,000 study into nitrogen deposition.
£1m donation helps fund 500 London sensors
The Change London group has announced it will fund 500 low
cost air quality sensors.
Fracking fine
A US study suggests fracking leads to minimal air quality
impacts.
Grossinho goes
Ana Grossinho has left consultant WSP to start an MBA at
the London Business School. She is also working as an independent consultant.
Dusty Ben
Ben Williams has joined the Air Quality Management Resource
Centre at UWE Bristol as a Research Associate.He was previously with Dustscan.
Cerc updates
Model maker Cerc has announced
Text warnings hard to justify
An attempt to quantify the benefits of the Airalert air
pollution warning system in Sussex has struggled due to a small sample size.
Small engines may not deliver benefits
Smaller engines could worsen emissions, Emission Analytics
warns.
BBC sting uncovers rampant DPF removal
AQB recently Googled DPF removal and Stoke when following
up the news that BBC local radio researchers had mounted a sting on local
garages to see whether they would illegally remove a diesel particle filter.
Flexibility fears
A grouping of European environment NGOs say that
flexibility could weaken plans to cut emissions.
Consultancy growth
The latest report from business intelligence and market
research firm Environment Analyst finds that the UK environmental consultancy
sector expanded by 5.2% in 2013.
Court action: what next?
Environmental lawyer Alan Andrews of Clientearth told the
Sheffield audience of progress on the ongoing court action against the UK
Government.
Sheffield councillor defends Ikea decision
Local air quality activists gathered in Sheffield quizzed
councillor Jack Scott on the council’s record on air quality.
Mudway: LEZ made little difference to NO2
King’s College London medic Ian Mudway told the Sheffield
conference that the London LEZ had made no significant difference to NO2 due to
the failure of emission standards.
Commission reports
Smoking in public parks should be banned, the London Health
Commission says. It also says more should be done on ambient air pollution.
Student win
Recipient of the £500 EPUK 2014 student prize is Celine
Bouvet for her paper entitled Assessing temporal and spatial variations of PM2.5
concentrations in Edinburgh in relation to air quality limit values for the
protection of human health.
Betty is back
Former Environment Agency air quality monitoring boss Betty
Ng is joining Ricardo-AEA as a managing consultant in its air quality and
environment team.
Euro 6 fears outlined
As Euro 6 vehicle trickle onto the roads, early signs are
that new vehicles are much cleaner but still don’t meet standards in real life
driving conditions.
Call for new body for air lobbying
Environmental Protection UK is seeking a new “national
alliance” to work towards cleaner air in Britain. It roped in heavyweights such
as vice president Lord Hunt and succeeded in having a letter published in The
Times.
Big politics fears
Former environment secretary Lord Deben – John Gummer – has
criticised Coalition policy on air quality and planning.
Odour expert dies
Odour expert Victoria Henshaw has died from cancer aged 43.
Report confirms Euro 6 fears
A meta analysis of Euro 6 cars says that cars are cleaner –
but still not as clean as claimed
Ministers’ turn to face grilling
Government ministers put in a dismal performance defending
their record on air quality to theEnvironmental Audit Committee.
October 2014 Issue 101
Plea for diesel scrappage grants
London Mayor Boris Johnson has demanded scrappage grants to
get rid of dirty diesels in London.
Aarhus plea rejected at dusty site
A resident has been refused a protective costs order to
enable a court action against dust nuisance for an opencast coal mine in Wales.
Dirty denial
The London Mayor has published a study he commissioned in a
bid to counter suggestions that London is particularly dirty.
Awards: 14th year
The Corporation of London’s Sustainable City Awards are
back for their 14th year.
Vertical pollution profile probed
Researchers are investigating how exposure varies with
building heights up to hundreds of feet tall.
Environment diluted in Europe
DG Environment is being amalgamated with other departments
as part of the Juncker review of European governance.
2012 inventory shows some increases
Some increases can be seen in the latest pollutant
inventory released for the UK.
Bad air in UK
High levels of particle pollution were measured in Northern
Ireland last month.
Public health frozen
Public health budgets have remained the same for 2015/16
representing a real terms cut.
Volcanic signal
The Irish EPA has detected signals of an impact on air
quality from the Bardarbunga Volcano.
‘Red card’ for pollution failure
The Government has been judged on its environmental record
and been given a ‘red card’ on three out of ten issues – air pollution, flooding
and biodiversity. The rest get amber (unsatisfactory).
Labour restates claims
Labour shadow environment secretary told last month’s
Labour party conference of plans to tackle air pollution.
Speakers boosted
Epuk has boosted topics at its forthcoming conference to be held in Aston on the 16th October.
ADMS update
A new ADMS update reflects two new versions of Defra's
Emission Factor Toolkit released this summer.
WHO honoured
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been awarded the
annual European Lung Foundation award for improving the lung health of millions
of people by providing outdoor air quality guidelines.
Welsh urged to get grants
Welsh local authorities have been urged to put forward air
quality projects for funding.
Fracking: Should we be worried?
Andrew Kibble of Public Health England outlined possible
air quality impacts of fracking to councils attending the Welsh Air Quality
Forum meeting last month.
Benefits of roads growth questioned
A study questioning the pollution-busting potential of new
roads has been published.
Fire engine fitted
A grant of £500,000 from the Department for Transport’s
(DfT) Cleaner Vehicle Technology Fund will also enable a London fire engine to
be retrofitted for the first time, extending technology proven on London’s buses
to the London Fire Brigade.
Travel award
The Institute of Air Quality Management is seeking entries
for the 2014 Ian McCrae Award from “early career” air quality professionals.
Smartphone monitor
The AirProbe and Widenoise apps, developed by an EU-funded
research project called EVERYAWARE, has made air and noise monitoring possible
from a smartphone.
IAQM to tackle mineral dust
IAQM takes on yet another project to create guidance – this
time on mineral dust
Horn Lane provides case study for regulators
Environment Agency regulator Chris Lowe used the well known
‘dust’ flashpoint of Horn Lane in West London to illustrate the problem of
mineral and waste sites.
Boris pinned down by MPs
Under attack, unable to rely on his faithful lieutenants
and on the back foot, London Mayor Boris Johnson did his best to defend is
record on air quality Jack Pease reviews and comments on what was said
MPs here about life outside of London: not rosy
MPs were keen to hear from the regions and Sheffield
councillor Jack Scott, gave his evidence. “I suppose for me the key message
around public engagement is really important but, more broadly I don’t feel that
technology alone will get us out of this issue,” he told MPs.
WMO highlights CO2 concentration surge
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached a new record
high in 2013 – mainly made up of CO2, according to the World Meteorological
Organisation.
West Mids guide
The West Midlands LETCP has now finalised and published its Good Practice Procurement Guidance, which is available
Big popular hybrid
A large pick up is now the UK’s “most popular” plug in
hybrid.
Green wall for London school
St Cuthbert with St Matthias School in the Royal Borough of
Kensington and Chelsea has held a special assembly to celebrate the installation
of a living green screen, made up of ivy, clematis, jasmine and lonicera.
September 2014 issue 101
Speed limit for A556 upgrade
The transport secretary has given the go ahead for a road
improvement with a speed limit justified on air quality grounds
SPG to cut construction emissions
The GLA has agreed special planning guidance to control
construction dust and machinery emissions – including both PM10 and NOX through
a “low emission zone for non-road mobile machinery”.
Local costing
Air Quality Consultants has costed the impact of air
pollution in the Bristol City Council area. Locally-derived traffic pollution
kills more than twice as many as road traffic collisions.
Labour pledges action
The shadow environment secretary Maria Eagle has pledged
more action on air quality if Labour wins power at the next General Election.
Diesel train problem overblown?
King’s College London researchers have released research
which suggests that the impact of diesel-hauled trains has been overstated.
Actual measurements failed to pick up predicted modelled exceedences.
EAC Boris plea
London Mayor Boris Johnson has tabled written evidence to
MPs justifying his record on air quality.
SO2 comes...
Cuts at Cheshire West and Chester Council threatened the
existence of an active air pollution forum countering public fears about
chemical industries at Ellesmere Port. Personal budgets from local councillors
have been raided to keep the forum going.
... and SO2 goes
Dover District Council is lifting the air quality
management area at the Eastern Docks called due to sulphur dioxide from Channel
ferries using the Port of Dover.
PDR extended to more commercial premises
Permitted development rights are to be extended still
further.
More BAM choice
More BAM particle monitors have been granted equivalence
status.
Biomass backdown
A high level rethink on the benefits of biomass may lead to
less biomass burning at a local level.
Clean Air Act responses released
Defra has released responses to its consultation on the
Clean Air Act.
Hotspot modelling revealed
Clean Air in London campaigner Simon Birkett has succeeded
in his bid to obtain detailed monitoring results for London’s 187 air quality
hotspots.
The Sun launches ‘diesel weasel’ campaign
A diesel car campaign has been launched with an usual angle
– and from an unusual source.
European policy role for UWE
AQMRC at the University of the West of England has been
selected by the European Environment Agency (EEA) as single operator for three
major Framework Agreements in the areas of air quality, climate change and
environmental noise.
Matt’s move
SLR’s Matt Stoaling is going solo as Isopleth Ltd.l http://isopleth.co.uk
Capita Sheng
Capita has appointed Dr Xiangyu Sheng as head of its air
quality team.
Fracking risk
The Government pledge to boost fracking in areas away from
national parks may lead to air quality impacts, a report suggests.
Website review 2014
Scotland's air quality website won our 'others' award - and
York our local authority award
August 2014 Issue 100
Compliance dates slip
Critical dates for complying with the EU directive on NO2
have slipped, the Government has admitted.
Grant once again capped at £1m
English local authorities will be able to bid for air
quality grants this year – but capped at £1m again. In the past they have been
£3m but last year dropped to £1m and were massively oversubscribed.
Speed cut abandoned in haste
Politicians appear to have vetoed lower motorway
anti-pollution speed limits even before results of a consultation have been
finalised.
Thompson dies
Former Corporation of London air quality officer and Epuk
trustee Philip Thompson has died, aged 62, following a short illness related to
cancer.
Boris plans £10 diesel tax
London Mayor Boris Johnson is proposing to charge drivers
of older diesel cars £20 in central London from 2020.
1,000 buses ‘clean’ – more to come
TfL has now completed retrofitting 1,000 buses and says
emissions are down.
Green anti-pollution wall for London school
Transport for London (TfL) and the London Borough of
Barking and Dagenham have launched an innovative new green wall at The Warren
School, the first scheme to be delivered as part of the Mayor’s £20 million Air
Quality Fund.
Paterson out
Environment secretary Owen Paterson has left and been
replaced by Liz Truss.Truss is a former management accountant and former
education minister.
Electric grants
The Office of Low Emission Vehicles has set out criteria
for funding plug-in car grants favoured by many local authorities in their
action plans.
Back in court for Clientearth
Environment law firm Clientearth is back in the Court of
Justice of the European Union seeking clarification of what the UK Government
should be doing about NO2 exceedences.
Complaint paved way for UK infraction
A European Commission lawyer has said that citizen
complaints about air quality are a critical factor in infringement proceedings.
It appears the persistent complaints by environmental lawyer Clientearth were
instrumental in the UK being the first to be infracted for excess NO2.
New buses cut Putney pollution
Targeted renewal of buses in the polluted Putney High
Street has cut concentrations, a report suggests.
AQMesh & NO2
In our article on Air Monitors’ AQMesh last month, we
suggested the monitor does not directly monitor NO2.
Abstracts sought
Abstracts are invited for this December’s popular AAMG
monitoring meeting.
AQ champions
Twelve businesses and organisations operating in London’s
Victoria district are being recognised for their air quality efforts.
Flow is key to bus emissions
Air quality features in £2.5m barrier trial
Duffy takes AQMesh for a ride
Singer-songwriter Duffy rode a bicycle equipped with AQMesh
monitoring equipment at a recent Cleaner Air Bike Ride in Camden. Fashion
designer Vivienne Westwood was also at the event.
Mobile monitors for Leicester electric cars
University of Leicester scientists are to monitor city
pollution levels using air quality sensors in electric vehicles.
New Dr Barnes
University of the West of England academic and consultant
Jo Barnes (pictured) has successfully completed her PhD.
Heathrow justifies third runway
Jack Pease visits Heathrow to see why it believes air
quality won’t be a showstopper for the third runway – and what problems the
airport faces in cutting emissions
Highways Agency bares its soul
The Highways Agency usually keeps a low profile but
welcomed IAQM members up to its Manchester base to explain about air quality
July 2014 Issue 99
Work together – or else. Defra
Defra is beginning to get tough with non-unitary districts
that cite difficulties with county council transport authorities.
Clientearth takes aim at councils and Govt
Legal activist Clientearth has sent a letter warning
Sheffield City Council that a new Ikea store could be illegal.
Costa can (based on 0.2µg NO2 tube gap)
Costa can serve coffee on a Henley café pavement. It had
been told that because of high hourly NO2 levels it couldn’t (AQB January p1).
News from the Iapsc conference in London last month
New roads may not improve air
Gary Fuller of Kings College London told the Iapsc
conference held in London last month that road widening and the supposed
reduction in congestion might not improve air quality.
Passing mention for air in research strategy
Defra has released its strategy for research. Air quality
is barely mentioned.
Scotland keeps air high on the agenda
By contrast to England, Scottish decision makers still
appear to prioritise air quality as an environmental problem.
Mixed success from Cambridge
Cambridge City Council’s Jo Dicks reported back to Iapsc on
the results of work in the city to cut emissions.
Defra eats humble pie over consultation
Defra’s Sean O’Byrne admitted that last year’s consultation
on air quality could have been better handled.
Stacey restates indicative monitor fears
Ricardo-AEA monitoring guru Brian Stacey has restated his
fears on difficulties with indicative monitors.
Joint Defra/DfT guide for councils imminent
Defra has worked with DfT to commission Ricardo-AEA to
produce guidance on what local authorities can do about air quality.
Planning guidance for W. Mids
West Midlands authorities have agreed special guidance on
air quality as part of its joint low emission strategy programme.
Cargo bike idea
The CycleLogistics project says new cargo bikes could cut
journeys by polluting vans.
Member states start sniping at EU strategy
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) says it is deeply
concerned about the lack of commitment in fighting air pollution shown by
several national ministers at a recent Environment Council in Luxembourg.
Breathe Scotland
Environmental Protection Scotland has launched its Breathe
Scotland cleaner air initiative.
Dual fuel halved
A trial of dual fuel trucks suggests that to date, less
than half of mileage is carried out with diesel being replaced by gas.
Diesels feature in RAC report
Ricardo-AEA has compiled a report on air quality for the
influential RAC Foundation. The Foundation says diesel is the ‘main culprit’.
Permitting activity drops in 2013
The latest survey of local authority permitting suggests a
continued drop in the number of permits.
Hydrogen hybrid vans work in London
A fleet of hydrogen-hybrid delivery vans have been deployed
as part of the London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LHNE) consortium project.
Car makers manipulate test results
Car makers have been accused of manipulating results that
suggest new cars emit 4% less CO2. Failure of new vehicles to deliver real world
emissions savings as promised by emission standards has led to air pollution
failing to fall as predicted.
21st birthday
The Environmental Research Group at Kings College London
celebrated its 21st birthday with a two day conference last month.
Elliott introduces ‘omics’
Small Area Health Statistics Unit boss Paul Elliott told
the conference that new mass population sampling techniques and ‘meet in the
middle’ research could open up new research possibilities. (Editor’s comment:
Elliott used a lot of fancy words and which we try to paraphrase!).
Recent pollution episode misunderstood
Several speakers at the ERG conference made reference to
the fixation of the media on Saharan dust for the recent pollution event (AQB
April p1).
Smog, not health effects, drove US action
Dan Costa of the US Environmental Protection Agency told
the Kings College London conference of key differences between UK and US air
quality policy development.
EU justification
Markus Amann is part of Austrian body IIASA and sits on
many high level European air pollution policy bodies. He put up a defence of the
latest EU air quality package that many have criticised for being unambitious
(AQB January p4).
Oxford St. NO2 ‘world’s highest’
Kings College London’s David Carslaw says that London’s
Oxford Street could have the “highest NO2 concentrations in the world”.
Diesel to blame for European air issues
Eckard Helmers of Trier University in Germany was roundly
critical of Europe’s drift into favouring diesel over petrol for passenger cars.
Toxicology progress
Flemming Cassee from the RIVM in The Netherlands provided a
toxicological viewpoint.
2012 EU data in
Detailed industrial pollution data has been published,
covering around 31,500
Port Talbot clean?
Natural Resources Wales says Tata has cut emissions from
its Port Talbot steelworks enough to satisfy permit conditions.
£5m for councils
Councils can bid up to £500,000 each for part of a £5m DfT
pot for clean vehicles.
Air cuts emissions
A zero-emission refrigerated trailer is due to start tests
this summer conducted by a consortium of the Dearman Engine Company, Air
Products, the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) and Loughborough
University.
Highways Agency Bill
Government has tabled the Infrastructure Bill which
includes plans to turn the Highways Agency into a separate government company.
Electric help
A new report by the International Council on Clean
Transportation (ICCT) on the take-up of electric vehicles looked at the
relationship between incentives and take-up in eight European countries plus
China, Japan and the US.
MPs’ probe: Lambasting inevitable
Yet another scrutiny of air quality by MPs. Previous
criticisms have been ignored, will this one be any different?
Helpdesk updates
The local air quality management helpdesk, run for Defra
and the devolved regions, has issued a number of updates to advice.
Electric top up
Top up funding has been announced for encouraging electric
vehicles.
Student competition
Environmental Protection UK?is holding a student prize
competition with £500 on offer for a winning paper on noise, air pollution or
land contamination.www.environmental-protection.org.uk
UN action on air
Air pollution was a chosen as an action topic at the
inaugural UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) held in Nairobi.
June 2014 Issue 98
Fines warning for councils
Defra has written to English local authorities warning them
what they can expect if the UK is infracted by Europe for poor air quality.
Mayor demands money from Government
Freedom of Information requests reveal that London Mayor
Boris Johnson is demanding more than £150m to tackle air quality in London.
Labour: ‘race to the bottom’ claim
Shadow environment minister Barry Gardiner has criticised
Government action air quality.
Neutrality makes it into SPG
The GLA has finalised special policy guidance which
includes the concept of air quality neutral for new developments.
WHO brings together world city stats
The World Health Organisation claims that only 12% of
people living in cities breathe air that complies with WHO air quality
guidelines.
Banners for street posters
East Dunbartonshire Council has held a banner competition
as part of its profile-raising plan for its Bearsden air quality management
area. The council is using funding from the Scottish Government air quality
fund.
Inner orbital
A new inner orbital motorway is mooted in plans for
London’s roads.
More diesel tax
Air pollution is costing advanced economies plus China and
India an estimated £2 trillion a year in premature deaths and ill health, a new
OECD report says.
Ultra-LEZ details emerge
GLA air quality specialist Elliott Treharne has outlined
how an ultra low emission zone for London may look.
Andrews sets out court action
Clientearth lawyer Alan Andrews set out progress on legal
action currently rumbling on against the UK government.
How to use the law to force action
Environmental law firm Clientearth has produced a guide to
using EU laws on air quality.
Go west
The Air Quality Management Resource Centre at UWE, Bristol
needs a research associate in air quality and carbon management.
Transport and health
On the anniversary of the transfer of responsibility for
public health to local government, the Parliamentary Advisory Council for
Transport Safety (PACTS) has published a new report highlighting the importance
of transport policy in delivering safety, sustainability and health objectives.
Glasgow strategy found lacking
Environment Protection Scotland has criticised Glasgow City
Council plans for transport.
Nitrogen dioxide pollution as art?
Nitrogen dioxide pollution from an Edinburgh street has
been the inspiration for an art exhibit at Scotland’s Centre for Carbon
Innovation.
Dual fuels next in line for real world probe
Vehicle emission consultant Emissions Analytics has begun
the real-world assessment of dual-fuel commercial vehicle emissions.
Margam burner
Natural Resources Wales is inviting comment on an
application from Margam Green Energy Limited for an environmental permit to
operate a waste wood incinerator in Margam, Neath Port Talbot.
US air poor
Nearly half of all Americans – more than 147 million – live
in counties in the U.S. where ozone or particle pollutions levels make the air
unhealthy to breathe, according to the American Lung Association’s State of the
Air 2014 report.
WebTAG updated
WebTAG assessment modules have been updated.
Electric van
Nissan has announced pricing for its new battery electric
van.
Horn Lane refusal: a first?
The Environment Agency has turned down a standard permit
for a waste firm – believed to be the first time on air quality grounds.
Report details UK emission changes
A new report unpicks thinking behind UK emission inventory
calculations.
Air cleansing poem launched in Sheffield
The University of Sheffield has erected a large advertising
hoarding with a NOX-eating coating carrying a poem on air pollution. The poster
is claimed to remove the equivalent of 20 cars-worth of NOX every day.
Thomas goes solo
Bob Thomas has left Bristol-based Air Quality Consultants
ltd to go solo and concentrate on air quality assessments.
Inquiry demand
Air pollution campaign groups have joined together to
demand a public inquiry into air quality.
Regulation approach
The Environment Agency has set out its thinking on
regulation.
Paris odd/even ban assessed
Paris air quality monitoring body Airparif has released
preliminary monitoring results for the recent extreme smog episode. In March the
city put in place an odd/even number plate ban to cut traffic levels (AQB April
p6).
Mayor persuaded to attend MP scrutiny
London Mayor Boris Johnson has agreed to be grilled by MPs
on the Environmental Audit Committee as it probes air quality.
Citizens log 150 sites
Citizen monitoring is claimed to reveal pollution levels
more than twice EU limits in south east London.
Scotland spends more on air than England
A Scottish Parliamentary answer suggests that Scotland
gives more money to local authorities for air quality than Westminster hands to
English authorities.
N. Ireland reform
From April 2015 local councils in Northern Ireland will be
reduced from 26 to 11 under a programme of reform. This month the new councils
are working in shadow form.
Odour adverts: a new nuisance?
The IAQM conference on odour held last month heard how
smells could be deliberately introduced into the environment.
Odour guide finalised to aid planning
Chairman of the IAQM odour guidance working group Michael
Bull said he was ‘pleased and relieved’ guidance is now finalised.
Dust forecasting
The UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board,
has commissioned Fugro and the University of Leeds to research the timing,
severity and duration of meteorological processes in the North Africa region,
where dust can cause problems for oil and gas production and personnel.
Health check
A website has been launched to encourage the public to
check air quality levels online.
Airport proposals set out
Are the air quality impacts of airport proposals quite as
benign as suggested? asks Jack Pease
May 2014 Issue 97
Air quality unlocks ULEV funds
Urban areas can now bid for ultra low emission status and
share £35m of DfT funding.
Wood burning trumps LEZ particle saving
Particle pollution from lifestyle wood burning in London
far exceeds PM10 saved by the low emission zone, Kings College London
researchers suggest.
Who dies where
The number of deaths in UK local authorities that can be
attributed to long term exposure to fine particle air pollution have been
published by Public Health England.
Airtext v Defra
Software developer Cerc says that the Met Office air
quality forecasts prepared for Defra overestimated the recent air quality smog
event (AQB April p1).
Dust ‘grossly exaggerated’
Clientearth air quality lawyer Alan Andrews has argued that
the recent smog event has been over-hyped as a Saharan dust episode.
Fracking prospectors given free reign
Exploration for onshore gas (essentially fracking) will be
exempted from the need to obtain IPPC permits.
Shipping backtrack
Plans to oblige shipowners to report NOx and other
polluting emissions alongside CO2 emissions have been thrown out.
NPPF under scrutiny
MPs are to investigate the operation of the National
Planning Policy Framework in its first two years of operation.
Strategic review for regulation
Government has published its terms of reference for the
strategic long term review of environmental legislation.
Duty cuts applauded by Treasury
Fuel duty cuts are very successful, the Treasury claims –
based on modelling which excludes ‘externalities’ such as pollution.
Supporting U launches data website
SupportingU has launched a new air quality data website in
a bid to display complex data in an easy-to-understand way.
Charges revealed
Environment Agency permitting charges for 2014/15 have been
released.
Pong is ‘safe’
The Biffa landfill site in Redhill, Surrey, has attracted a
large number of odour complaints over the recent months of wet weather.
Puff released
Cerc has released ADMS-Puff.
2013 stats suggest no change
2013 was broadly the same as 2012 in air pollution terms –
a relatively clean year – ratified statistics suggest.
Ward level stats released
The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (Sahsu) has produced
an online interactive map that allows researchers to compare air pollution with
various health outcomes down to ward level.
Mid April smog
Londonair has reported a particle pollution episode on 20th
& 21st April. An influx of particulate pollution from mainland Europe
resulted in widespread moderate readings.
IPCC report
The IPCC has produced its Fifth Assessment Report which
considers the vulnerability and exposure of human and natural systems, the
observed impacts and future risks of climate change, and the potential for and
limits to adaptation.
Comparison stretches monitors
Speaking at last month’s Scottish air quality meeting held
in Glasgow (AQB April p6), Ricardo-AEA monitoring expert Brian Stacey outlined
early results from tests of non-reference particle monitors.
Dusty direction for Enviro Technology
Monitor firm Enviro Technology has launched a new CDM
monitor specifically aimed at construction dust. The construction industry is a
new market sector for ET.
SKM to SLR
Air quality specialist Gary Wilson has left consultant SKM
to join SLR Consulting at its Shrewsbury Office.
BGI sold
US instrument firm BGI Instruments has been sold to Mesa
Labs for $10m.
Biomass approval
Three biomass plants are among eight renewable electricity
projects given the go ahead by the Government.
Micro LEZs: we have the technology
Storrington in West Sussex is a one-horse town with a
nitrogen dioxide problem – it is trying to do something about it through a low
emission zone
PM2.5 death toll goes local
For the first time local estimates are made on the number
of air pollution deaths at a local level. Jack Pease mulls over the impact
April 2014 Issue 96
Smog reawakens interest in air quality
A succession of pollution events have occurred in March. The middle of last month saw high pollution events spilling over from Europe but late in the month widespread soiling of cars from Saharan dust ensured that pollution dominated news bulletins into early April.
Forecaster change
Defra is now using the Met Office rather than Ricardo- AEA
to produce five day air quality forecasts.
Practice guidance unchanged
There have been few changes to planning guidance. DCLG
consulted on the streamlined wording drawing concerns that the simplification
would lead to fewer environmental safeguards (AQB September 2013 p1).
£400,000 bung despite imperceptible impacts
Ikea is proposing to spend £400,000 mitigating air quality
impacts despite predictions that a new Sheffield store will have ‘imperceptible’
air quality impacts.
Sussex sets out action
Green MP Caroline Lucas opened the 2014 Sussexair
conference held in Brighton last week. She said: “All these people are dying
from air pollution and somehow people think it is inevitable but it should ring
alarm bells.
Taxi drivers reach agreement with CAL
Taxi’s – long considered a major culprit in the war against
air pollution – have linked up with campaign group Clean Air in London.
City firms support clean air
The City of London Corporation, which runs the Cityair
scheme, is helping 18 firms to introduce more forward-thinking measures to
improve London’s air quality. A Cityair event was hosted by Nomura, which last
month won a Clean Air award at London’s Guildhall.
7m deaths a year says WHO
The World Health Organisation says air pollution leads to
seven million premature deaths a year.
Ceilings breached
Official European Environment Agency data shows that 11 EU
member states breached at least one emission ceiling in 2012, compared to 10
countries in 2011.
Dust certification
Exeter based Air Quality Monitors Ltd has announced that
the AQM DM11 Dust monitor has been awarded Mcerts certification.
Eire emissions rise
The Irish Environmental Protection Agency says increased
coal fired electricity generation has lifted emissions of key air pollutants.
Spreadsheet ready
The National Diffusion Tube Bias Adjustment Factors
Spreadsheet March 2014 update is now available.
EIA safeguards kept
Environmental bodies have welcomed a European Parliament
vote on the Environmental Impact Assessment Directive. A key revision
strengthens EIA provisions.
AQMA website change
Defra’s AQMA website content has migrated from
http://aqma.defra.gov.uk to http://uk-air.defra.gov. uk/aqma.
Emission maps
A trio of reports explain how emission maps are compiled.
Data for 2011 is explained, and catch-up reports for 2010 and 2009 have been
released.
York boost
The University of York has officially opened the Wolfson
Atmospheric Chemistry Laboratories – claimed to be the first dedicated lab for
atmospheric chemistry research.
Odour guidance to help planners
The Institute of Air Quality Management has launched a
guide aimed at improving the handling of odour in planning.
BIDs fund air quality monitors
Business improvement districts (BIDs) are proving to be a
fruitful new funding source for air quality monitors as cash-strapped councils
struggle to keep funding for existing monitor stations.
Taskforce restates case for gas trucks
A Government task force has recommended use of gas for
trucks in a bid to cut CO2 emissions and air pollution.
LEZ advice site now free
A site disseminating information on low emission zones
across Europe has won extra funding to cover traffic regulation schemes.
Ammonia stable
Ammonia emissions from agriculture in 2012, the latest year
for which data is available, were relatively stable.
Monitor rental option
Ashtead Technology has added TSI’s leading portable air
quality monitors to its rental fleet.
EU deaths costed
More detail has been released on the health benefit costing
used to underpin the EU revamp of the air quality package (AQB January p4).
Scotland ponders what next for air quality
Scotland has relaunched its air quality website. The
relaunch was showcased in Glasgow last month as the Scottish Government outlined
plans for toughening its air quality regime. It has consulted on bringing fine
particle limits into local authority regulation (AQB July 2013 p1).
Holyrood devotes debate to bold air quality plans
Scottish Parliament has debated air quality representing
the first political confirmation that Scotland intends to push forward with its
plans to adopt a new national low emissions strategy.
Traffic bans: can they work?
Paris introduced an emergency traffic ban to curb excessive
pollution. Could it – and should it – happen here, asks Jack Pease?
March 2014 Issue 95
EU starts legal action
Following years of breached air quality limits, the EU has
finally commenced court action against the UK.
Sentencing guidelines target environment
Environmental offences in England and Wales are now covered
by bespoke sentencing guidelines.
Birds chosen over houses
Developers have lost a tortuous legal battle centred on
nitrogen deposition impacts on the sensitive Ashdown Forest area of Sussex.
Horn Lane gets affiliated
The high profile Horn Lane monitoring site in west London
is to be incorporated into the official UK air quality monitoring network.
Yes to Trafford burner
The courts have rejected further challenges to the Barton
incinerator in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and it is now set to go ahead.
Schools pack
North Lanarkshire Council has produced a schools pack
covering air quality.
EU rap
There have been further technical legal developments on the
issue of the UK’s compliance with the Aarhus Convention.
Houses rejected near steelworks
Six new houses have been rejected on a polluted site near
Scunthorpe steelworks.
£5,000 fire fine
A waste disposal firm has been fined £2,500 with a similar
amount in costs following prosecution by North Lincolnshire District Council.
Report ties together
EU action plans A new EU report draws together planned
action across Europe to tackle air quality.
Balance of competence reviewed
The Government has concluded its consultation into the
‘balance of competence’ between local action and EU action on the local
environment and climate change.
Health impacts explained by Europe group
The European Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) and the
pan-European ESCAPE project have launched a series of information leaflets aimed
at providing individuals, health professionals and heart, lung and asthma
patient groups with the latest science-based guidance on how air pollution
affects health in Europe, and prevention tips.
Particle protocol
A pan European protocol on modelling PM10 and PM2.5 has
been proposed.
Receptor modelling
standardised European experts have come together in a bid
to harmonise source apportionment – techniques to see where pollution is coming
from.
Green consultancy up 6%
The latest report from business intelligence firm
Environment Analyst finds that the UK environmental consultancy sector expanded
by 6.1% in 2012, the latest period available, to stand at £1,334 million.
EU clarifies air quality responsibilities
Clean Air in London campaigner Simon Birkett has received
clarification from the European Commission on the legal interpretation of the EU
air quality directive.
TfL: ‘World’s first’ transport health plan
Transport for London says it is the first authority to
produce a transport and health action plan. Alongside road safety, the plan sets
out how it will tackle air quality and noise.
TfL asks the people
TfL is holding an online survey on air pollution.
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/planning/air-quality-survey Incinerators
endorsed Defra has updated its guide to energy from waste. A new chapter on
future directions has been added giving continued encouragement to use of
incineration – with safeguards.
Air mapper launch
Aerial mapping company Bluesky is launching a service to
map air quality across towns and cities.
Agency bears down on speed
For years the Highways Agency has refused to do pay
attention to air quality, suddenly air quality-prompted speed limits are all the
rage. Jack Pease looks at the reasoning
February 2014 Issue 94
Huge grant for Southwark
The £3 billion regeneration of Elephant & Castle in
Southwark has been boosted through a £200,000 grant from the London Mayor’s Air
Quality Fund.
Limit compliance no bar to heart attacks
Air pollution can still cause heart attacks even if levels
are below limit values, a report in the British Medical Journal concludes.
John Dinsdale dies
Well known EHO John Dinsdale died last month following a
sudden heart attack aged 62.
Vaughan to go
There have been a number of key personnel changes at Defra.
Air quality officer Robert Vaughan moves to recycling within Defra. His
replacement is understood to be Dr James Cooper, head of energy-from-waste at
Defra.
Brighton agrees bus LEZ
Brighton has agreed to implement a bus low emission zone in
its central area. Measured NO2 in the city centre streets has been increasing in
recent years.
Future taxis must be clean says Mayor
New London taxis must be ‘zero emission capable’ from 2018,
the Mayor has claimed.
Electric buses trialled in London
Transport for London is trialling pure electric buses on
busy central London commuter routes.
Urban burial could help pollution
Burying the dead in tree-filled urban parks could improve
air pollution, researchers claim.
Dust discussed
Last week we incorrectly attributed the IAQM’s new dust
guide. The working group was in fact chaired by Claire Holman of Brook Cottage
Consultants.
Scotland dirty?
Friends of the Earth Scotland has crunched data and named
and shamed
Hybrid bus emissions disappoint
Low carbon vehicles have failed to deliver expected
emission improvements, a Ricardo report released before Christmas suggests.
Brighton buses to reveal real world emissions
Brighton & Hove Buses, Ricardo and Horiba Instruments are
working together to monitor real-world emissions of buses in the city.
Text alerting for Northern Ireland
An Air Aware text alerting service was launched in Northern
Ireland before Christmas.
Red tape woes
Prime minister David Cameron’s further calls for red tape
cuts has annoyed the Environmental Industries Commission.
Advice and hub from LES
The Low Emission Strategies partnership has produced a
series of advice notes and a hub to pull together information on cutting
transport emissions.
Clean ferry planned
Brittany Ferries has ordered the building of a giant 52,000
tonne gas-powered cruise-ferry.
Map shows national chargers
More organisations have been given grants to encourage
electric vehicle use.
Hydrogen high
Air Products will introduce the first of its Smartfuel
hydrogen high pressure tube trailers capable of transporting large volumes of
hydrogen at high pressure to its growing network of hydrogen fuelling stations.
Death ‘segment tool’
A ‘segment tool’ has been released for areas of the England
where there is a life expectancy gap. The tool can be used to analyse whether
issues such as air pollution are having an impact.
Public health flawed
A report based on a survey of public health professionals
working in local authorities found the majority believe health decisions are
being made based on politics rather than evidence.
Tyre fire left to burn
A tyre fire in Sherburn in Elmet, near Selby, is being left
to burn out.
Report compares five models for urban areas
King’s College London has led a team comparing dispersion
models for Defra. A new report released before Christmas covers urban modelling,
a second covers rural areas (see below).
... and report compares nine regional models
A linked second report compares regional (as opposed to
urban) models.
Compost clean up
Natural Resources Wales has served a formal warning and an
enforcement notice on the Bryn Composting site near Caerphilly.
EPS joins
EFCA Environmental Protection Scotland has joined the
European Federation of Clean Air and Environmental Protection Associations
(EFCA).
Agency action
A joint action plan has been produced for the Environment
Agency and Natural England.
Cancer action
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC),
part of the World Health Organisation, warns that there is an alarming increase
in cancer burden.
Sensors to be installed in Enfield
Low cost sensors are being installed in Enfield as part of
a plan to provide high resolution monitoring of the North London borough.
Diesel manufacturers cleared of blame?
The US-based Health Effects Institute has once again
downplayed health effects from diesels.
Five day breach
The Clean Air in London Campaign says that analysis of LAQN
monitoring data shows that London’s Oxford Street reported a breach of the
nitrogen dioxide hourly legal limit for the whole of 2014 in the first five
days.
Filter plea
A European pressure group is urging the use of filters on
petrol cars. Filters are used on diesel cars but there are growing fears that
modern lean-burn petrol cars that are designed to operate with diesel-like
efficiency may produce diesel-like particles.
Heathrow pollution safeguards recede?
Have air quality concerns on extra capacity at Heathrow
been downgraded in the latest quest to solve south east England airport
capacity?
Advice given on boilers
Facilities managers cannot be expected to understand the
subtleties of climate change and air pollution so a new guide has been written
to help them out
HS2: ‘moderate’ impacts
The massive environmental statement for the HS2 rail line
reveals some air quality impacts
January 2014 Issue 93
Scotland goes it alone on PM2.5
While Defra rethinks its plans to dismantle the LAQM system
in England (see p6), Scotland is to toughen its regime and put PM2.5 into local
authority regulation.
Speed controls for 32 mile section of M1
Another motorway improvement will see speed limits imposed
because of poor air quality.
Agency sets out ‘national position’
In response to the storm of publicity surrounding the
latest M1 announcement and last month’s M60 announcement, the Highways Agency
has set out its ‘national position’ on air quality.
Costa can’t serve coffee with extra NO2
South Oxfordshire District Council has told Costa Coffee
that it cannot have tables on the pavement in Henley on Thames because of air
pollution.
Fracking effects
Truck traffic from fracking operations could impact local
air quality, a government report suggests.
News from the IAPSC meeting held in Birmingham last month
Newcastle rejects LEZ option
Newcastle upon Tyne believes a low emission zone will not
solve its air quality problems.
Defra defends LAQM ‘option 3’ stance
Iapsc delegates heard Defra defend its consultation on
LAQM.
Keep monitors on, says Defra
Defra’s recommendation in its consultation on LAQM that
AQMAs be abolished and reviews and assessments scaled back has raised fears that
local authorities may turn off monitoring equipment.
Extra Ecostars
The Ecostars fleet recognition scheme is expanding with the
launch of two more schemes in North Lanarkshire and Dundee – bringing the total
number of schemes in the UK to 11 – with almost 300 members and approaching
20,000 vehicles.
Two for one from ET
ET has announced its new Teledyne API T204 NOx/ozone
analyser measuring NO, NO2, NOx and ozone in a single, 19” rack mount
instrument.
Nice backtracks on air advice
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
(NICE) looks set to downgrade plans to provide advice on air quality.
Sheffield guns for Euro 6 LEZ
Sheffield City Council has endorsed a report calling for a
Euro 6-based low emission zone – and action on private diesel cars.
Particles monitored
Detailed particle monitoring in the UK has been reported
for 2012.
Farming advice
A new guide has been produced by Defra which incorporates
advice to farmers to minimise odours and ammonia emissions which worsen nitrate
and particle air pollution.
High pollution
A high pressure system centred over near Europe brought
calm and at times foggy conditions with light south/south easterly winds
bringing polluted continental air before Christmas.
New EU package proposed
The European Commission has set out its long-promised
revamp of European strategy. Europe is talking up the proposals as ambitious
while environmental groups say they are lacklustre.
2012 breaches noted and reported
The UK has reported the number of zones breaching EU
directive thresholds for 2012.
Emission reductions stall in 2012
The yearly statistical round up of UK emissions to air
reveals that emission reductions for common pollutants has stalled in 2012, the
latest year for which statistics are available.
IAQM on dust
The Institute of Air Quality Management has consulted on
monitoring guidance for construction and demolition sites.
Stove clampdown
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed the
first new standards for new wood boilers in 25 years.
Ban old diesels plea
Older diesels should be banned in London through an ultra
low emission zone says Simon Birkett of Clean Air in London.
MOT amended to include filters
The annual MOT roadworthiness test is to be amended to
include a check to make sure diesel filters have not been removed.
AQB ‘yardstick’: 2013 much like 2012
The Air Quality Bulletin ‘yardstick’ (the green line,
above) is a rough and ready measure aimed at providing a quick summary of
national air pollution soon after the New Year, using unratified data some
months before official indicators are produced.
UK coal bad
Figures on the harm to health in the United Kingdom
associated with air pollution from coal-fired power plants have been released by
the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).
Temple expands
The Temple Group has bought The Ecology Consultancy.
Exova expands
Exova has bought Catalyst Environmental Limited, a stack
emissions testing specialist in the UK and Ireland.
Grant pegged at £1m. Just be grateful!
Local authorities have been given £1m of funding by Defra
to tackle air quality.
Defra gets a drubbing
Defra has received a bloody nose over its plans to
dismantle the LAQM system. A summary of responses has now been released
Focus falls on ADMS
Consultant Cerc held its annual ADMS 5 and Roads User Group
meeting before Christmas. Ruth Fain, Richard Lane and Chris Willans of Golder
Associates report back
December 2013 Issue 92
Air sinks M60/M62 motorway expansion
Air quality has been cited as the main reason why a
motorway widening scheme cannot go ahead as planned. The decision signals
acceptance by the agency that it risks being challenged if it continues to
ignore increased pollution due to capacity improvements.
LAQM update
Defra is ploughing through over 17,000 responses to the
LAQM review consultation which recommended the dismantling of the local air
quality review and assessment regime (AQB October p1).
Jail for fire
Two directors of a Swansea waste firm were jailed for six
months each having pleaded guilty to permit offences.
Sulphur up due to hard winter
Serious pollution incidents have dropped but sulphur
dioxide emissions rose by 19% due to increased coal burning due to cold weather,
the latest Environment Agency business report notes.
PM2.5 death count rises in London
PM2.5 death statistics in London have been revised upwards
by Public Health England.
Man made explanation
The DoH statistics exclude the health impact of air
pollution from non-anthropogenic sources e.g. Sahara dust.
IAQM on Clean Air Act
The Institute of Air Quality Management has warned that
simply removing provisions from the Clean Air Act will fail to modernise the
Act. Defra is currently consulting on it as part of attempts to cut red tape.
Tubes: one in five
One in five local authorities in England use the Defra NO2
diffusion tube database.
Death qualification remains
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution says
it will not simplify its advice on air quality death risk.
Speed limit “may” have an effect
The first year’s data is emerging from a continuous
analyser next to the M4 in Newport in Wales. It is claimed to be the only
continuous analyser remaining at the side of a motorway in the UK.
Government green economy claims questioned
Leading environmental groups came together to criticise the
record of the Coalition Government – originally billed by Prime Minister David
Cameron as “the Greenest Government ever”.
EU decides soon
Conclusions from the European Commission’s review of air
quality legislation should be published next week, according to Aeris Europe’s
Les White.
Slight data slip
AURN data capture rates slipped slightly in the latest
reporting period.
Fracking may affect air quality
Public Health England has warned that fracking could worsen
air quality.
Two in one for Enviro Technology
Monitoring firm Enviro Technology has announced the new
Teledyne API T204 NOX / ozone analyser measuring NO, nitrogen dioxide, NOX and
ozone in a single, 19” rack mount instrument.
Sepa makes the case
Air quality is the first topic in a series of ‘”making the
case” themes for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency.
£70,000 fine for dust nuisance
A Swindon waste disposal firm has been fined £72,000 for
dust offences.
ADMS updated
ADMS Roads Extra and ADMS Urban have been updated.
Composting questions remain
A report carried out for Defra suggests there remain many
uncertainties on assessing emissions from composting facilities.
Plea to retain annual MOT
Clean Air in London campaigner Simon Birkett says the UK
should not be supporting calls to water down annual vehicle MOT testing.
Hydrocarbons down but capture worsens
Hydrocarbons such as benzene went down in 2012 but data
capture worsened, a Ricardo AEA report reveals.
Golder years
Canadian consultant Golder has celebrated 40 years in the
UK. The firm carries out much air quality work.
Coldalert repeated
Coldalert, the Sussex-wide cold weather alerting service
for vulnerable people will commence a second year of operation on 1st November
2013.
Mayor launches ‘official’ website
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has launched the capital’s
“official” Cleaner Air’ website.
London app to cut personal exposure
City of London and King’s College ERG have launched a new
iPhone and iPad app designed to alert users to high pollution events in London
and give advice on simple actions Londoners can take to lower their emissions
and their exposure in the city.
Sussex planning
Sussex authorities have consulted on air quality and
emissions mitigation guidance.
Ulev probe
The Government is seeking ideas on ultra low emission
vehicles.
Defra deals with Data
Defra is working hard to disseminate the data it collects.
Interactive emission and concentration maps are now available
People-power to the rescue?
Austerity has knocked back enthusiasm to tackle the
environment generally and air quality in particular – LSx is hoping to rekindle
some action. Jack Pease reviews the worthy but possibly doomed attempts to make
us care for air
November 2013 issue 91
Air knocks back housing
Air quality has featured in a High Court appeal lost by
developers against the Government and a district council. The decision to refuse
on air quality grounds was ‘unimpeachable’ said the judge.
Whitty opens Epuk conference
Former environment minister Lord Whitty opened Epuk’s
conference last week and starkly laid out problems facing its membership.
LAQM timetable slips
The overwhelmingly large response to Defra’s review of the
Local Air Quality Management regime has pushed the timetable off course,
Parliament has been told.
ET & AEA in Manchester win
Enviro Technology Services has won the contract to maintain
a large monitoring network covering the 2.68m residents of Greater Manchester.
Guerrilla monitoring for East End
Anti road campaigners in east London have used their own
monitoring to highlight high pollution levels.
US authorities lose patience on wood
A coalition of public authorities has joined forces to sue
the US Environmental Protection Agency over slack standards for wood burning
stoves.
Weather effects on models
A Ricardo-AEA report has analysed how weather forecasts can
be used in air quality predictions and monitoring.
Location Location
A report has analysed the legal status of the siting of
monitoring stations in the UK AURN monitoring network.
Birkett demands scrapping of London Plan
London air quality campaigner Simon Birkett has criticised
the London Mayor’s planning guidance for allowing lax emission standards.
Bus lane removal prompts formal complaint
Clean Air in London (CAL) has released details of his
formal three-part complaint with the European Commission over the revocation of
the M4 bus lane (AQB June p5) in west London.
Permit freeze
Permit fees for smaller local authority-regulated
industrial processes will be frozen again, a consultation proposes.
Ally silence
A protester has criticised Defra for failing to respond to
calls to monitor aluminium in the air.
Consultant hits 20yr milestone
Air Quality Consultants – the largest specialist air
quality consultant in the UK – has celebrated 20 years in business.
All electric car club for Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets is hosting the country’s first fully electric
car club.
Valuation compared
A study has compared valuation techniques for natural
methods of improving the environment, including street pollution.
Exam probe
Michael Ryan, an active campaigner against incinerators,
has asked the Government whether it has considered the impact of industrial
pollution on exam results.
UK is clean. Official.
The UK has reported to the European Commission that it is
clean – in PM terms at least.
European warning on nitrogen pollution
A European Commission report focuses on the environmental
(rather than health) impacts of excess nitrogen, including ammonia and nitrogen
emissions.
New station
Amidst waves of closures of monitoring sites, Leicester
University has been able to open a new AURN site.
Emissions guidebook
A new 2013 version of the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission
inventory guidebook has been published by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
EU together
Over 2000 European towns and cities joined in the 12th
edition of European Mobility Week.
European air quality still poor
Air quality across Europe remains poor, the European
Environment Agency claims.
UK factsheet
The European Environment Agency has prepared country by
country factsheets on air quality containing distilled graphics and data on
pollution.
24hr dust monitoring in London
Casella’s 24hr real time Boundary Guardian has been used at
the Mitre House project in central London. Real-time monitoring of noise and
dust levels was required by contractor Keltbray because of its in close
proximity to a private school.
Reach for the air
Air quality studies carried out by environmental firm, SLR
Consulting have helped to secure the planning green-light for a proposed
development of 51 mixed tenure homes at Abbey Street in Southwark, south east
London.
Air in Eire
Air quality monitoring in Ireland shows there were no
exceedences of the main pollutants in 2012, however particles, NOx and ozone
remain a concern.
Green shoots? Market rebounds
The annual Environment Analyst survey of consultants
suggests that the consultancy market is growing.
Airalert service extended to Surrey
The airAlert service pioneered by the Sussex Air Quality
Partnership in collaboration with King’s College London has now been extended to
cover East Surrey.
Black carbon data capture hits 96%
Aethalometers in the black smoke network are operating at
96% capture rates, the most recent Black Smoke Network report reveals.
Awards open. Hurry.
The City of London Sustainable City Awards is open to
participants showcasing air quality expertise across the UK. Previous winners of
the air quality category include Clean Air in London, Invisible Dust and the
GLA.
NI planning fear
A planning specialist claims the Northern Ireland Planning
Bill neuters laws aimed at providing environmental protection.
Small diesel benefit
University of California researchers have studied the real
world performance of hybrid diesel-electric construction equipment.
Cancer link underlined
Does the World Health Organisation’s announcement that air
pollution causes cancer leave you with a sense of déjà vu? Jack Pease explains
October 2013 issue 90
LAQM: massive 300+ response
Over 300 detailed responses have flooded in to Defra’s
consultation on dismantling the local air quality management regime. Thousands
more were generated by the online campaign group 38 Degrees.
uBreathe app gets Android capability
There has been an upgrade (and update) to Ricardo-AEA’s
uBreathe iPhone app.
Strategy plea
Environmental experts have called for an update to the UK
air quality strategy, last updated in 2007.
Capture up
Data capture for PM10 analysers was up in the fourth
quarter of 2012.
Kidderminster dioxins were safe
While dioxins from the Kidderminster waste fire which
burned for 52 days were deemed ‘safe’, further details have emerged since the
fire was put out over a month ago (AQB September p3).
Tyneside odours prompt £14k penalty
A Tyneside waste transfer business has been ordered to pay
more than £14,400 for bad smells.
Massive mercury conference concludes
Nearly 1,000 visitors attended the huge Mercury 2013
International Conference held in Edinburgh last month. The conference saw more
than 400 oral presentations and over 500 poster presentations.
Adept cuts emissions
A new Advanced Diesel Electric Powertrain (ADEPT) project
aims to apply the “intelligent electrification” concept for the first time to a
diesel vehicle (a Ford Focus).
Coming together
The Climate and Clean Air Coalition has grown to 72
partners and is pledging to cut short-life climate pollutants such as methane
and black carbon emissions from the oil and gas industry as well as from
municipal solid waste and landfills.
US power curbs
The US has agreed carbon pollution standards for new power
stations.
School pollution maps online
London assembly member Jenny Jones has produced a web page
which details air pollution outside London schools.
25yrs of the cyclone
US monitor specialist BGI has celebrated its 25th
anniversary of the development of its signature product line, the cyclone.
UWE to advise Europe
The University of the West of England AQMRC has won a
prestigious contract to advise the EU on air quality.
Hot weather brings pollution
A late burst of hot weather in the south of the UK has
caused some pollution events.
Smog ‘cover up’ claimed by Birkett
Clean Air in London claims that Defra has covered up smogs
by failing to warn the public.
Inventory split by UK region
Emissions inventories have been broken down by UK region in
a new report.
Old age split
Official statistics have shown the differences in life
expectancies across the UK. Poor air quality has been shown to be a factor in
life expectancy in the past.
Slow shipping
Progress on cutting shipping emissions has been slow.
Public information
Defra has released a short guide listing sources of air
quality information.
Barrowcliffe guidance cull plea
IAQM chairman Roger Barrowcliffe warned of the impact of
cutting guidance at last month’s planning talks.
Mismatch between air quality protections
Experts at the recent IAQM conference on air quality and
planning have highlighted inconsistencies in policy.
Planning plea
The Woodland Trust provided an unexpectedly sharp criticism
of changes to planning guidance (see p6): “Detailed and yet key points seem to
be lost in the drive for simplicity and brevity.
Scotland appointment
Air Monitors has appointed Peter Lawson as regional sales
manager (Scotland).
Planning guidance shrinks
We are in the midst of unprecedented change to the planning
regime in England. Tried and tested guidance on air quality is about to be
abolished, Jack Pease comments on the anxious mood amongst air quality experts
Clean air probe (yet again)
Further desperation from Defra as it launches yet another
Clean Air Act review seeking ‘ideas’ on what to do.
back to top
September 2013 issue 89
End in sight for guidance limbo
The shape of planning advice on air quality has been
revealed as the Government beta-tests new planning practice guidance.
Option 5 may avoid impending ‘catastrophe’
Responses have poured in to Defra’s consultation on the
dismantling of the English local air quality management regime (AQB August p1).
Hotel near blood and guts a bad plan
Plans to build a luxury country house hotel near an
abattoir have been turned down at appeal.
London neutrality draws near
A report has set out how air quality neutrality could work
in London.
£5m bus clean up awards
Eleven local authorities have been awarded grants from the
Clean Bus Technology Fund to clean up almost 400 buses.
Late summer ozone
Incoming pollution from mainland Europe combining with warm
and sunny conditions led to an ozone event for three days from 23rd August says
Kings College ERG.
Emission guidebook
A new 2013 version of the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission
inventory guidebook has been published by the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Monitor man
Ex-Monitor Europe (Casella) international sales manager,
Peter Lawson is joining Air Monitors to manage the firm’s sales activities in
Scotland.
Spate of recycling fires
Local authorities have been working hard to reassure local
populations following a spate of accidental fires at recycling yards in recent
weeks.
Dumfries incinerator set to close?
The novel Scotgen gasification incinerator in Dumfries is
set to lose its permit because of repeated pollution breaches.
Leicester pollution viewed from the air
Leicester scientists have installed air quality monitoring
equipment on a plane to map pollution around the city.
Lewisham declares
Further parts of the London Borough of Lewisham have been
declared as an AQMA.
Agency separate
The Environment Agency and Natural England should be
retained as separate public bodies with separate purposes and functions.
Local environment
Air quality is a concern for people – but crime and dog
fouling cause more annoyance, a survey for Defra suggests.
Read guilty
Former managing director of Enviro Technology, Steve Read,
has been found guilty of a number of sex offences in Gloucester Crown Court.
Rushlight pause
The annual Rushlight environmental awards are going to skip
a year and will return in 2014/15 year.
Website review 2013
More doom and gloom as the continued attack on local
authority funding shows. Jack Pease personally reviews UK websites featuring air
quality
August 2013 issue 88
LAQM: end of an era?
Defra wants to abolish the local authority duty to review,
assess and report on air quality. Local authority monitoring would not be
required, air quality management areas would be abolished.
Barking. Stupid.
MP Barry Gardiner – recently appointed shadow environment
minister – has commented on LAQM plans (see news, left) at a recent Policy
Exchange debate: “The idea that abolishing air quality management areas somehow
magically gets a better handle on the air quality problem is clearly barking.
Waste and PM
The Environment Agency has published its long-awaited
update on monitoring particles near waste facilities.
Dirty diesels revealed
Defra has been forced to release data revealing which
manufacturers have vehicles with high real-life emissions. Some cars are four
times more polluting than others in the same class.
Port Talbot escalation plan approved ...
The Welsh Government has formally adopted a short term air
quality plan for Port Talbot.
... as enforcement notice served to cut dust
Recent hot weather has led to dust complaints near the Tata
Steelworks in Port Talbot. An enforcement notice has been issued by Natural
Resources Wales, the body that took over from the Environment Agency in Wales.
FDMS correction
Last month AQB published data on Teom FDMS performance
across the UK network (AQB July p5). Data was supplied by Air Monitors and there
was an inadvertent arithmetical error which overstated Air Monitors’ claimed
performance.
Action notes
Defra has issued a short note listing local public health
impacts resulting from air pollution. It is intended to be useful to those
needing to influence public health directors wrestling with PM2.5 objectives.
Euro 6 only for ultra zone
London Assembly members have discussed emerging plans for a
London ultra low emission zone. Mayor Boris Johnson mooted the zone earlier this
year (AQB March p8).
TfL spreads clean bus benefits
At the recent King’s College London LAQN meeting, TfL’s bus
emission expert Finn Coyle explained what TfL was doing about the problem of bus
emissions.
LEZs: looking for a business case?
Hauliers have launched a blistering attack on low emission
zones and the EU’s record on cutting emissions.
Liverpool charges
Liverpool City Council has been criticised for charging
consultants £135 for reports that are supposed to be freely available to the
public.
Horn Lane hosts air ‘summit’
Continued problems with air pollution at Horn Lane in West
London have prompted the Environment Agency to call a ‘summit’ between residents
and regulators.
Clientearth calls for early court ruling
Legal pressure group Clientearth says the UK Supreme Court
has called on the European court to fast-track its case against the UK
government over failure to meet air quality standards. Clientearth secured a
ruling that the Government was failing to take air quality seriously (AQB May
p1).
Help the aged
The Department of Health is seeking views on improving the
health of vulnerable older people.
Job opportunity
The Air Quality Management Resource Centre at UWE in
Bristol is now recruiting.
EMAQ+ AQ Webinars
Air quality training provider EMAQ+ is to provide online
training through webinars.
NOx remains a sticking point
Many air pollutant emissions are below internationally
agreed limits, but not NOx, according to a new European Environment Agency
report.
CIWEM: Strategy out of date
The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental
Management (CIWEM) has released a report urging more action on air quality. It
was prepared prior to Defra’s consultation plans to carry out less work on air
quality.
Heatwave prompts fewer alerts than usual
The July heatwave prompted fewer than expected air quality
alerts partly due to favourable weather and partly due to the recent change in
index trigger values.
Latest FDMS sampler gains certification
Mcerts and EU Equivalence approvals have been awarded for
newest Teom FDMS ambient particulate PM2.5 and PM10 monitors.
Boundary hit
Derbyshire-based Merebrook Consulting, which specialises in
environmental and engineering projects, is to use the newly launched Boundary
Guardian from Casella CEL to gauge noise and dust levels on a client’s
construction site in Portsmouth.
Smoking kills?
Enviro Technology has helped out ITV’s Daybreak programme
with some in-vehicle particle monitoring. It used an Aerocet 531 laser
particulate profiler to count particles when someone lit up – providing a rather
useful reminder of how second hand smoke can rather overshadow ambient
pollution.
LAQM: Improvement or the end?
Defra is presenting the proposed changes to local air
quality management as an improvement. But could the preferred option spell the
end of local air quality as we know it? Six pages of analysis and observations
Abracadabra. AQMAs vanish!
Option three would see an end to local authority monitoring
and assessment and the reliance on the AEA ‘Stedman’ PCM strategic air quality
model.
July 2013 issue 87
Scotland consults on LAQM
Scotland is consulting on how it will shake up local air
quality duties north of the border.
Clean Air Act stalls
Donna Yates of Defra told the recent Iapsc conference in
Sheffield about progress on the updating of the Clean Air Act. Not much.
News from the London Air Quality Network conference
Defra suppresses dirty vehicle data
Defra redacted data from a recent roadside emissions report
which showed some vehicle makers in a poor light.
Pollutants show decline at last
There are increasing signs that air quality in London is
improving after several years of flatlining, claims Gary Fuller of King’s
College London.
Williams reinforces need for local action
Martin Williams, formerly Defra air quality head and now
with King’s College ERG, outlined the policy implications of what was going on.
Gap grows on CO2 performance as well
In a move that appears to echo air pollution, there appears
to be a growing gap between legislated CO2 emissions from cars and actual
emissions.
Non-exhaust pollutants rise in importance
ERG’s David Dajnar warned that non-exhaust particulate was
becoming an increasing proportion of the pollution mix.
WHO switch
Ex WHO air quality chief Michal Krzyzanowski has become
visiting professor at Kings College London.
Mudway: tackling PM2.5 ‘moral crusade’
Tackling PM2.5 should be a moral crusade, claims Ian
Mudway, a medic at King’s College London.
News from the IAPSC meeting held in Sheffield last month
LAQM review explained by Defra
Speaking before the publication of the consultation on the
review of the local air quality management system by Defra, Robert Vaughan of
Defra outlined thinking behind the changes at the Iapsc meeting on emissions
held in Sheffield.
Bradford inspires with LES plans
Sally Jones of Bradford told the Iapsc conference held in
Sheffield that the city had some of the worst air quality in the UK.
York: back where we started?
Liz Bates of York City Council explained how the city has
taken forward its ambitious air quality action plan launched earlier this year
(AQB May 2012 p8).
Rich pickings likely from MOT data
MOT annual vehicle test data can yield really interesting
results on vehicle emissions, suggests Tim Chatterton of UWE.
Hurricane warning
Better air quality may have led to more North Atlantic
hurricanes.
News from the IAQM meeting held in York last month
Norris highlights engine impasse
There appears to be a dilemma – vehicle emission standards
are tightening, vehicle manufacturers are working hard to meet standards but air
quality is not improving – indeed it is worsening in urban areas.
Emission factors underestimate by 26%
James Tate of Leeds University has pioneered roadside
testing of vehicles and worked with David Carslaw at Kings College London.
Euro 4 done little for Reading
Graham Harker of Peter Brett
Associates described the outcome of modelling in support of a potential low
emission zone in Reading.
M4 analysis confirms traffic worsening
Duncan Whyatt of the
Environment Agency told the York IAQM conference how ‘conditional analysis’ can
be used to try and establish what is happening on busy roads.
Apsimon gets CBE
Imperial College London air quality professor of air
pollution studies Helen Apsimon has been made a CBE in the Queens Birthday
Honours list.
Puri to Atmos
Dr Geeta Puri, formerly principal special scientist for
Scottish Government, has joined Atmos Consulting. l www.atmosconsulting.com
London shares £5.4m grant
£5.4 million from the £20m London air quality fund has been
allocated by the Mayor to work on new measures to tackle air pollution.
FDMS performance linked to maintenance?
Not all FDMS Teoms perform badly, claims Air Monitors
managing director Jim Mills.
Grant solutions reviewed
In time for the next round of grant applications, a review
of previous Defra-funded projects has been released.
Premature deaths mapped
Public Health England has plotted a map showing relative
life expectancies. Urban areas and a red (bad) band across the north show up as
worse. l website http:// longerlives. phe.org.uk/
More cuts
Environmental and council budgets took a battering in the
recent spending review.
Gasmet monitor
Gasmet is to launch a new continuous mercury monitoring
system (CMM) at Mercury 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland (28th July – 2nd August).
Survey reveal review rational
Much of the thinking behind the imminent review of the LAQM
system is contained in a report released last month.
Holman moves back into private practice
Claire Holman has moved from Peter Brett Associates to once
again set up her own consultancy – Brook Cottage Consultants.
Free toolkit
The Myair Toolkit for model evaluation is now available to
download free from the CERC website.
Burner go ahead
Scottish Government has granted consent for Forth Energy, a
joint venture between Forth Ports Limited and SSE plc, to develop a wood fuelled
renewable combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Port of Grangemouth.
West Mids. on ‘emission creep’
Good practice guidelines and mitigation strategies have
been proposed by West Midlands authorities as part of a draft low emission
strategy.
Sussex proposes planning guidelines
Sussex local authorities have recently consulted on air
quality mitigation guidance for developments.
SupportingU takes on monitor making
Monitor support firm SupportingU has taken on manufacture
of spare parts to keep popular monitoring equipment going – potentially saving
local authorities £7m in avoiding scrapping obsolete equipment.
Forecasting improves
A report on air quality forecasting in 2011, the latest
year for which data is available, suggests Ricardo-AEA’s forecasts have
continued to become more accurate.
More bus help
Local bus firms will be able to bid for £5m of extra clean
bus funding on routes where air quality does not meet European standards.
Green week targets air quality
Jack Pease reports from Brussels where air quality was the
focus of the Commission’s annual Green Week. Are we heading for a ‘strategy
lite’?
June 2013 issue 86
Grant cut
Local authorities are being asked to bid for air quality
grant for the current year (2013/14) – but the amount on offer has been halved.
Euro 6 tests suggest emissions not all good
Euro 6 vehicles may not be all that they are cracked up to
be.
Odour guidance
New landfill odour guidance has been released.
‘Improved’ environment guidance
Government is consulting (again) on streamlining
environ-mental regulation. It has also tasked the Environment Agency with
rewriting guidance.
Government questions
EU regulatory competence The UK Government is consulting on
whether EU regulation on the environment is working.
Tighter controls
A public consultation on EU air quality (AQB January p1)
suggests that there is support for tighter air quality controls rather than
further relaxation.
Saudi air
Saudi Arabia has appointed Ricardo-AEA is to provide a
consolidated air quality evidence base to support future air quality policy for
Riyadh.
Process note updated
A number of industrial regulatory notes have been updated
including 21 in the solvents sector, 12 covering the metals sector and one
covering animal carcass incineration.
Conversions allowed
New rules allowing empty offices to be converted to homes
have come into force.
Guidance process reflects consultation
It looks as though specific planning guidance – such as
that on air quality – will be retained while new shortened guidance is prepared
(see above).
Tube plea
Local authorities are reminded to return co-location
studies for diffusion tubes by the 12th June 2013 for inclusion in the next
National Bias Adjustment Spreadsheet due at the end of June 2013.
Valuation techniques updated
A raft of documents have been released explaining how to
value air quality impacts. They are part of the Treasury Green Book which is
used to by economists to value development and interventions. (Editor’s comment:
these documents are important but are written in economist-speak so we will do
our best….)
Eco-payments advice
A best practice guide has been launched on a system aimed
at valuing environmental benefits.
Air progress
Air quality indicators are contained within a newly
released broad-brush environmental round up.
Burner bonus
A number of controversial burners have been given the green
light.
UK clean?
The UK met EU national emission ceiling directive limits in
2010 – but 12 member states breached their limits.
Queen’s speech to end FA’s
The Queen’s Speech included plans for primary legislation
to allow the dismantling of LAQM further assessments.
Nanoparticle warning from Birmingham
Birmingham University researchers warn that non-vehicle
exhaust nanoparticles (aka ultrafines – PM0.1) are becoming increasingly
important.
Off road plea for better standards
European pressure group Transport & Environment has
responded to the ‘Consultation on the revision of Directive 97/68 on emissions
from non-road mobile machinery engines’ by the European Commission.
Biomass help
Householders are getting extra encouragement to install
renewable energy plant such as biomass.
Aviation growth impacts on air quality
The London Assembly has criticised the Government’s
aviation strategy saying it is a lost opportunity for air quality and noise.
High speed impacts
A draft environmental statement setting out the likely
impacts of the first phase of the High Speed Two (HS2) rail project has been
published for consultation. It includes measures to cut dust such as surfacing
haul routes.
Ticker tells time of next death
Clean Air in London campaigner Simon Birkett has launched
his own air quality index and an app suggesting when the next air quality death
will occur.
M4 bus lane at heart of valuation challenge
The replacement of the M4 bus lane with a car lane is the
trigger for a challenge to DfT’s update to monetary evaluation procedures.
Hybrid roll out
The first production diesel electric hybrid ‘bus for
London’ is on the road – and GLA tests suggest improved air quality.
Ecostars’ 50th member
The South Yorkshire Ecostars fleet recognition scheme is
celebrating its 50th member with the sign up of B&Q in partnership with DHL.
Directive development advice
The Institute of Environmental Sciences has published a
briefing note on legal aspects of air quality and planning.
Sniffer offers help for offensive rendering
Scottish environmental charity Sniffer has released a
review of best practice for dealing with rendering smells.
Horn Lane hosts first 2013 limit breach
Horn Lane – the UK’s ‘dustiest’ monitoring site – breached
the allowable 35 PM10 exceedences objective in May, the first UK exceedence of
2013. The breach came a month later than last year (AQB May 2012 p5). It’s been
a record cold spring.
Scottish pollutant reporting change
Sepa is seeking comments on the proposed revision of the
Scottish Pollutant Release Inventory (SPRI) pollutant list and other reporting
requirements. This is the first time the SPRI pollutant substance list has been
subject to review since its introduction in 2002.
AQMRC recruiting
AQMRC at UWE in Bristol is seeking a research fellow in air
quality and carbon management at a salary of over £30,000. l
http://tinyurl.com/puvc52n
Composite map
A composite map has been created in a bid to create a
consistent picture of air quality across Europe.
US panel scrutinises diesel cancer risk
The US Health Effects Institute (HEI) is convening a panel
to revisit the health effects of diesel. It will evaluate the strengths and
limitations of current epidemiology evidence to estimate the cancer risks
associated with exposures to diesel exhaust. It is expected to report by late
2014.
Time for another revamp
It seems like only yesterday that Epuk and IAQM were
discussing significance and development impact guidelines. It’s already time to
update them
Dust consultation
The Institute of Air Quality Management is also carrying
out a short online survey on its December 2011 assessment guidance on
construction impacts on air quality.
Remote sensing takes in NO2
Measuring vehicle exhausts in real time appears to be the
only way of making sure manufacturers are not fiddling the emission figures
May 2013 issue 85
Supreme Court rules on plans
The UK Supreme Court has ruled against the Government in
the latest twist of a long running battle on the legality of plans to tackle NO2
exceedences.
Local guides useful for other authorities?
The GLA is preparing a series of borough-level guides
covering public health and air quality. The guides provide a good example of
what can be prepared by local authorities bringing together evidence to inform
the new public health regime which came into being last month.
Blame passed for LAQM failures
Air Quality Consultants’ Duncan Laxen blamed vehicle
manufacturers and legislators for the failure of the local air quality
management (LAQM) regime to fully solve air quality problems.
2012 confirmed as clean year
Finalised statistics show that 2012 was a relatively clean
year. This agrees with the AQB ‘Yardstick’ (AQB January p4) produced in the
absence of the official early provisional indicator which is no longer
published.
Changes cause step change in trendline
Defra has released a guidance note explaining minor tweeks
and updates to the Daily Air Quality Index used to form the indicator.
Website switch
Defra has joined other government departments and switched
its website to the standardised www.gov.uk portal.
Gas talks
The first UK Biomethane and Gas Vehicle Conference is being
hosted by ADBA, the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Defra, the Transport KTN,
Cleaner Air for London and LowCVP at City Hall, London on 5 June 2013.
Ireland unites
Northern Ireland and Eire are to cooperate with a study on
smoky coal burning.
Governments to blame for emission failures
Clean Air in London’s Simon Birkett says failures of
successive Governments have dwarfed failures of European engine emission
standards. “Ignoring 10 years of warnings, Governments are responsible for more
than doubling primary NO2 emissions from diesel vehicles – even after allowing
for the increase in NO2 emissions as a percentage of NOX emissions from around
5% to over 20%”
Cement BAT
The European Commission has published new best available
techniques (BAT) details for use in setting permit conditions for the production
of cement, lime and magnesium oxide.
Tier 3 for US
Sulphur in fuels will be a key target of the new Tier 3
emissions programme in the US.
Air quality minister clueless?
An air quality debate in the House of Lords saw the
Government criticised for its record on air quality leaving air quality minister
Lord de Mauley repeatedly unable to answer questions.
Hinton Organics back in court (again)
Waste composting firm Hinton Organics has been back in
court again.
EEA rounds on shipping emissions
A European Environment Agency report says shipping needs an
integrated monitoring, reporting and verification system for emissions in
European waters to systematically address both polluting and greenhouse gas
emissions.
Coal is dirty
The recent increase in coal use has health consequences,
the European Environment Agency claims.
Three priorities
60 European NGOs have jointly set out what they want to see
from the European ‘year of the air’.
Charge leans against diesels
Following a three month consultation (AQB February p5), the
London Mayor has agreed plans to tighten the discount structure for low emission
vehicles. Diesels need not apply.
Sun finally comes out prompting ozone alert
The long cold winter and delayed spring held back ozone
events this year.
Face masks
Government has been asked in Parliament whether face masks
offer any benefits for cyclists riding in polluted city centres.
Diesels increase car fleet efficiency
The average car sold in the EU in 2012 was 9% more
fuel-efficient than the average three years before, according to new data from
the European Environment Agency (EEA). Improved technology and an increase in
the share of diesel cars (now 55%) are the main reasons behind the fall.
Signals 2013
The European Environment Agency has produced a ‘state of
the air report. The 2013 edition was prepared in the context of the European
Year of Air, when EU policy makers are planning
Burner modelling
A pressure group opposed to incineration has offered advice
on how incinerators can be modelled.
Rugby case. Final answer?
Long running protester Lillian Pallikaropoulos appears to
have won the latest stage of her long running battle centred on pollution from
the Rugby cement works.
Plan for POPs is widened
A National Implementation Plan (NIP) sets out how the UK
will implement the Stockholm Convention covering persistent organic pollutants
(POPs). New POPs are added to the plan.
Merged agency comments published
A sample of comments received in response to the planned
merger of the Environment Agency and Natural England have been published by the
Government.
Wandsworth roadside voluntary tests
Wandsworth has carried out voluntary car emission tests at
a supermarket car park.
Poultry £50,000 fine
Smells from a poultry unit in Kirkby on Bain, Woodhall Spa,
made nearby residents feel sick and depressed, Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard.
Euro 6 to the rescue?
A lot rides on the new Euro 6 standard. Many are openly
expecting this to be a standard that actually delivers the emissions savings it
promises
NO2 dominates medic’s meeting
Any lingering doubt that NO2 is benign and merely a marker
for other pollutants was kicked into touch at last month’s Cranfield meeting
Fears emerge that EU directive will not get revamped
Martin Williams, former Defra air quality chief now with
Kings College London, took up the theme: “It remains to be seen whether or not
the ambient air quality Directive will be revised; at present this seems
unlikely, so that the WHO review may not be acted upon in the short term.
April 2013 Issue 84
LEZs: only if based on Euro 6
There is no point in talking about low emission zones
unless you are specifying Euro 6, Ricardo-AEA’s Beth Conlan told the recent
Scottish air quality database and website annual review meeting in Edinburgh.
£4bn biomass bill?
An impact assessment reveals that air quality controls on
domestic-sized biomass boilers would save over £3bn in health costs.
Clean Air Act revamp faces further delays
Defra has admitted delays to the revamp of the Clean Air
Act and has issued interim advice that it will be business as usual until
changes are agreed.
Report from the scottish air quality database and website
seminar in Edinburgh
Database and website improved
There are to be further improvements to the Scottish air
quality database, Scottish Government told a recent air quality conference.
Database shows mixed trends in Scotland
AEA-Ricardo’s Stuart Sneddon outlined preliminary
conclusions from air quality monitoring in Scotland.
Athletes study suggest performance reduction
Tentative early results suggest that pollution can reduce
athletes performance.
Scotland gets into STEP
Scottish organisations are joining together in a bid to
coordinate action on air quality across various disciplines.
Agency audited on AQ claims
Price Waterhouse is auditing the Highways Agency to see
whether it is fulfilling its terms of reference on air quality.
Network monitor performance slips back
Teom FDMS particle monitor issues are still being cited as
a contributing to a fall in monitor reliability.
Inspector accepts 1.5 OUe/m3
A planning inspector has accepted the use of 1.5 OUE/m3 as
the threshold for nuisance – but allowed an appeal as that threshold would only
be breached intermittently.
Cold weather brings pollution
Sunny hot weather in March in recent years has led to early
ozone alerts. Not this year – late, cold weather had led to cold weather
pollution events.
Air breaches but not in the UK
Air pollutant emissions were above legal limits in eight
member states (not the UK) in 2011, preliminary data shows.
Dispute reaches Supreme Court
The UK Supreme Court has heard arguments that the
Government should do more to tackle air pollution. A decision is awaited.
Lorry charges should reflect health cost
Differential lorry charges should be used to reflect varied
health effects of traffic pollution across Europe, says the European Environment
Agency (EEA).
City of London awards air quality efforts
The Corporation of London named TfL and GLA as recipients
of the air quality award within its high profile 2013 sustainability awards.
More Clean air awards
Clean Air in London has announced its own awards.
Sentencing guidelines
Polluters may be hit with bigger penalties following
introduction of new sentencing guidelines in England and Wales.
Epuk to rise from the ashes
As Environmental Protection Scotland splits, does
Environmental Protection UK still have a future? AQB finds there are signs of
life south of the border
Farnham rounds against diesel
At last someone thinks the unthinkable. Waverley looks set
to take on diesel drivers of Farnham. See feature
AQE shakes off Mcerts blues
Last month’s rebadged Mcerts conference – now known as AQE
– tripled in size as it embraces ambient air quality. Jack Pease reports here
High quality PM monitoring via a FIDAS
Air Monitors’ Jim Mills was on his AQE stand with Fidas
system – which could prove to be a future compliment to the FDMS Teom.
Direct NO2 way to go
Enviro Technology’s Duncan Mounsor demonstrates the Los
Gatos Research NO2 analyser at AQE. This continuous analyser does not use
chemilumine-scence and provides a direct reading with no converters via a laser
system.
PM modelling
Fairmode – the European working group overseeing modelling
best practice – has issued a draft of its proposed particle modelling guide.
Inventory changes
Key pollutant emissions went down in the UK in 2011 – apart
from ammonia.
Biomass certification
A government response to a consultation on the renewable
heat incentive sets out its latest thinking on setting air quality limits on new
biomass boilers.
Tube update
The National diffusion tube bias adjustment factors
spreadsheet March 2013 update is ready.
Wales changes
From 1st April, leading regulators in Wales – including the
Environment Agency Wales – have come together under the single body Natural
Resources Wales.
Champions sought
Healthy Air Campaign partner Sustrans is providing training
and support for volunteers and volunteer groups to be champions for clean air in
the London boroughs of Hackney, Redbridge and Havering (AQB March 2013 p8).
Fees frozen
Local authority fees for regulating industrial plant have
been frozen, as mooted in a recent consultation.
Low emission regs good for the economy
A report by Cambridge Econometrics and Ricardo-AEA suggests
that vehicle emission legislation leads to increased employment albeit at an
increased cost of €1,100 for a typical car,
Permitting guidance updated
Core guidance on environmental permitting has been updated.
March 2013 Issue 83
Abatement costs shoot up
Proposed guidance on how to value air quality impacts will
include a high marginal cost of NOX abatement in areas that breach EU directive
limits.
Big three Europeans argue against wood
Scientists from the big three European capital cities –
London, Paris and Berlin – have argued for increased controls on wood burning.
Monitoring downside
Monitoring rather than modelling compliance with EU
directives would lead to the UK needing to report half as many exceedences to
the European Commission, a report suggests.
Guidance probe
Epuk is to hold an afternoon meeting to inform an update to
its popular development control guidance.
Another £1m found for grant
Defra has found a further £1m for air quality grant.
Cornwall agrees countywide action plan
Cornwall has set out an action plan for dealing with air
quality.
Factors revised
An updated Emission Factors Toolkit (Version 5.2)
incorporates updated NOx emission factors and vehicle fleet information.
Bad air for NI
Northern Ireland has had a spell of bad air.
Air not fair
The Sheffield Fairness Commission says that bad air quality
in the city is not fair to the poor.
Permitting change
A consultation proposes a number of minor amend-ments to
permitting regulations. The changes concern waste, ground source heating, public
registers and appeals.
SCRT rolled out across London buses
Eminox SCRT emissions technology is to be rolled out as
part of a major bus retrofit programme in London to tackle air pollution (AQB
February p6).
Ecostars spread
Four more areas of the country are benefiting from the
launch of the Ecostars fleet recognition scheme.
TfL LEZ advice ‘misleading’
TfL has been criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman
for giving out incorrect advice to van owners affected by the London low
emission zone.
Cold, calm February prompts alerts
Cold, dry and still air over much of the UK prompted a
number of pollution alerts in February.
Airplane plumes can be pushed up
EPSRC funded research suggests that a redesign of airport
blast fences could help cut pollution near airports.
Electric boost
Central Government has announced a £37 million funding
package to encourage take up of plug-in vehicles.
Black carbon
A report has highlighted black carbon trends for 2011, the
latest period for which data is available.
Ultrafine spared blame again
Experts still can’t bring themselves to blame ultrafine
particles for health effects.
Planning guidance shake up criticised
CIEH has published a withering criticism of the Government
planning practice guidance shake up.
Prepare for statistics worsening
A ‘pre release’ statistics note is softening up the public
to expect worsened air quality results.
Hearing looms
Clientearth’s high profile legal battle with the Government
on EU directive compliance will hit the UK’s Supreme Court next week. It seeks a
ruling that the UK Government should step up action to ensure compliance with
objectives. The hearing will be streamed live on the Supreme Court’s website.
Biomass quest
More questions have been asked in Parliament about the
impact of biomass burning on pollution emissions.
Lay person needed
The Department of Health is seeking to appoint a lay member
of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (Comeap).
Modelling choice has downside
The UK may have thought it was saving money when it chose
to model for European air directive compliance. Had it monitored, it may have
avoided its current pickle
In defence of further assessments
Last month AQB was surprised it couldn’t find anyone that
mourned the proposed passing of further assessments. It’s left to UWE to mount a
defence
London: action or empty spin?
More pledges about London air pollution from Mayor Boris
Johnson. A welcome recognition that something needs to be done – or empty
rhetoric?
How London initiatives will be funded, and what is planned
The Mayor announced a £20m grant for air quality – spread
over a decade. This works out at £2m a year and grant applications are already
being encouraged with an early deadline.
February 2013 Issue 82
‘Cleaner air boroughs for London?
A £5m programme of air quality initiatives in London has
had mixed success. A £6m fund is now being set up and there will be ‘Cleaner Air
Boroughs’.
New direction for EU as WHO restates worries
The European Commission appears to be changing tack on how
it deals with member states who breach air quality objectives. Meanwhile the
World Health Organisation has reworked its Revihaap health analysis of air
pollution.
Support for action
The European Commission has carried a poll of 25,000
citizens asking about air quality.
IAQM raises the bar
It will be harder to become a member of the Institute of
Air Quality Management.
Development concerns
The CIEH has warned on the dangers to residential amenity
as a result of extending permitted development rights.
Planning red tape
It is the turn of planning to be the focus of the
Government’s quest to find redundant red tape.
Air quality: The case continues…
The long running legal action against the UK Government for
breaches of the EU directives rumbles on.
Biofuel impacts
Defra may start monitoring acetaldehyde and formaldehyde to
make sure biofuels do not lead to adverse pollution impacts.
NI air for 2011
Air quality in Northern Ireland improved in 2011. There
remained some NO2 and PM10 exceedences but the long term trend is improving,
says a Ricardo-AEA report.
Measures costed
A report has been published outlining progress towards
updating details of air quality measures that go beyond business as usual.
Further assessment set to go
Consultation is underway on removing the need for further
assessments.
£1m ‘radar’ air monitoring lab for NPL
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is investing £1
million in a new mobile instrument lab to remotely monitor airborne emissions.
Biomass up
Some biomass emissions will more than double between 2015
and 2020, the Government has admitted.
Register updated
The 2011 UK Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR)
is now available.
Defra change win
Defra won a special partnership award at the Change London
awards recently.
HS2 opts for clean construction
Dust has been thought about in proposals to build the HS2
high speed railway between London and Birmingham.
Air quality important for speed setting
New speed limit setting criteria includes advice on air
quality effects.
Persistent burner is jailed
An Environment Agency prosecution has secured a jail term
for a man found guilty of persistently burning rubbish and causing pollution.
Agency investigates
The Environment Agency Wales has launched an investigation
after an incinerator breached emission limits.
Odour dominates
Serious industrial pollution incidents have fallen and
industrial emissions are down according to the Environment Agency in its
Sustainable Business Report.
Another breach
Scotgen’s novel gasification waste-to-energy plant in
Dumfries has reported a further dioxin breach.
Scottish changes
PPC regulations have changed in Scotland.
Less ozone
Dull and wet weather in 2012 led to fewer ozone alerts
across Europe.
Congestion charge targets diesel
Small efficient diesel cars will no longer be exempt from
the London congestion charge under new proposals.
2013 starts with highs and exceedences
Very high pollution has been seen already this year,
reports King’s College London.
Hydrogen network expands
The London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LHNE) project, a
government-backed initiative co-funded by the Technology Strategy Board, is to
create the UK’s first hydrogen powered transport system across London and the
South East.
Clean fleet help
A newly launched Clean Fleets project offers public
authorities and fleet operators in Europe free assistance in purchasing vehicles
with higher environmental standards to comply with the Clean Vehicles Directive.
Health boost
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) has
welcomed the Government increase in ring-fenced public health grants to local
authorities for 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Pasodoble webinar
The EU funded Pasodoble project is holding a webinar for
air quality experts.
London results discussed
Results from the £5m Clean Air Fund in London were
discussed at a recent GLA/Epuk/April conference. Independent consultant Sarah
Legge reports
Mcerts morphs into AQE 2013
As others fall by the wayside, Mcerts has been rebadged as
the Air Quality and Emissions show and is gathering increasing support
Mixed success for clean air fund
Don’t judge an air quality action by how it affects
concentrations – the Clean Air Fund has had more subtle impacts, finds Jack
Pease
January 2013 Issue 81
Beleaguered Defra sets out plans
Defra’s Robert Vaughan gave an update on Government air
quality policy at last month’s Iapsc (Investigation of Air Pollution Standing
Conference) meeting held in Birmingham last month. Nowadays such top level
policy updates are rare given the demise of the twice-yearly Epuk air quality
update meetings.
Taylor review: air guidance needed
Despite pressure to abolish planning guidance, advice on
local environment issues should be retained.
EU consults
As part of the revamp of European air quality policies –
and the 2013 ‘Year of the Air’ – the Commission has launched an online
consultation.
News from the Institute of environmental science DMUG
meeting held in December
Ten years of IAQM: retrospective
“Can we really believe that the Institute of Air Quality
Management has been going for ten years?”, asked Martin Williams, formerly head
of air quality of Defra and now at King’s College London opening last months
Dispersion Model User Group meeting. He gave a retrospective look at the first
ten years of IAQM. The organisation has taken DMUG under its wing since the
collapse of Epuk as a commercial organisation early in 2012.
Air quality clashes with climate change
The scale of the policy clash between global warming and
pollution is not really well known – especially when it comes to biomass.
Particles: no closer on which metric
Tim Murrells of Ricardo-AEA manages transport emissions
within the national emissions inventory – the area blamed for overpredicting
forecast air quality improvements.
Nucleating particles
Birmingham University’s Professor Roy Harrison told DMUG of
the difficulties inherent with nanoparticles. For some time there has been a
school of thought that counting nanoparticles is a better metric to reflect
health effects than the currently favoured PM10 mass.
News from the investigation of air pollution standing
conference held in Birmingham
Keeping the wind out of tubes
Trials have been carried out to see if keeping the wind out
of diffusion tubes makes them any more accurate.
Airtext must stand on own feet
Sussexair’s health warning service must stand on its own
feet if it is to survive, project manager Nigel Jenkins told Iapsc,
Bristol backs ‘web of data’
The ‘web of data’ holds the key to managing the
increasingly large amounts of air quality monitoring data, says Bristol City
Council.
Barnsley realities
Soon air quality professionals will find that public health
directors will take on some responsibilities for improving air quality. Air
quality has been included in a list of indicators and targets for public health
and these ‘go live’ from April.
Information tips
Brighton researcher Kirsty Smallbone has carried out public
attitude research on how best to inform the public about air quality.
AQB ‘yardstick’ improves but hides extremes
The Air Quality Bulletin ‘yardstick’ (the green line,
above) is a rough and ready measure aimed at providing a quick summary of
national air pollution soon after the New Year, using unratified data some
months before official indicators are produced.
First winter smog episodes
Kings College London has reported on high pollution in
London in mid December.
US tightens PM2.5
In response to a court order, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) finalised an update to its national air quality
standards for PM2.5 of 12µg/m3.
Clean ships rules
New environmental rules on marine fuels are now in force.
Traffic pollution remains harmful
Transport in Europe is responsible for damaging levels of
air pollutants, the European Environment Agency’s annual report under the
Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM) says.
Councils to share £2m grant
£2m of air quality grant is being shared by local
authorities across England in a bid to improve air quality – with a possible
further £1m being found for supplementary projects.
SEPA & PM2.5
Air Quality Consultants has reviewed PM2.5 in Scotland on
behalf of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The review aims to
help SEPA determine how it can contribute to meeting European Union (EU) and UK
exposure-reduction targets.
Gedling’s Ecostars
Boots, Asda, Sainsbury’s and 3663 are some of the most
recent companies to sign up to Gedling Borough Council’s Ecostars campaign,
launched in March 2012.
Euro 6 is in
The Euro VI standard for commercial vehicles became law on
31st December.
HEI studies diesel
With more studies available on diesel and cancer risk – and
the recent IIARC classification of diesel as a carcinogen (AQB July 2012 p6) –
the influential US Health Effects Institute is to study the issue.
PM2.5: more research please
Another year, another report on particles. Will the latest
Aqeg PM2.5 report on particles make any difference?
Monitoring PM: not getting easier
Arguments about metrics and monitoring methods continue at
the 21st AAMG conference held in London.
Life assessment
An analysis has been published of the EU Life programme
which supports environmental and nature conservation projects throughout the EU
December 2012 Issue 80
Lawyers target odour makers
Waste operators better beware – no-win no-fee specialist
lawyer Hugh James is trawling the country for odour complainants to launch group
actions.
AEA is dead. Long live Ricardo-AEA
Automotive specialist consultant Ricardo has bought the
failed AEA Technology consultancy group following its widely expected collapse
into administration last month.
Barrowcliffe: stepping out and up
Roger Barrowcliffe, formerly of ERM and more latterly RWDI
Associates, is now going it alone. He has named his firm Clear Air Thinking.
Grant trickles out
Air quality grant was due to be officially announced this
week by Defra as AQB went to press.
Fee freeze
Consultation is underway on proposed fees for LAPC and
LA-IPC charges for smaller industrial processes.
Fog causes mid-November alert
Widespread moderate PM10 was measured at several busy
roadside sites on Thursday 15th November, including sites in central and outer
London, and in Reading.
Free air app for Iphone
AEA – now Ricardo AEA – has produced a free air pollution
app for the Iphone.
ET MD switch
Enviro Technology’s founder Steve Read (above) has resigned
from the company to defend criminal charges not associated with the business.
Doctors prescribe walking
UK doctors say transport’s impact on health has become
unnecessarily harmful – to the point where it is a significant cause of
morbidity and mortality.
Cerc update
The Emission Factor Toolkit (EFT) version 5.1.3 includes
updated NOx emission factors and new fleet data predictions.
UK health atlas emerges
The Small Area Health Statistics Unit (Sahsu) is developing
an atlas of England and Wales which will include air quality.
Borough-level analysis mapped
Data has been released on borough-level air quality
incomes.
Statistics to be streamlined = 50% cut?
A swift two week consultation suggests Defra wants to cut
air quality statistics gathering.
Grossinho goes
Ana Grossinho has moved from Mouchel to WSP’s London office
taking up the post of UK technical director of air quality.
Bill prompts fears
The proposed Growth and Infrastructure Bill which has had
its second reading in Parliament may water down planning protection for local
environmental effects.
LES tender
The Low Emission Strategy Partnership is seeking a
contractor to produce an online ‘information hub’ for low emission strategies.
Three from Air Monitors….
Air Monitors has launched a new fixed area dust/aerosol
monitor for continuous monitoring and a portable monitor for personal exposure
at multiple locations.
….and three from Enviro Technology
Enviro Technology has announced three new products.
EIA regs set for revamp
The European Commission has outlined new proposals to
streamline legislation on environmental impact assessments.
More London AQMAs
There should be more air quality management areas in
London, Clear Air in London’s Simon Birkett says.
Ammonia added up
A comprehensive ammonia emissions inventory has been
produced for UK agriculture.
IAQM award
IAQM has awarded the Ian McCrae Travel Award to Dr Mofoluso
Fagbeja.
In Parliament
Environment minister Richard Benyon has told Parliament
that there were now 255 local authorities which have declared air quality
management areas (AQMAs) across the UK. There are now 600 AQMAs in total.
Pocket parks to aid air quality
London mayor Boris Johnson has announced funding for 100
‘pocket parks’ in the capital – partly justified on air quality grounds.
US firm launches online cost benefit tool
A new online tool has been launched to calculate the air
quality benefits of climate change policies down to city level.
Diesel surcharge
London assembly member Jenny Jones is demanding an end to
the discount for efficient diesel cars for the London Congestion Charge. 22% of
London cars are now diesel.
POP consult
Defra is consulting on management of persistent organic
pollutants (POPs).
Permitted development
Government is consulting to make it easier for householders
to build extensions and businesses to expand without planning permission.
Taxis join Ecostar scheme ...
The Ecostars green fleet recognition scheme has expanded to
include taxi and private hire vehicle operators in a bid to help local air
quality in Mid Devon.
…. as Edinburgh reassesses Ecostars
Early members of Edinburgh’s Ecostars schemes have been
reassessed.
Eminox: Real world emission savings claimed
A recent Eminox trial with Transport for London (TfL) is
claimed to demonstrate how vehicles equipped with retrofit technology can
achieve emissions performance better than vehicles manufactured today, even when
operating in urban environments.
Appeals consultation
As part of wider plans to streamline the planning system
and kickstart the economy, the Government is consulting on shortening planning
appeal timescales and tightening up procedures.
Emissions factor advice for roads
The Highways Agency has issued an interim advice note
outlining changes to emissions factors.
Agency adopts significance drop?
The Highways Agency presses ahead with controversial
changes to air quality assessment guidelines in interim guidance.
Short term action for steelworks
The Welsh Government shows that it is prepared to
micromanage air quality at Port Talbot
Monitoring building site dust
The IAQM has produced guidance on how to monitor dust near
demolition and construction sites
November 2012 Issue 79
Odour class-action succeeds
A class action against a Staffordshire foundry has led to a
£1.4m nuisance payout to 132 claimants. They claimed they had been blighted by
fumes and noise from the Norton Aluminum plant.
Corporation re-runs air quality awards
Applications are invited for the prestigious annual City of
London Corporation Sustainable City Awards. Clean Air in London was a past
winner.
IAQM commences odour quest
The Institute of Air Quality Management has launched a
quest for new guidance on odour at a recent meeting in London.
Profile lift sought by Defra
Defra is seeking a consultant to try and lift the profile
of air quality among local decision makers – especially new public health
boards.
Fog brings alerts and poor air quality
Elevated particle concentrations were measured across
London and south-east England in mid October.
Directive exceedences grow
There are now quite a few sites busting the allowable 35
days-per-year exceedence allowance for PM10:
EEA seeks more NECD progress
Europe needs to do more to tackle air pollution, says the
European Environment Agency.
Health boards warned on air pollution
Newly formed health and wellbeing boards and directors of
public health are being urged to prioritise air quality.
Fairmode responds
The Fairmode group has responded to the review on EU air
quality policy and makes many recommendations on modelling.
Welsh ponder FDMS alternatives
A report for Welsh Government has looked into possible
replacements for troublesome FDMS particle measurement instruments.
Slight drop in monitor performance
There is has been a very slight drop in particle monitoring
performance, statistics reveal.
Epuk minutes reveal ongoing battles
Minutes from the recent Environmental Protection UK annual
general meeting reveal ongoing problems for the charity following its
near-dissolution earlier this year (AQB December 2011 p1).
Welsh Government tells it straight
The Welsh Government has told local authorities that air
quality should be given higher priority.
... but FoE disagrees
Friends of the Earth Cymru has criticised the Welsh
Government for claiming air quality is improving. Last month Welsh
Future of guidance under review
Guidance – in limbo since the introduction of the new
planning regime – is to be reviewed.
Councillors block SPG on air quality
Breckland Council has blocked adoption of special planning
guidance on air quality fearing it will stifle development.
Protesters claim victory in Sainsbury’s battle
A hotly fought battle has seen a supermarket withdraw plans
for expansion.
NI wants guidance
Northern Ireland has published new planning guidance aimed
at protecting sensitive industries.
Back to court for cement protester
Rugby cement protester Lillian Pallikaropoulos has emerged
from a further hearing in Europe on her claim that originally focused on excess
pollution.
Williams restates diesel fears
Former head of Defra air quality Martin Williams has
restated his concerns on the dominance of diesel.
Climate change health effects updated
The Health Protection Agency has updated its health effects
of climate change analysis. Ozone deaths in the UK could rise from the current
11,900 a year to 15,000 by 2030.
SO2 how to
The operators’ instruction manual has been reprinted for
the old smoke and sulphur dioxide network (formerly the National Survey of Air
Pollution) that operated between 1961 and 2005.
Speed consultation
The DfT is consulting on the revision of the Speed Limit
Circular which contains speed limit setting rules.
Section 106 review
Section 106 planning agreements – some of which have been
negotiated for use to fund air quality monitoring equipment – may be
renegotiated under plans contained in the the new Growth and Infrastructure
Bill.
Analyser web rental
Signal Group has just launched its new, fully interactive
rental website.
Boroughs propose own plan
In an apparent snub to the London Mayor who is supposed to
coordinate action, London councils have commissioned their own report into cost
effective ways of improving air quality.
Hyder hi
Stephen Pyatt (pictured) has recently been appointed as air
quality team leader at Hyder Consulting based in its Warrington office.
Personal ozone probes
Air Monitors has launched a new portable UV-based ozone
personal monitor.
Air aware for Port Talbot
A new service, called Airaware, is currently being
evaluated in Port Talbot which provides real-time pollution monitoring
information to adults who suffer from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease to take action to protect their health
when air pollution levels are raised.
Cold alert is launched in Sussex
Sussexair has launched a cold alerting service alongside
its Airalert warning service.
Scottish progress on PM2.5 revisited
A report has been released on how Sepa can contribute
towards meeting EU and UK exposure-reduction targets for fine particles.
Funding shake up mooted for Sepa
Sepa and Scottish Government are consulting on a new
funding mechanism for environmental regulation north of the border.
Revihaap reviews
EU air quality policies WHO Europe is coordinating the
international REVIHAAP project to provide the European Commission and its
stakeholders with evidence-based advice on the health aspects of air pollution.
Aviation air quality costed
Talk of aviation expansion is re-igniting the debate about
Heathrow air quality. Jack Pease samples the mood.
October 2012 Issue 78
Breaching despite extension
The UK’s time extension obtained in a bid to meet EU
directives has failed to prevent further breaches in 2011.
Epuk AGM leaves continuing uncertainty
Epuk has held its first annual general meeting since
becoming a near-voluntary organisation. Many issues remain unresolved.
Background changes
Background NO2 concentrations have been changed upwards –
more than expected – but declining trends remain optimistic.
FDMS foibles
A report has listed the difficulties being experienced with
FDMS Teoms in Wales with potential solutions.
Air Lords
Owen Paterson MP has been confirmed as the new environment
secretary replacing Caroline Spelman.
Biomass bung revealed
Three consultations have been launched in England on the
Renewable Heat Incentive scheme (RHI) which encourages biomass. Air pollution
impacts are costed at £90m a year.
Waste wood warning
The Breathe Clean Air Group is warning not to allow waste
wood to be burnt.
Scotland sets out how it would like to see biomass
expansion
Local authorities in Scotland have been given advice on how
to deal with biomass.
AQC now 13
Air Quality Consultants Ltd now has 13 consultants making
it one of the largest air quality specialists in the UK.
Clooney joins
Air Quality Monitors has expanded further into service and
calibration with the appointment of Chris Clooney as a service engineer.
Highways planning changes
The Highways Agency has initiated a limited “technical
review” on how it intends to handle air quality impacts.
State of the (polluted) union
An annual update of European air pollution has ranked
pollutants according to their population impact.
Grant trickles out
Local authorities are now aware of provisional awards for
air quality grant.
Agency tinkers with permit fees
The Environment Agency is consulting on changes to a small
proportion of its permit fees.
MPs electric fears
MPs have criticised the take-up of non-polluting electric
vehicles.
Disputed wind farm starts up
A wind farm has commenced operations prompting fears it
will waft benzene downwards and cause possible exceedences.
Turn off campaign gathers momentum
Transport for London is ramping up its campaign to cut
unnecessary vehicle idling in a bid to cut emissions.
McHugh move
Dr Christine McHugh has left Cerc to join AMEC Environment
& Infrastructure (which absorbed Entec) as an associate director.
Budding writers?
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has launched a photo
story competition ImaginAIR, giving a chance to show the impact of air quality
and pollution in local areas of Europe.
SupportingU: and data too
SupportingU has bought the air quality data management
business of Casella Monitor.
Welsh authorities properly fund action
Welsh Government has allocated £500,000 to support 14 local
environment projects aimed at improving air quality and noise.
Olympics closure helps Putney High Street
With the London Mayor and the Government apt to blame
Europe for bad pollution in London, it is worth studying a graph created by
Kings College London showing the effect of the closure of Putney High Street for
the Olympic cycle road race.
Aarhus victory
Air quality has featured in an argument about the Aarhus
Convention.
Cleaner marine fuel
EU Parliament has agreed by a large majority to an
amendment that aligns EU legislation with the stricter standards for sulphur
content in marine fuels agreed in 2008 at the International Maritime
Organisation.
Changes mask trends?
AQB invited Air Quality Consultants to assess the impact of
recent changes to background pollution maps
Helpdesk sets out five updated tools & FAQs
Defra’s air quality helpdesk has updated five tools and
three new frequently asked questions aimed at local authority assessments.
Waste fine
Essex composter Heatherland Limited has been fined £9,000
with £7,000 costs for burning waste and odour emissions.
FTIR for hire
The new Gasmet DX4040 portable FTIR multi-gas analyser is
now available for hire from Quantitech.
Quantitech addition
Monitor firm Quantitech has added a further engineer to the
company’s service team.
600 hybrids now ordered for London
Transport for London has approved purchase of 600 new
hybrid buses for London over the next four years.
Bus shake up
Government is consulting on the shape of the regime to
replace the Bus Service Operator’s Grant (BSOG).
Emissions. Going down?
Yearly government reports on air quality pollutants usually
paint a rosy picture of improvements. This year is no different.
Which direction for AQB?
Readers have told us they prefer Air Quality Bulletin
printed on real paper. But a small but growing number say they are going
paperless. Here’s a plan!
September 2012 Issue 77
CAA abolition: one step too far?
Abolishing the Clean Air Act in the name of red tape cuts
could have adverse consequences for air quality, an AEA report for Defra
concludes.
Mouchel crashes but reborn, AEA wobbles
Consultant Mouchel, which has been struggling for years,
went into administration – but has been quickly resurrected as a going concern.
Dutch LEZs disappoint
Another study has failed to show that low emission zones
reduce pollutant concentrations.
ET markets indicative monitor
Enviro Technology is marketing a low cost indicative air
quality monitoring system.
Air Monitors lowers the cost of monitoring
In response to public sector cutbacks, instrumentation
company Air Monitors has announced that it will lower the cost of ambient air
monitoring consumables until the end of 2012.
Dagenham plume rise
King’s College London ERG reported on a huge fire in East
London with potential air quality impacts.
Euro 6 nears
Volvo Trucks is encouraging early take up of Euro 6 trucks.
Rushlight Awards
The annual Rushlight Awards for environmental excellence
loom once again and entries are invited.
KPIs restate need for pollution reporting
Key performance indicators for companies will be shrunk
from 22 to five in a bid to cut red tape. Air pollution gains increased relative
importance in the streamlined corporate reporting guidance now out for
consultation.
Fear no grounds for refusal
Fear of pollution – as opposed to actual pollution – has
been discounted as a reason to refuse an incinerator.
Olympic pollution: High – low – high
Pollution alerts were in force as the main Olympic games
started – and finished – but during the games pollution was relatively benign.
There had been fears that hot weather and traffic changes could increase
pollution and affect performance.
Climate links to air quality
Golder’s Sam Arnold reports on the recent ‘Measurement and
standards to enable sustainable cities’ meeting organised by NPL last month at
Arup’s offices in London.
Sweets, air fresheners and goodie bags
The City of London is backing up its Cityair campaign (AQB
November 2011 p8) with specially commissioned ‘goodies’.
August 2012 issue 76
Comeap yields on deaths
The Committee on Medical Effects of Air Pollution has
endorsed the use of local air pollution death estimates despite reservations
they may not be wholly robust.
Hillingdon: M’ways cause 60% of NOx
TRL has completed an emissions database for the London
Borough of Hillingdon to assess changes in emissions and fuel consumption of
measures in their Transport Local Implementation Plan (LIP) and air quality
action plan.
Air quality relegated
A new set of sustainable development indicators are
proposed for consultation.
Directive appeal
Environmental law group ClientEarth has sought permission
to appeal to the Supreme Court to argue that EU air quality breaches are
enforceable by UK courts rather than by Europe.
Cooking particles surprise
David Green of Kings College London opened the recent
London Air Quality Network conference describing how new measurements of
particulate are allowing better analysis of pollution.
Fuller looks back at health index change
It has now been six months since the air quality index
changed. King’s College London’s Gary Fuller explained how King’s had quickly
implemented the new index for its forecasts, and suggested that other providers
had yet to change their systems.
Monitoring improves
There has been a marked improvement in the performance of
particle monitors in the national network.
Fines outlined
The protocol by which local authorities could see EU fines
passed on to them has been outlined.
Hot burst causes Olympic scare
A period of hot weather allowed a build up of pollution
just as the London Olympics started. But a return to rainy weather allowed
levels to subside.
New app for air warnings
Kings College London has launched an updated website and
air pollution app.
Euro 6 probe
Europe is seeking tenderers for a study on implementing
Euro 6 light-duty vehicle pollutant emission standards in the EU including a
benchmark against international emission standards.
Australia advice
Air Quality Consultants, in partnership with local
consultancy PAEHolmes has been awarded a contract by the New South Wales
government to evaluate options for an exposure-reduction framework for the
control of air quality in Australia.
Air quality expenditure rises in 2010
Capital expenditure on air quality rose in 2010, the latest
year for which figures are available.
Chapman changes
Mark Chapman has joined Bureau Veritas’ air quality team
from Mouchel. Chapman specialises in odour and LAQM work.
Subsidy cuts favour biomass
Biomass subsidies appear to have escaped relatively
unscathed in the latest review of alternative energy policy. However boilers
will now have to comply with emission limits if they are to get the subsidy.
UK environmental market stabilises
An annual review of the fortunes of UK environmental
consultants show a hint of growth – this follows two years of falls (AQB Dec
2011 p6).
UK meets NEC pollution targets
The European Environment Agency has confirmed its
preliminary analysis (AQB March p4) that while the UK met NEC limits for NOx,
NMVOCs, SO2 and ammonia, 12 countries did not.
Cooking smell appeal
A restaurant seeking retrospective planning permission for
change of use and installation of ventilation equipment has been turned down on
appeal.
Dioxin released
A gasification energy from waste plant has been closed down
following dioxin releases.
Report: Air is ‘forgotten crisis’
A report from the Policy Exchange, a UK think tank, says
air quality is a forgotten crisis. Diesel and biomass are targeted among various
recommendations.
UK knocks off 80% due to dust subtraction
A European Environment Agency report has compared the
number of days member states avoid air quality exceedences because of naturally
occurring dust.
Second green wall installed in London
A second ‘green wall’ has been installed at The Mermaid
Theatre to help reduce traffic pollution.
Road Traffic Emissions Factors
The Air Quality Helpdesk has announced an updated version
of the Emissions Factors Toolkit (v.5.1.1) has been released. This toolkit
relies on revised emissions factors and vehicle fleet information (AQB January
p1).
Padeswood: £500,000
A £500,000 investigation into Hanson Cement’s Padeswood
works is to stop with investigators finding no health effects.
Green walls, big reductions
Green walls can produce dramatic reductions in pollution,
an Institute of Air Quality Management meeting was told.
Petrol to follow diesel?
Diesel cars morphed from big and heavy to small and
efficient and promised much – but delivered little – in the way of emission
reductions. Will the same be true for petrol?
Parliament piles on pressure
Another committee of Parliamentary MPs have questioned
efforts to tackle UK air quality
Diesel targeted in London Assembly probe into air quality
The London assembly environment committee has also held an
inquiry into air quality in the Capital. Much focus was on the need to control
diesel vehicles.
July 2012 Issue 75
Europe rejects UK extensions
As AQB went to press, the EU has ruled on the UK’s bid for
NO2 deadline extensions. Many are rejected with particular criticism for local
low emission zone policies.
Three boroughs push hard on cabs
Three London boroughs have joined together to urge the
London Mayor to get tough on taxi emissions.
Parliament scrutiny
Also as AQB went to press, MPs were questioning officials
and campaigners about air quality.
Objective breached
A second pollution monitoring site has exceeded the
critical 35 days exceedences on PM10.
Air key issue in framework
Speaking to the Iapsc conference held in London last month,
Defra air quality manager Robert Vaughan has explained the importance of air
quality to the Public Health Outcomes Framework – and vice versa.
North Lanarks in Scottish AQMA revocation
North Lanarkshire Council has become the first council in
Scotland to successfully revoke an air quality management area.
Fit for purpose?
A report says environmental legislation in the UK is
becoming increasingly fragmented.
No change for heavy metals in 2011
The formal report listing concentrations of heavy metals in
2011 shows little change.
Cockermouth OK despite smell
A large development at Cockermouth that was refused
planning permission on odour grounds will now go ahead after an appeal.
Casella pulls out of ambient gas analysers
Monitor firm Casella has withdrawn from the manufacture and
supply of reference method gas analysers for air quality monitoring (previously
operated under the Casella Monitor brand name). Casella sold its network support
operations to Enviro Technology recently (AQB May p1).
‘True’ cost of UK monitoring?
Ever asked how much monitoring costs and met by much
sucking through teeth and ‘that depends’?
New campaign group
A new campaign group has been set up to influence air
quality policy.
Waste burning fine
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has
prosecuted James Moffat Cunningham for burning controlled waste, namely wood,
plastics, plasterboard, fibreboard and other mixed waste. He was given a 160
hour community service order at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.
Public health
CIEH has released a report outlining how public health
services in England might be delivered from April 2013. From that date public
health is being brought under the responsibility of local authorities and Public
Health England.
Where are the bad air warnings?
Clean Air in London is bemoaning the continued lack of bad
air quality warnings in London.
Heat incentive linked to boiler performance
The renewable heat incentive is set to include emission
limits on biomass boilers.
Biomass conversion
AEA has been commissioned by Defra to produce a ‘ready
reckoner’ for converting biomass boiler measurements from NOx /PM10
concentrations to ‘per giga joule’.
AQM Ltd wins Hinkley monitoring work
Air Quality Monitors Limited of Exeter is supplying EDF
Energy’s Hinkley Point development with indicative particulate monitors.
EPA PM2.5 plans
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed
a tightening of PM2.5 standards – but 99% of air quality areas already meet the
toughened standard.
US airtext
The American Lung Association has released an edgy public
service advertising campaign featuring provocative television, online and
out-of-home channels to encourage people to download the charity’s new State of
the Air smartphone application,
Acid rain policies have worked
Chemicals in the air have largely declined as a result of
acid rain policies, a report concludes.
Mesh to sample hotspots
Air Monitors, working in partnership with a team from the
Cambridge University and Geotech, will soon be launching a new air quality
monitoring system.
ET webshop
Air quality monitoring specialist Enviro Technology has
launched an online shopping portal for common consumable items and small,
handheld ‘out of the box’ monitoring equipment.
Guidance on Inspire
The European Environment Agency has released a report
explaining how air quality data should be prepared for the Inspire data
directive.
Cancer risk confirmed
Monographs on cancer may sound dull but can assume great
importance. They’ve been recast and equivocally blame diesel for causing cancer.
Hints emerge in EU review
A series of consultation responses on the EU air quality
review may suggest the shape of things to come
June 2012 Issue 74
Grant agreed: £2m to share out
Local authorities have breathed a sigh of relief as £2m of
grant money has been made available for 2012-13. The grants are very popular and
are usually three-times oversubscribed.
The real cost of removing monitors?
Researchers have attempted to put a cost on the impact of
removing air quality monitors. An increasing number of local authorities are
pulling out of monitoring because of budget cuts.
Grants to aid air and noise in Wales
Welsh Government has announced a new £500,000 grant scheme
linked to air quality and noise.
Appeal fails
ClientEarth has failed in a bid to get UK courts to enforce
EU air quality legislation.
Bus lane removal worsens air
A Highways Agency analysis supports the permanent abolition
of the M4 bus lane near Heathrow despite a rise in emissions. Campaigner Simon
Birkett of the Clean Air in London campaign says it is unacceptable to agree a
proposal that worsens air quality in the face of continued breaches of EU air
quality limit values.
Housing allowed despite odour fears
A further appeal has been won by a developer seeking to
build 101 dwellings near a sewage treatment works in Stanton, Suffolk.
Indicator finalised
The final air quality indicators for 2011 are now available
and show little change on the provisional set (16 urban bad air days rather than
17, AQB February p3).
Agency reveals ‘showstoppers’
The Environment Agency has revealed draft guidance for
those industrial installations that need both a permit and planning permission.
Hot weather prompts highs. Two days to go?
Recent hot weather has prompted more pollution.
Fire impacts picked up by LA monitoring
Local authority monitoring networks were consulted
following a recent chemical fire on the Greenwich Peninsular.
New thoughts on FDMS reliability
FDMS monitor firm Air Monitors says maintenance procedures
could be behind past problems with FDMS Teoms.
ADMS updated
Cerc has announced that ADMS-Airport version 3.1 has been
released. Meanwhile a new release on ADMS-STAR is also available.
Testing in Canterbury and London
Canterbury City Council will be carrying out remote
emission testing to better characterise vehicles contributing to pollution near
the city’s AQMA.
Testing with fines returns to the streets
South Lanarkshire Council’s environmental services team is
carrying out a series of roadside vehicle emissions tests throughout the
district.
UK makes formal reports to EU
AEA modelling of UK heavy metals for 2010 and 2009 has
shown continued exceedences.
Coal clamp down
The Government says its energy shake-up takes account of
the need to avoid burning too much coal with a consequent rise in emissions.
Mapping public health
The Health Protection Agency is contributing to a public
health map for Europe, with a focus on environmental factors.
Anti-80mph campaign grows
A coalition of safety and environmental organisations has
been formed to protest against plans to increase the motorway speed limit.
Modern diesel exhaust ‘mild’?
A report from the respected US Health Effects Institute has
been interpreted as suggesting diesel exhaust from new technology vehicles is
safe.
Steelworks study
The Environment Agency has released 2011 monitoring data
taken in Port Talbot.
Sulphur agreement
The European Council and the European Parliament has
reached a provisional agreement on the sulphur content of marine fuels.
Peel appeals
Peel Energy, which wants to build an incinerator in
Davyhulme near Manchester, is to appeal against Trafford Council’s refusal of
planning permission earlier this year.
AQC wins
Air Quality Consultants Ltd has been awarded a contract by
the London Borough of Hillingdon to identify and evaluate measures to reduce
nitrogen dioxide concentrations at specified hotspots in the borough, and within
the wider area surrounding Heathrow Airport.
Leicester looks at London air
Leading air quality medics, statisticians and modellers met
up for their annual two day conference at Cranfield last month. The Institute of
Environmental Health hosts the two day conference which contains much
unpublished thinking on air quality and health.
Waste site contributes 27% of PM10
Kings College London has studied the impact of a Lewisham
waste processing site on air quality.
Airship sensor
The European Commission-funded research project PEGASOS
(Pan-European Gas AeroSOL Climate Interaction Study) will use an airship (blimp)
to monitor air chemistry across Europe.
EP Scotland takes shape
More details are emerging of the future shape of
Environmental Protection UK since its demise as a trading enterprise in March.
Gothenburg Protocol tightened: PM2.5 in
The Gothenburg Protocol has been tightened, albeit not as
much as many would have hoped. PM2.5 is drawn in for the first time.
AQ-style duties for climate change?
The Committee in Climate Change is suggesting that councils
should have statutory duties to cut greenhouse gas emissions (not unlike what
happens with air quality).
LESP reshapes
The local authority grouping which sprang out of a
Government best practice programme on air quality is considering its future.
New portable analyser
Gasmet Technologies has launched the DX4040.
Mayor’s lieutenant
London Mayor Boris Johnson’s environment boss Kulveer
Ranger is being replaced by Matthew Pencharz. He is a former BBC producer.
Reports look at tree benefits
Air quality benefits are lauded in new reports on trees and
resilience
Olympic alerts
Plans have been put in place to inform Olympic organisers
about air quality problems during the games period.
Hydrogen mix
ITM Power and The Hardstaff Group have announced that they
are to develop a hydrogen compressed natural gas (HCNG) fuel system for heavy
goods vehicles. Hardstaff has pioneered the use of biomethane in its
distribution fleet.
May 2012 Issue 73
Network support shock
The air quality monitoring marketplace has been given a
jolt with the news that Casella has sold its network support operation to Enviro
Technology.
New background maps lift pollution by 30%?
New background maps have been published. Samples studied by
AQB show a sharp increase in concentrations – by as much as a third.
UK Government in court again
Environmental justice group ClientEarth is once again back
in the High Court seeking to bring the Government to account on its record on
air quality.
Significance test in High Court
An incinerator approval decision will stand – despite long
arguments on the use by the Environment Agency of its 1% significance criteria
for air quality impacts.
New style Epuk(s) take shape. Members to pay half?
Epuk trustees have been working behind the scenes in a bid
to relaunch Environmental Protection UK on a reduced fee, semi-voluntary basis.
Call for input on Clean Air Act revamp
In one of its first activities since the demise of Epuk in
it’s old form, the new Epuk is seeking comments on the planned deregulation of
the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act plans were flagged up in the recent
resolution of the Red Tape Challenge (AQB April p7).
Odour prompts Ombudsman rap
Dudley MBC has been told by the Ombudsman to pay £7,000
compensation to residents near a foundry due to odour and noise. The council’s
unwillingness to prosecute a permitted process because of potential loss of jobs
was at the heart of the dispute.
Another day, another landfill odour fine!
Odour from landfill has once again caused problems for
residents, regulators and operators.
NI odour guidance
Guidance has been issued on odour for Northern Ireland
sewage treatment works.
Neasden leads UK PM10 breach
A UK monitoring site has breached the 35 allowable days of
PM10 pollution. The breach (37 days) at Neasden Lane, in Brent, North London,
was widely anticipated (AQB April p3).
CAL guide to London air quality politics
Simon Birkett of the Campaign for Clean Air in London has
produced advice on who to vote for in the London Mayoral elections based on air
quality pledges.
Leicester looks at London air
University of Leicester researchers are set to use their
DOAS technology to monitor the impact of increased traffic on pollution levels
in London during the Olympics.
Air alert assists docks fire assessment
ERG’s Airalert system has been used in a bid to assess
impacts of a fire at Southampton Docks which generated much smoke.
UK deaths: up to £62bn a year health cost?
An analysis of UK pollution and health impacts by the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests that premature deaths are valued
between £6bn and £62bn a year.
Forecasting accuracy bombs, admits AEA
Two reviews of forecasting have been released by Defra,
covering 2010 and 2009 data.
Oxford, Cambridge. Now York
‘Nice’ cities seem to be bearing the brunt of poor air
quality – York is the latest to try to tackle deteriorating air quality
Aspire arrives
Aspire Measurement is a new UK company focused on supplying
solutions targeted at the air monitoring and measurement market.
Solvents fine
A Durham engineering firm has been ordered to pay almost
£11,000 for failing to comply with solvent regulations.
Dublin on coal
Eire is consulting on smoky coal regulations which have
been behind dramatic improvements in air quality and health in Dublin.
Healthy move
ClientEarth has confirmed that it will manage and continue
to develop the HealthyAir Campaign. ClientEarth is currently suing the
Government on air quality
Kendal to try NOx eating paving
A town centre regeneration project is to use NOx eating
paving in a bid to improve air quality.
Canny Scots
SEPA has frozen permit charges for the second year in a
row.
New calibrator
Quantitech has launched a new hand-held calibrator; the TCR
Tecora Flowcal, which has been developed to enable the fast, accurate
calibration of high volume air samplers.
Signal grid
CEMS Signal Group is supplying a mobile monitoring
laboratory to National Grid, the third ordered by the firm.
Sector guidance
Defra is consulting on guidance notes for various
industrial sectors, including metals and minerals.
Heathrow probe
London Assembly members, fearing further expansion at
Heathrow, have revisited the issue of air quality.
Eurodata update
The European Commission and the European Environment Agency
has published updated information on releases and transfers of pollutants from
industrial installations included in the European Pollutant Release and Transfer
Register (E-PRTR).
Car clubs cut emissions, says TRL
A TRL study of car clubs has shown club members make fewer
journeys and so are responsible for fewer emissions than non club members.
April 2012 Issue 72
Planning framework out
The National Planning Policy Framework is finally out. It
replaces 1,500 pages of guidance such as that in PPS23 with 50 pages of
top-level strategic policy.
High pollution: 35 days looms
The recent spell of sunny weather has led to a large number
of high and very high pollution alerts in London.
Budget removes diesel penalty
The company car tax penalty for diesel powered cars is to
be removed, it was revealed in the Budget.
Odour leads to Ombudsman rap
Odour and noise from a farm in Durham has led to the local
authority being fined and censured.
Wales says LAQM must respect noise impacts
Welsh Government has issued explicit guidance to local
authorities that air quality policies should take into account noise.
Odour appeal rejects thresholds
An important High Court appeal has rejected reliance on
fixed numbers of complaints as an indication of nuisance.
Agency starts on waste guidance update
The Environment Agency is to update guidance on air quality
monitoring near waste sites. It has asked RPS’s Jon Pullen to revise and update
the M17 Technical Guidance Note which covers monitoring of particulate matter
around waste management facilities.
Ecostars for Gedling
Gedling Borough Council is the first council in the East
Midlands to adopt the Ecostars scheme which encourages transport operators to
clean up their vehicles.
Waste sites over-triggering high alerts
Analysis of recent episodes by Kings College London ERG
suggests that monitoring sites near waste transfer stations are causing too many
high alerts under the new banding system introduced in the New Year (AQB January
p4). ERG notes that ‘other providers’ continue to use out of date methods.
ERG makes Youtube film on new bandings
Kings College ERG has made a short film to explain the use
of pollution warnings and the new banding system.
Olympics makes things better?
An analysis of the impacts of imposing traffic restrictions
for the London Olympic games has shown that some areas could see better air
quality, and others worse.
Simon says: Spelman should resign
Clean Air in London campaigner Simon Birkett says
environment secretary Caroline Spelman should resign for misleading the European
Commission over UK air quality plans.
Euro top ten air policies
Ten principles for clean air have been released by top
European academics ahead of review of air quality legislation.
Airtext applauded in City awards
Airtext was runner up in this year’s Sustainable City air
quality award organised by the Corporation of London. Last year Simon Birkett of
Clean Air in London won the award (AQB March 2011 p1).
More on Pasodoble
The PASODOBLE project has created a new tool that allows
health professionals to monitor the day-to-day risks posed by short-term
exposure to main urban air pollutants.
Heathrow air
The London Assembly has released a new report outlining
concerns about air quality and noise around Heathrow. The report comes as there
is renewed speculation that the decision not to build a third runway at Heathrow
may be reversed.
Long van journey
Zero emission electric vans have a long way to go before
they are cheap enough to compete with diesel, suggests a report. I
Air quality escapes further cuts
Air quality appears to have escaped further cuts in the
latest Budget and red tape announcements
Bus advice for councils
Official advice has been given on buses for those trying to
improve air quality.
Fuller fills in the public
Is ERG’s Gary Fuller the Brian Cox of air quality? We
interviewed him to find out
£101m bus bung
Winners have been announced in the third round of the
Government’s Green Bus Fund where operators were allowed to bid for up to 80% of
the cost difference between the low-carbon bus and its diesel equivalent.
BSOG going
The Government announced that the Bus Service Operators
Grant, with subsidies linked to fuel use, is to be replaced. Some say this grant
dis-incentivised cleaner buses.
IED: 7 into 1
Defra is consulting on transposition of the Industrial
Emissions Directive which pulls together seven existing directives.
Wandsworth checks
Wandsworth Council is carrying out free vehicle exhaust
checks at a supermarket.
Health lottery
London Councils warn that boroughs will get wildly
differing public health funding under the proposed new system.
Smart Eye online
The smart eye traffic monitoring system is now compatible
with Envirologger products.
Ozone problems
Ozone exceedences in Europe were less frequent in summer
2011 than in any year since monitoring started in 1997.
Act now says OECD
Despite the recession, the OECD says countries should take
action now to avoid irreversible damage to the environment.
March 2012 issue 71
Government rejects MPs
The Government has rejected key findings of MPs who have
criticised air quality policy.
Landmark Sheffield judgement set for appeal
Supermarket firm Sainsbury’s looks set to challenge an
appeal decision which concluded it could not expand a store in Sheffield because
of incremental traffic impacts on air quality.
FAQ rejig as reassurance given on factors
Frequently asked questions on the topic of local air
quality management have been rejigged on the air quality helpdesk website.
Electric van grants give low emission hope
Van buyers will now be able to receive 20% – worth up to
£8,000 – off the cost of a first wave of seven different models of plug-in
electric vans.
Wales ponders NO2 failure
AEA has released a report outlining the implications for
Wales due to the failure of NO2 and NOX to fall as predicted.
Just like UK, EPA sued for standards ‘failure’
Echoing what has happened here in the UK, the US
Environmental Protection Agency is being sued for failing to improve air
quality. Last year ClientEarth sued the UK Government for failure to comply with
EU directives which ended broadly in favour of the Government (AQB January p1).
Rendering odours lead to £35,000 fine
Ulster Farm By-Products, an animal rendering operation near
Glenavy in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, was fined a total of £35,000 plus
court costs at the Lisburn Magistrates Court last month.
Odour 1.5 OU/m3 dropped
Specific reference to an odour standard of 1.5OUE/m3 has
been dropped from the final version of the Waste Water National Policy Statement
(NPS) now published.
Very high in NI
Meanwhile in early February, high to very high levels of
air pollution were being monitored in the Newry area of Northern Ireland.
Moderate levels are also being recorded in Armagh, Londonderry and North Down.
More pollution
The cycle of high pollution prompted by January’s cold
weather (AQB February p3) spilled over into the following month, Kings College
ERG says.
Toolkit tenders
The Low Emission Strategies Partnership (LESP) is looking
for consultants to carry out a review of its low emission toolkit.
Stats show air quality worsening
More details about UK emissions have emerged, complementing
those released in the New Year (AQB January p2). Long term comparisons remain
favourable, but comparisons with more recent data suggest some pollutants are
rising – dioxins by 14%.
AURN better
There has been a slight improvement in data capture in the
automatic urban and rural monitoring network.
Model talk?
European modellers in the Fairmode group have produced a
further draft to their modelling guide.
UK meets 2010 NEC limits
The UK met emission limits set under the EU National
Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive.
New look for pollution information system
A UK web database which covers the impacts of air pollution
on the natural environment has been given a revamp.
New technology for Liverpool
2020 Liverpool, a public-private partnership between
Liverpool City Council and Mouchel, is working with the council on a trial
project involving sensors measuring traffic pollution in two areas of the city.
Leicester to take part in £2.4m project
Leicester will be a lead city in a £2.4m project aimed at
cutting transport emissions.
Toolkit help to take buses low carbon
The Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership has created a toolkit to
help councils choose low carbon buses.
Cleaner fuels closer
A key vote in the European Parliament brings cleaner ship
fuels a step closer.
WHO inequalities
The World Health Organisation has released a report on
environmental health inequalities in Europe.
Consultants merge
Royal Haskoning and DHV intend to merge to create a top 10
independently owned global engineering consultancy, (and within the top 40
overall).
Scotland joins text revolution
More details have emerged about Scotland’s new Know &
Respond air pollution forecast system (AQB February p3).
Public health advice
CIEH has produced suggestions on how environmental health
professionals can engage with the new public health service.
Local transport funds
Local communities and businesses could be given control of
decisions and budgets for major local transport schemes.
EIAs clarified
The European Commission has brought together all existing
EU legislation governing environmental impact assessments to simplify the
process.
Northern Ireland PAH problems analysed
PAH concentrations in Northern Ireland continue to cause
concern, says the Northern Ireland Government.
Limp excuses on air?
Late last year MPs were not impressed at the Government’s
inaction on air quality. Government doesn’t appear to be about to change tack.
Jack Pease takes a weary look at the excuses
Oxford forges ahead with LEZ
The Government thinks that local low emission zones are the
way forward to cut NO2. Oxford may be ahead of the game
February 2012 Issue 70
Air included as indicator
Air quality looks set to become an indicator within the new
public health performance framework.
Pollutants cut from inventory
As part of the deregulation agenda, the Environment Agency
is consulting on reducing the number of substances in the pollution inventory.
Name change for PPG1
The Environment Agency is renaming PPG1, the pollution
prevention guidance note currently known as the General guide to the prevention
of pollution. It will renamed Introducing pollution prevention: PPG1.
Putney bus shock
Buses in Putney High Street form two thirds of NOx
emissions, Wandsworth Council and TRL have found.
No idling launch
TfL has launched a no engine idling campaign. It urges
drivers of all vehicles to “make a small change” and switch off their engines
when they are parked or when picking up and dropping off people or goods,
reducing the amount of unnecessary and harmful exhaust fumes emitted.
Bus retrofit to catch NOx
NOX has been cut by 88% and PM10 by 77% in retrofit trials
on London buses. Based on that success, a thousand more London buses will be
retrofitted with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) equipment which reduces
NOX.
Another green wall
A second green wall is now set to be built on the Mermaid
Theatre at Blackfriars on Upper Thames Street in a bid to reduce air pollution.
Council fine consultation
The Government is consulting on procedures for passing EU
fines (such as for breaching the air quality directive) on to local authorities.
New calibrator
Quantitech has launched a new hand-held calibrator; the TCR
Tecora Flowcal, which has been developed to enable the fast, accurate
calibration of high volume air samplers.
Indicator released. Not good
The provisional air quality indicator for 2011 has been
released. As usual, the indicator highlights the long term improvement in trends
– but this good news is increasingly being countered by worsening or static
pollution in recent years.
Cold weather brings high pollution
Kings College ERG has reported a series of high pollution
episodes brought on by cold weather.
Scotland gets texting
Scotland now has a version of the English Airalert air
quality information scheme.
London monitoring
The Association of London Environmental Health Managers
(ALEHM) has called for greater partnership between the Mayor and the boroughs on
the London air quality network (LAQN).
Sefton sweeps the streets
Road sweeping and cleaning is having some success at
reducing dust and PM10 in Merseyside.
Another incinerator study set up by HPA
Just over two years after the Health Protection Agency
released a report saying incinerators are safe, it is commissioning more
research to see if they are still safe.
Epuk EGM points way forward
The Extraordinary General Meeting of Epuk revealed a
“remarkable degree of unanimity” to continue Epuk as a voluntary organisation
following closure proposals (AQB December p1).
Epuk sets out CHP boiler guidelines
Epuk has produced guidelines on combined heat and power
(CHP) installations. The move is perhaps the final output from Epuk in its
current form before it is wound down to a voluntary organisation (see above).
Transcript released
The official transcript for the High Court legal challenge
to Government’s plans to tackle air quality has been released – it suggests the
Government is in an “unhappy position”.
SCR is the way to go
Selective catalytic reduction is the favoured technology
for a certification scheme, a report suggests.
UWE launches innovative MSc
The University of the West of England Air Quality
Management Resource Centre is launching a new MSc which it believes is the first
of its kind.
Heathrow recasts strategy
Heathrow has laid out its new air quality strategy. It
reports some success but continues to blame others for poor air quality.
Permitting cut
Environment secretary Caroline Spelman says she has no
knowledge of talks between her department and others about condensing thousands
of pages of environmental regulation down to 50.
Electronic nose sniffs out odour pollution
Enviro Technology is marketing an “electronic nose” to
sniff out industrial odour.
California cleaning
California has agreed tougher LEV III advanced clean car
emission standards that will cut emissions of smog precursors from cars by 75%
from 2015.
Edinburgh Ecostars
Awards have been given to fleets operating in Edinburgh to
reward them for their green credentials.
Chichester talks
Chichester Council and SussexAir are jointly organising a
conference on public health.
back to top
January 2012 Issue 69
Emission factors junked
DfT emission factors are no more. They are to be replaced
by European factors which better reflect real life.
Why are emissions so wrong?
Kings College London’s David Carslaw has been instrumental
in uncovering the problems with emission factors.
Factor changes listed in NAEI
The impact of emission factor changes (see above) has been
listed in an annex to the latest (2010) release of the National Atmospheric
Emission Inventory (NAEI).
Rise and fall in 2010
Targets have been met for a basket of pollutants although
one – sulphur dioxide – rose in 2010, the main NAEI report reveals.
Mayor to spread more glue to stick PM10
Dust suppressants are to be used outside problematic waste
transfer sites and building developments, the London Mayor has announced.
Off the hook
The High Court fight against Government plans to comply
with EU air pollution directives has ended with both sides claiming victory.
LEZ toughened in London
The London low emission zone has been toughened from the
New Year and now applies to vans as well as trucks and buses. When the LEZ was
first introduced, vans were supposed to be included from October 2010.
£10m clean up for London buses
TfL and the DfT are contributing £5m each to equip up to
1,000 London buses with NOX traps.
Green wall revealed
The London Mayor has revealed a ‘stunning’ green wall
intended to mop up air pollution at Edgware Road.
More highs from index change
Government has accepted recommendations for changes to the
air quality index that could increase the number of reported moderate and high
events. It will be renamed the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI).
Future hope for Healthy Air Campaign
The Healthy Air Campaign looks is set to survive the
collapse of its key sponsor Environmental Protection UK which is to cease
trading in March (AQB December 2011 p1).
AQB ‘yardstick’ shows a worsening for 2011
The Air Quality Bulletin ‘yardstick’ (the green line,
above) is a rough and ready measure aimed at providing a quick summary of
national air pollution soon after the New Year and some weeks before official
indicators are produced.
Kelly replaces Ayres at Comeap
King’s College London’s Frank Kelly has become chairman of
the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (Comeap). He replaces Jon
Ayres.
Mogden odour back in court
The long running Mogden odour case has been back in the
High Court with residents winning modest damages which may provide useful
precedent for future nuisance cases.
Time limit twist for compliance
London looks set to have complied with the PM10 directive –
but only because of higher limits allowed because a time extension was granted,
freedom of information documents suggest.
£1.2m grant boost for councils
In a surprise announcement, air quality grant to councils
has been boosted by £1.186m.
UK wheels and deals in Brussels?
Speaking at the recent RSC AAMG meeting held in London,
Defra’s Helen Ainsworth appeared to suggest that the UK may well prefer to argue
for weaker air policy in Brussels, which is considering revisions to the
directive.
AQC & Aether win LAQM thinkpiece
Air Quality Consultants and Aether have won a Defra
contract to review the effectiveness of local authority air quality action plans
and future policy options for local air quality management.
Carbon capture rise
The increased energy required for carbon capture and
storage could worsen air pollution, a report from the European Environment
Agency states.
European industrial pollution costed
Air pollution from the 10,000 largest polluting facilities
in Europe cost between €102 and €169bn in 2009, the European Environment Agency
(EEA) claims.
Better buses
A £50m Better Bus fund has been launched.
PVR guidance
Guidance has been produced explaining regulations on the
PVR2 directive which covers petrol stations.
Agency pinned down
The Highways Agency has released data on M25 air quality
levels following a freedom of information request.
OPAL runner up
The Open Air Laboratories project (OPAL) was recognised as
one of the UK’s best environment projects at the National Lottery Awards
Average exposure
Target PM2.5 baselines on which reductions will be based
are discussed in a new report.
Sepa switch
SEPA’s director of science and strategy Professor James
Curran has become its new chief executive following the resignation of existing
chief executive Dr Campbell Gemmell.
Scottish background
Projected Scottish background maps for NOx, NO2 and PM10
for 2010, 2015, and 2020, have been published.
UWE approved
UWE’s Air Quality Management Resource Centre has had its
MSc on air quality and carbon management approved.
Trees: the pollution solution?
Another academic paper has emerged extolling the virtues of
using trees to cut air pollution.
Building sites: how to assess
Construction and demolition sites have air quality impacts
that need to be assessed, says the IAQM