AQN magazine - Issue 9 - June 2021

Issue 9

June 2021

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Improving indoor air quality to combat Covid-19 in care homes Plastic waste – dump it or burn it?

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Editorial Comment and Contacts

Welcome to Air Quality News magazine Contacts Publisher: David Harrison d.harrison@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Group Editor: Pippa Neill pippa@airqualitynews.com 01625 666 396 Business Development Manager: Jason Coward jason@airqualitynews.com 07889 212414 Finance Manager: Jenny Leach jenny@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Administration: Jenny Odgen admin@spacehouse.co.uk 01625 614 000 Subscriptions: Andrew Harrison subscriptions@airqualitynews.com 01625 614 000 Published 6 times a year Annual Subscription - £19.95 +VAT

Air Quality News - published by Spacehouse Ltd, Pierce House, Pierce Street, Macclesfield. SK11 6EX. Tel: 01625 614 000

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As we emerge out of lockdown, start returning to the office and look forward to hugging our loved ones again, we are all slowly beginning to get used to this ‘new normal.’

Change seems to be the word on the tip of all of our tongues at the moment, especially at Air Quality News. Last month, Jamie Hailstone, who has worked for Air Quality News since 2016 decided to step down, passing the baton onto me.

Jamie has spent the past six years holding up the magnifying glass to the air quality debate: from investigating the reality of hybrid vehicles to drawing on the insights and expertise of politicians, charity leaders and public sector officials.

It’s been a busy few months in the world of air quality as well. And with Clean Air Day taking place on June 17, the rest of the month looks like it will follow this trend. In light of this, I spoke to Larissa Lockwood, director of clean air at Global Action Plan, the charity behind Clean Air Day. We discussed the importance of collective action and why we need to move away from a world of activism where all of the responsibility falls onto the individual.

Also in this month’s magazine, journalist Laura O’Neill has explored a particularly contentious topic: the importance of clean air inside care homes. With the government under increased scrutiny for their handling of the pandemic in care homes, and with research revealing the importance of clean indoor air to prevent the spread of the virus, this topic has never been more important. Elsewhere in the edition we explore the possibility of a future global infertility crisis and the worrying role that air pollution - and other environmental factors - might be playing.

Before stepping down, Jamie Hailstone investigated carbon labelling on food products. When you walk down any supermarket aisle, you are bombarded with information about all of the food and drink on offer – but should supermarket products also come with a carbon footprint? In addition, I have looked into the deadly problem of burning plastic waste. The amount of waste produced each year rivals the weight of the entire human population, and as countries desperately try to find new ways to deal with it, they are often left with no option but to burn it, but this comes at a deadly air pollution cost.

Air quality continues to rise up the agenda like never before. It is a topic that we can no longer ignore, and it is increasingly apparent that it is an interconnected issue that impacts every aspect of modern life.

I look forward to leading the team in our mission to investigate air quality further and uncover impactful stories on this vital topic.

Thank you to the team for their hard work creating another excellent edition of the magazine.

Pippa Neill, editor.

Printed on FSC certified paper stock, using vegetable oil inks.

Fulfilment and distribution using 100% recycled envelopes.

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Contents

Features Contents Page 6-8: News

Page 10-12: Feature

Page 6-8 News: Bike-sharing schemes saw a huge rise during lockdown

Page 18-19 The Big Interview: Larissa Lockwood, Global Action Plan

Page 14-16: Feature

Page 18-19: The Big Interview

Page 20-22: Feature

Page 24-25: Advertorial

Page 26-28: Feature Page 10-12 Feature: Air pollution and infertility: the next global crisis?

Page 20-22 Feature: The burning question - air pollution and plastic waste

Page 29: Local Government interview

Page 30-31: Local Government

Page 32: Legal

Page 33: Marketplace Page 14-16 Feature: Should food come with a carbon footprint warning?

Page 26-28 Feature: Improving indoor air quality to combat Covid-19 in care homes

Page 30-31 Feature: Cleaning up London’s air

Page 34: Jobs

Thanks to our contributors: Jamie Hailstone, Laura O’Neill, London Environment Directors Network, Polly Billington, Anita Lloyd and Francesca Puttock

Partners

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News

in brief Exposure to air pollution impacts cognition Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University examined the effects of exposure to PM2.5 on seven cognitive domains: verbal, attention, flexibility, memory, math, speed, and problem-solving.

The researchers found that among these seven domains, the effect on memory was the strongest. The authors also found that exposure to high levels of PM2.5 appears to exacerbate the inequality in cognitive performance.

The analysis also revealed that those under the age of 50 – the working-age population may be the most affected by contemporaneous exposure to air pollution.

Oxford air pollution declined by 29% in 2020 According to new data published by the City Council, all 71 monitoring stations across the city were fully compliant with the national legal limit of 40g/m3.

The average reduction of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) across the entire city was 29% and particulate matter (PM2.5) reduced by 22%.

The report also revealed that during the first lockdown, Oxford saw reductions of up to 60% in NO2 levels – this is the lowest level recorded in the city since Oxford's air quality was first monitored in 1996.

Traffic surpasses pre-pandemic levels In a report published by the Transport Technology Forum (TTF) they found that overall traffic levels have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels for the first time since March 2020.

However, they found that there is a clear change to the make-up of the traffic, with goods vehicles now accounting for a greater proportion of all vehicles.

The analysts also looked at car park data and found that there is a predictable increase in the number of occupied spaces since the ease of lockdown restrictions, with daily occupancy rising steadily since April 12.

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Consultation to begin on Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone The council introduced phase one of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in 2018 in order to address harmful levels of nitrogen dioxide in the city centre.

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hase 1 applies to local bus services only, whereas phase 2 will be far broader and will include all vehicles, except those that are exempt. A report providing an update of the progress of the LEZ went to the Environment, Sustainability & Carbon Reduction City Policy Committee on June 8.

The progress of phase 2 is dependent on legislation,

the progress of which was temporarily impacted by Covid-19.

This means that enforcement of this second phase is now expected to be from June 2023 (subject to the relevant approvals), which is slightly later than originally anticipated.

The consultation, which opens later this month will set out the rationale behind the requirement for a LEZ in Glasgow city

centre and will include details of its scope, proposed start date, intended boundary, and grace periods for zone residents and non-residents.

Cllr Anna Richardson, convener for sustainability and carbon reduction said: ‘The introduction of Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone in 2018 shows our resolute determination to tackle air pollution in the city centre and beyond.’

London-wide e-scooter trial Electric scooters are available to rent in London from June 7 as part of a yearlong trial scheme.

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ollowing the government’s announcement last year to legalise rental trials of e-scooters, TfL and London Councils launched an open and competitive procurement process for the rental scheme.

Following this, operators Dott, Lime and TIER have been appointed to take part in the trial.

The scooters will only be allowed to be used on roads and in cycleways - not on footpaths.

All operators are obliged to ensure that their rental prices take into account the needs of people on lower incomes and to offer discounts to certain groups where appropriate, including key workers.

Commenting on the start of the

e-scooter trials, director of London Travel Watch, Emma Gibson said: We welcome the e-scooter trials taking place in London.

‘Our research on future transport highlighted that personal/micro mobility solutions have the potential to be a much greener transport option for

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many people. ‘However, there have been a number of incidents and accidents in other parts of the country which have already trialled e-scooter hire schemes so there will also be a need for enforcement against users who endanger others through antisocial behaviour or by riding on the pavement.

‘TfL and local councils must also ensure that when not being used, scooters are kept in places that don't obstruct the pavement.

We would encourage local councils to include provision for secure docking as a condition when awarding hire companies licences to avoid the same problems they have experienced in Paris.’

News

Bike-sharing schemes saw a huge rise during lockdown Thousands of people across Scotland took up cycling thanks to bike-sharing schemes, according to a new report published by charity Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK).

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he schemes attracted more than 18,000 new users in Glasgow and Edinburgh between June and September last year.

The schemes offered the first 30 minutes of use for free, thanks to grant funding from Transport for Scotland. As a result of this initiative, one in 10 users said they enjoyed the scheme so much they went on to buy their own bicycle.

Almost three-quarters of users said they experienced an improvement in their physical wellbeing, while 47% said their mental health improved.

Based on these findings, CoMoUK has now recommended bike-sharing is recognised as ‘an essential part of our public transport system,’ and urged

future investment in promotions to encourage more people to sign up.

They have also suggested that the government expands bikesharing initiatives into areas of multiple deprivation in order to increase connectivity and reduce inequalities. Lorna Finlayson, Scotland director for CoMoUK, said: ‘This report shows that when bike-sharing is made available and attractive, people want to take part.

‘Not only will users save money and reduce their own carbon footprint, but they are also likely to experience improvements to their own physical and mental health.

‘The benefits that await governments and councils from promoting shared transport options like this are huge and go well beyond simply hitting environmental targets.’

Researchers to investigate the scale of microplastic pollution inside our homes During the first phase of the study, researchers from the University of Leeds will work with 40 families from Bradford in West Yorkshire to measure the microplastics caught in sampling devices placed inside their homes.

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he families will be active participants in the study and will be involved in analysing the microplastic fragments to try and identify the sources of the pollution Previous research has revealed there to be a build-up of microplastics in the oceans, food and drinking water, but this is the first investigation to measure the extent of microplastic pollution in the home environment.

There is some speculation that microplastics may be coming from textiles, and that their distribution might be affected by ventilation and the age of the building. Dr Kirsty Pringle, a research scientist at the Institute for Climate and

Atmospheric Science at the University of Leeds, said: ‘Huge amounts of plastic are produced and disposed of every single day, and we now know that this has caused microplastic particles to build up throughout the natural environment.

‘While researchers have found microplastics in very remote locations, even in the

clean air on the Alps, very few people have looked at airborne plastics closer to home.

‘In this project, we will study microplastics in the air in peoples houses. It is particularly important to understand levels of pollution in our houses because it is where we tend to spend most of our time, so any health effects are likely to be more significant.’

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in briefin brief New app will make choosing public transport easier The app provides the public with easy access to different modes of transport based on their needs.

The operator acts as an intermediary between multiple transport operators and users.

Customers can buy a bundle of services, including multiple forms of transport and can make informed decisions about which one to use for each of their trips, all on a single app.

The operator also provides users with a real-time supply and demand optimiser for each trip by knowing the network conditions and preferences of users.

‘Greener’ E10 petrol to be rolledout from September E10 is a biofuel made up of 90% regular unleaded petrol and 10% bioethanol.

Bioethanol is a form of renewable energy that can be produced from agricultural feedstocks. It can be made from common UK crops such as potato and corn.

According to the government, switching to E10 could cut carbon emissions equivalent to taking 350,000 cars off the road every year.

As part of the rollout, E10 will be introduced at all petrol stations in Britain from September.

50% of drivers would be willing to change their journeys to reduce pollution According to a survey, which was conducted by Renault and involved over 2,000 motorists, of those drivers whose regular commute involves driving by a school, more than a third said they were aware of an alternative route that they could take.

However, a further 25% were unsure as to whether they would be willing to take a different route.

This survey comes after a new study found that the implementation of School Streets schemes in London reduced nitrogen dioxide by up to 23% during the morning school run.

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News

in brief New Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will help to reduce air pollution in India ETS offers a market-based approach to reduce air pollution by allowing governments to set a cap on emission levels and distribute permits to firms.

The approach uses continuous emissions monitoring systems (cems) to send real-time and continuous readings of particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions.

To begin with, the ETS will regulate emissions from 200 dyeing industries in Ludhiana.

The Government of Punjab will work with J-PAL South Asia and EPIC India to design and establish pollution markets in Punjab.

Bus depot to be transformed into the UK’s largest EV charging station The First Bus depot in Glasgow will have space to charge 300 electric buses.

The first phase of the project, which is now underway, will see 11 dual DC rapid charging units installed.

Phase One of the depot is expected to be complete by September this year, allowing for the introduction of a further 22 electric buses to Glasgow’s streets.

The transformation has been made possible in part due to First Bus being awarded a further £24.3m in a successful bid in the second round of the Scottish Ultra-Low Bus Scheme (SULEB).

Court rules South African coal power station to be illegal In an order dated May 27, the High Court in Pretoria declared that the environmental approval for the planned Khanyisa coal-fired power station has expired.

The ruling came as a result of a legal challenge to the project's environmental authorisation by environmental justice group GroundWork, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights.

GroundWork launched the litigation against ACWA Power in 2017.

It sought to set aside the environmental approval for the plant on the basis that ACWA had failed to assess the project's climate change impact.

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Birmingham council will work with residents to improve Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) The council started delivering LTNs last year as part of its emergency transport response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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he schemes in Moseley and Kings Heath have received a significant amount of feedback, with strong views expressed both for and against.

Going forward a dedicated project board will be created

to oversee any future phases, including the continued development of travel plans to encourage walking and cycling with full public consultations on any new designs.

Following a meeting with local councillors, Cllr Ian Ward,

leader of Birmingham City Council said: ‘Schemes like this are crucial if we are going to meet our ambitious target for the city to become carbon neutral by 2030, but change often leads to disruption and it’s important that we now listen to feedback as we work with the local community to get this right.’

Cllr Waseem Zaffar, the cabinet member for transport and environment, added: ‘We are working towards a common goal here. We all want cleaner air to breathe, better environments for our families to live in and improved quality of life for our citizens.

‘But we must work with communities to get this right.

We now have an action plan to build on the successful aspects of the schemes and improve on what is already in place.’

Bulgarian citizens take state to court over air pollution The groups will argue that the new air quality plan for Sofia will not reduce levels of air pollution in the city to within legal limits by 2024, as promised by the Sofia municipality.

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he citizens claim that the authorities’ failure to address illegal levels of air pollution is a violation of their right to clean air.

According to the groups, the plan also fails to clearly outline the measures the city will take to reduce air pollution in the shortest time frame possible, as required by Bulgarian and EU law.

Bulgarian courts have so far refused to recognise the rights of the citizens and organisations to go to court and appeal air quality plans, as, according to the courts, the effectiveness of these plans does not affect these groups’ rights.

However, the groups say that refusing access to the courts

breaches European law.

The challenge, brought in partnership with environmental organisation Za Zemiata and is supported by ClientEarth.

The groups must now wait to see whether they will be granted the right to go to court. If they are, a date for a hearing will then be

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set. ClientEarth lawyer Agnieszka Warso-Buchanan added: ‘When authorities fail to uphold their duty to protect people's health, the law should enable people to exercise their right to hold authorities to account. But Bulgarian courts have time and again refused people this right. It's time that this changes.’

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Feature

Air pollution and infertility: the next Birth rates are decreasing worldwide, and in European countries they are even dropping below population replacement levels. While these decreases might be due to many adults postponing having children, an increasing body of research suggests that this is not the full picture. Pippa Neill, editor at Air Quality News investigates the worrying environmental factors that may be responsible for our declining fertility rates.

Declining fertility rates It might sound like something out of a dystopian novel, but across the world fertility rates are declining at an alarming rate. In a groundbreaking study published last July in the Lancet, researchers at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics found that across the world, fertility rates have nearly halved from 4.7 in 1950 to 2.4 in 2017.

In this study, the authors explain that age is one of the main reasons for these falling birth rates. With more women in education and work than ever before, an increasing number of women are choosing to have fewer children and are choosing to do so later in life.

However, research seems to suggest that these trends are not purely down to greater gender equality. In fact, even when controlling for age, research suggests that fertility rates are still in decline. In a study published in 2017, an international group of researchers found that sperm counts among men in North America, Europe and New Zealand

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have declined by more than 53% since 1973.

Although there is no one conclusive reason behind this, increasingly researchers are pointing towards a host of environmental factors.

Environmental factors Professor Audrey Gaskins, an expert in the relationship between environmental, dietary and lifestyle factors and fertility at Emory University, Atlanta told Air Quality News: ‘Age is by far the biggest risk factor when it comes to infertility, but increasingly we are finding that various environmental factors are also playing a significant role.

‘There are a broad range of chemicals that have been found to be potentially dangerous when it comes to fertility: parabens found in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, flame retardants found in furniture, BPAs that are used to make certain plastics and potentially the most significant of them all - air pollution.

‘Air pollution is very concerning because it actually

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Despite this growing body of research, in the UK, information and advice for those struggling with infertility or reproductive issues contains no mention of the potential impact of air pollution.

Tone Marvis-Jack, co-founder of the Fertility Foundation, a UK based charity which provides support and help to individuals and couples who are accessing fertility treatment, told Air Quality News: ‘A lot of patients that come through the Fertility Foundation are raising awareness to the fact that they’re also struggling with their breathing, we’re seeing a lot more people with asthma.

‘It’s very difficult to attribute that to one specific thing, but when we’re looking at people’s lifestyles, this is one thing that keeps popping up time and time again.’

Global impact

t global crisis?

seems to impact fertility at a couple of different time points and on a couple of different levels,’ explains Professor Gaskins.

‘When we look at markers of male and female fertility, studies have shown that air pollution is associated with a lower sperm count in men, meaning that men who have a higher lifetime exposure to air pollution have lower sperm concentrations and poor sperm quality.

‘Then on the female side, air pollution is associated with an increased risk of menstrual cycle dysfunctions and irregular periods. It is also potentially associated with accelerated ovarian aging.

‘When a pregnant woman is exposed to air pollution, the developing fetuses' gametes, meaning its sperm or ovary follicles may also be affected - this means this change can pass on to the next generation.

‘So the research seems to suggest that air pollution can impact our reproductive health on both the male and female side, but that it can also have a multi-generational downstream effect.’

It would be easy to think that declining birth rates might actually be a positive thing; a smaller population would reduce our carbon emissions, reduce deforestation and reduce our demand on the earth’s resources. However, researchers have highlighted that a falling population can lead to many complex social, political and economic issues.

As explained by Professor Audrey: ‘This is a really new body of research but I think it’s really important that it influences policy.

‘No one wants to hear that air pollution is causing women to lose babies or causing couples to struggle to have children - not only does this have a heavy emotional impact but there are other huge economic impacts too.’

According to a report published by the research firm International Strategic Analysis, a declining birth rate will lead to fewer workers, which can lead to labour shortages and in turn can slow down economic growth. Falling birth rates also mean that the average age of the population continues to rise, and unless the aging population are economically active they can become a burden on the economy.

Who pays for healthcare for the elderly? Will people still be able to retire from work? Who looks after the elderly?

- these might soon become the questions that we are all struggling to answer.

Beyond the economic impact, it is also important to highlight the emotional impact that infertility issues can bring. Tone Marvis-Jack has seen this first hand, he explained: ‘Every day we see patients with mental health issues, we see relationships break down, marriages totally destroyed - infertility can very quickly become an allconsuming factor in your life.

‘You’re taught in school how not to get pregnant, but you’re not really taught about your future options and the struggles that you can face when you do want to start a family. The conversations are very one-sided at the moment.’

The future What is particularly alarming is that these trends show no sign of slowing down, according to one estimate the

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number of people on the planet is expected to peak at 9.7 billion around 2064, before falling down to 8.8 billion by the end of the century.

Researchers have also warned that as the effects of the climate crisis worsen this may continue to impact our fertility.

Dr Thalia Segal, a specialist in diagnosing and treating the causes of fertility told Air Quality News: ‘We know that with climate change, the number of wildfires are increasing, especially on the West Coast of the United States where I’m based.

‘These wildfires pose a very significant air pollution problem, and yet the connection this pollution has to infertility is still largely unexplored.

‘This year we have had a natural experiment to explore this issue further, at the start of 2020 we had the worst wildfires in the state’s history, the world was literally on fire, and then this followed a national lockdown where the air pollution was minimal, the best we’ve ever had.

‘It provided us with a truly unique opportunity to investigate the link between air pollution and fertility.’

In order to understand this connection, Dr Thalia is currently undertaking an extensive research project looking at the blood follicular semen from patients who have been undergoing IVF during the pandemic and comparing them to IVF patients who were exposed to the recent wildfires.

Although her findings are not yet conclusive, Dr Thalia

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expects to see really significant results.

Understanding the role that environmental factors such as air pollution are playing when it comes to infertility is vitally important. Not only is it essential to use this information to influence policy and medical advice, but it is also essential so that methods to improve population growth do not reverse progress in women’s education.

As explained by Professor Audrey: ‘I think one of the reasons that air pollution is particularly concerning is because on an individual level you have very little control over what you are being exposed to, it takes policy guidelines on a country or county level to really make a difference.

‘Recent research has shown that in the U.S, Europe and in other developed countries where our exposure to air pollution is relatively low, we’re still seeing the effects that air pollution can have on fertility.

‘This means that air pollution that we currently consider to be safe could still be impacting our general and reproductive health - therefore perhaps our safe limits should perhaps be even lower.’

With new research coming out all the time, this is still a relatively unexplored area of research but while we wait to find out all the answers, there has never been a better time to finally reduce air pollution. As stated by Professor Audrey and reiterated by the World Health Organisation, when it comes to air pollution there is ‘no safe level.’

Advertorial

Time to breathe

A

ir pollution is now the largest environmental health risk in the UK, greater than obesity and smoking.

It causes 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK and costs the economy a staggering £20 billion annually.

Air pollution is an issue across all our major cities as well as in the countryside. While exposure is greater in and within cities, principally because petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles are the largest source or air pollution, domestic solid fuel burners that burn coal or wet wood are also a significant source of contaminants.

As the Environment Bill progresses through Parliament, the British Safety Council's 'Time to Breathe' campaign is calling for outdoor workers to be protected from the dangers of air pollution.

Taking a breath is the most natural and essential of all human actions. But what if the air we breathe, instead of supporting life, is in fact shortening it? For many outdoor workers in the UK, this is the shocking reality of drawing breath during their working day. For them, ambient air pollution has turned the simple, human act of breathing into a deadly occupational hazard.

This forgotten army of outdoor workers are the people who deliver our letters, help our children to cross the road, empty our bins, and keep us safe from crime. They deserve better protection. The British Safety Council’s ‘Time to Breathe’ campaign is determined that they will get it.

The campaign is calling for three key changes.

Firstly, better data is needed to give a real-time picture of what the pollution levels are in an area. This can help Government agencies set exposure limits to safeguard health.

London is already leading the way on air pollution monitoring, but this is something that now needs national government support to be rolled out across every major city.

Secondly, the British Safety Council is calling for the UK to adopt World Health Organisation limits for outdoor workers’ exposure to the most dangerous air pollutants, such as Nitrogen Dioxide and Ozone. It is important to remember that for Britain’s outdoor workers, the street is their workplace.

Finally, we need to deal with the causes of poor air quality, as well as the impacts. Everyone has a role in reducing emissions, moving towards electric vehicles, promoting cycling and walking, and reducing energy usage. Unsafe air is not something that society should simply accept.

The current passage of the Environment Bill through the

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House provides legislators with an opportunity to give workers the protection that they so urgently need.

It is an opportunity that cannot be missed.

No one should be made ill by the job that they do. Workers on the street deserve the same legal protections as those inside. Let’s make 2021 the year we help Britain’s outdoor workers breathe easy at last.

To become a supporter of our campaign, contact us using timetobreathe@britsafe.org and we will be in touch.

You can also follow us on social media @BritSafe and use the hashtags: #timetobreathe #cleanairwork

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Should food come with a carbon footprint warning?

Many products now come with calorie warnings, but should they also advertise their impact on the environment as well?

Jamie Hailstone investigates.

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alk down any supermarket aisle and the chances are you will be bombarded with information about all the food and drink on offer.

From sugar content to ethical food standards, like the Red Tractor logo, it seems modern shoppers have never had it so good when it comes to informed choices about what we eat and drink.

But should supermarket food and drink now come with labelling explaining the products carbon footprint? After all, food production – particularly red meat – can be a major source of emissions, and as shoppers look for greener choices, shouldn’t

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manufacturers be more open about the environmental impact of these items.

Food and drinks manufacturers are certainly promoting more products as ‘carbon neutral’. Only last month, the Co-op announced it will be the first supermarket to sell fully carbon neutral own brand food and drink by 2025.

In an industry-first move, the Co-op said it will price match its plant-based GRO range against equivalent meat products.

It will make its entire 200-strong home delivery fleet electric, end the use of fossil fuel heating, lower farm agricultural emissions, cut packaging and reduce impacts from soy in animal feed.

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‘Emissions from our operations and our own-brand products are where we have the greatest responsibility and can make the biggest difference,’ says Co-op Food chief executive, Jo Whitfield.

‘Now when our members buy Coop branded products and services we give local causes a helping hand and we’ll be addressing the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis. Funding schemes worldwide to tackle carbon emissions and supporting reforestation in the UK.’ However, there is a big difference between simply branding a product as ‘carbon neutral’ and clear labelling about a footprint. There is also the danger that such labelling could get

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lost in the packaging itself, or that consumers are already bombarded with so many details about a product that it would simply be a case of ‘information overload’.

Then there are the obvious concerns about ‘green washing’. Can food manufacturers be trusted to provide accurate information about the true carbon footprint of a product, or will they use offsetting measures to mask its true environmental cost?

And then there could be the unintended consequences. Everybody knows that red meat produces more carbon than say chicken, but if there is a massive move away from beef to chicken could that mean more intensive farming and lower food standards.

‘I think It is important for consumers to better understand the carbon intensity of what they buy – however, some of the current labels (e.g. by the Carbon Trust) seem of limited value,’ says Eunomia’s head of sustainable business, Mark Hilton.

‘For example, I don’t believe that consumers will understand something that states grams of carbon while something as vague as “carbon measured” or “reducing carbon” is somewhat meaningless and could just be considered greenwash.

‘If this is going to work we believe that it needs to be a simple colourcoded system (perhaps like the A to G energy scale for appliances) – although there is a question over whether this should be relative (e.g. within a product category) or absolute (which would be more useful when comparing across product categories).

As implied by the question, perhaps we just need to highlight the very high carbon products with a clear red label for example. Either could be backed up by more detail via a QR code if people want that,’ adds Mr Hilton.

‘There remains the problem of consumer information and label overload – ideally we would rationalise and have an agreed national set that everyone has to use and some that are no longer allowed where considered unhelpful or greenwash.

‘Product carbon footprints are quite involved to do properly and accurately,’ adds Mr Hilton. ‘The

Last month (May), Lidl announced one of its longest-standing suppliers, Wyke Farms, it is to create carbon-neutral Cheddar by the end of 2021.

In a supermarket-first, Lidl is working directly with Wyke Farms, and its farming base, on the project.

Through sustainable working practices, the supplier will aim to save 22.5 million kgs of CO2 per year, the equivalent weight of more than 1,875 double-decker buses.

At Lidl, chilled cheese is the second biggest carbon emitter in the supply chain.

Lidl and Wyke Farms are also working together on a bigger ambition to pioneer a closed-loop system by 2030, which will ensure that carbon neutrality is being achieved from completely within the supply chain itself.

As part of this closed-loop system, the programme aims to incorporate carbon captured by Wyke farms through the process of turning bio-waste from local Lidl stores and suppliers into renewable energy, paving the way for a fully sustainable dairy farming model.

The Carbon Trust will verify the project to ensure the approach taken stands up to scientific principles.

‘At Lidl, we’re passionate about making good food accessible for everyone, produced in ways that benefit producers and our planet,’ said head of responsible sourcing and ethical trade, Amali Bunter.

‘We are also committed to future-proofing British farming by helping introduce more sustainable practices. Our partnership with Wyke Farms is aiming to tackle some of the barriers to addressing carbon-neutrality in farming. Developing a closed-loop system requires significant investment, but we believe that this pioneering programme will help set the standard for our supplier practices going forward.’ important thing is that the method is reasonably comprehensive, focusing on the hotspots across the lifecycle, and is to an agreed standard. This has been the aim of the EU PEF

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project. While useful, it would be pretty onerous and perhaps unrealistic to expect businesses to provide a standardised carbon footprint for every single product. It is perhaps

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more realistic to have a more generic carbon footprint for every category / sub-category of product to help inform consumers in broad terms e.g. cotton textile garments are more carbon intensive than polyester ones, rather than to make detailed choices within a category – or as noted above – just a warning where the product is deemed ‘high carbon’ might be a sensible and effective compromise.’

Phill Davies, the co-founder of Magway - a high-capacity lowcarbon delivery system believes it is not a ‘matter of if, but when’ products come with a ‘carbon cost’ warning.

‘As consumers become increasingly eco-conscious, they are already expectant of brands to “do the right thing” and inform shoppers of their sustainability practises and environmental impact. It will in time become a serious contender for competitor differentiation, especially

Gen Zers globally think that brands should be held to account for their actions.

‘With industries such as fashion and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) under increasing regulatory and consumer pressure to operate sustainably, there will be a natural move towards brands visibly demonstrating their “eco-credentials”.

‘FMCG brands are undergoing a reassessment of the impact of their operations upon the planet. As already popularised by the aviation industry, “carbon miles” will form a fundamental component of these evaluations and can be very practically achieved.

‘Calculating the carbon cost of a product must take into account every aspect of its life up until the moment it is consumed and eventually disposed.

An important moment to capture, and one where brands can make a lot of

amongst the highly sort after and valuable Gen Z and millennial age profiles,’ says Mr Davies.

‘In fact, recent McKinsey research indicates 60 to 80 percent of

progress, is in lowering the carbon cost of the transportation of a product within the supply chain. Here, turning towards low-carbon, and even zero emission, technologies is key. Our

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system Magway, for instance, uses electric powered proprietary linear motor and control technology to move goods at high-speed between hubs using magnetic waves. As an alternative to HGVs, Magway drastically reduces CO2 emissions and, when powered by renewables sources, can even be a net-zero contributor of emissions.’

But Stacey Skidmore, managing director of sustainable retailer, Ecovibe, says many consumers are still unaware of the environmental impacts of their product choices.

‘The carbon footprint of many of our everyday products, especially those which have been imported, is shockingly high, with a huge 5.5kg of carbon produced to make just one polyester shirt,’ she tells Air Quality News.

‘It’s the law to disclose the number of calories within food and drink products sold in stores, which has proven an effective way to drive more health-conscious choices. Likewise, displaying vegan and cruelty free on cosmetics products has had a similar impact to alter mindsets, so it’s time something similar is used for environmental impacts.

‘It could prove hugely beneficial to label products with the amount of carbon used to manufacture them. However, this calculation can become very complex from the raw materials used, manufacturing process, to delivery of the goods. To allow consumers to make accurate comparisons, the “carbon cost” calculation would require a consistent approach throughout.

‘By providing this clarity, it will increase the understanding of the environmental impacts of many everyday products and help to encourage consumers to make more sustainable and environmentally friendly choices,’ adds Ms Skidmore.

Today’s shoppers are definitely becoming more environmentally aware and will want to see food manufacturers and retailers follow suit. Whether full-on carbon labelling becomes the next big thing is a moot point, but carbon neutral ranges are definitely here to stay.

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17

The Big Interview

Larissa Lockwood, Global Action Plan Air Quality News talks to Larissa Lockwood, director of clean air at the environmental change charity Global Action Plan. - Pippa Neill

On June 17th Global Action Plan is coordinating the fifth Clean Air Day, the UK’s largest air pollution campaign where thousands of people will come together from across the country to raise awareness and celebrate the benefits of cleaner air. Air Quality News got in touch with Larissa Lockwood, director of clean air to find out more about this year's events and hear how they got to this point.

‘Back in 2017 there was very little public information about air quality,’ Larissa tells Air Quality News.

‘We knew we had to do something to change this and so we were talking to the likes of Public Health England to say we needed a national public health campaign. But we quickly realised we weren’t getting very far with this and so we thought why not set up a Clean Air Day. There’s a day for everything nowadays so we thought, how hard can it be?’

Since 2017, Clean Air Day has continued to grow. Last year, with the first ever Clean Air Day Live, Global Action Plan saw more than 2,000 individuals and organisations join in. This year, with a mix of online and in-person actions, Global Action Plan expects an even greater response.

‘I think one of the main reasons why the Clean Air Day model is so successful is because it’s not just Global Action Plan doing the action. We coordinate the campaign, but really it’s on behalf of 250 plus organisations and thousands of participants who take the resources and do action on a local level to reach their own audiences.’

This year, many organisations are hosting their own Clean Air Day events. Great Ormond Street is running an education programme for their clinical staff to teach them how to communicate with patients about air pollution.

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Bristol City Council is looking at the health inequalities within black and brown communities and Environmental Protection Scotland has launched their own local campaign and are creating colouring books for schools to help educate children.

But this year, the focus of Clean Air Day is more on the collective and less on the individual.

‘We know that when we say “do what you can to tackle air pollution,” that there’s only so much individuals can do,’ explains Larissa.

‘On Clean Air Day people might cycle to work as a one off but they might find it to be scary or dangerous. If there were segregated cycle lanes then they might be willing to do it more often.

"Everyone has a role to play to support what is going on in their local area, but I think it’s important that all of the onus isn’t just on the individual."

‘It’s all well and good to tell people to drive an electric vehicle, but if they’re too expensive and there isn’t enough charging infrastructure then what do you expect people to do?’

‘We want to encourage people to take action themselves, but then we want to empower them to tell decision makers to make a change. Everyone has a role to play to support what is going on in their local area but I think it’s important that all of the onus isn’t just on the individual. We need the whole of society to respond; we need businesses, industry and governments to take action, we need systemic change.’

The Big Interview

As well as focusing on the importance of collective action, this year's Clean Air Day will pay particular attention to the impact that air pollution has on children.

In a study commissioned by Global Action Plan last year, researchers at the University of Manchester revealed that maintaining lower air pollution levels by 20% could improve the development of a child’s working memory by 6%, the equivalent of four weeks of extra learning time per year.

‘After the year we’ve just had I think we owe it to children to let them play and learn in a healthy environment.

‘Children are one of the most vulnerable groups to air pollution for a number of reasons, namely because they’re smaller they’re actually closer to the source of the emissions.

air pollution on their death certificate, and we all saw the benefits of cleaner air when the world came to a standstill in March 2020.

But despite this progress, Larissa is clear that we still

They also breathe faster so they inhale more and their bodies and brains are still developing meaning they’re very vulnerable to the impacts.

‘It’s really important that we clean up the air for future generations, this year we want to really seize the moment and have our say to protect children’s health.’

Larissa has spent over six years working for Global Action Plan and in that time a lot has changed; the first Clean Air Zones have been implemented, 9-year old Ella Kissi-Debrah became the first person in the world to have

also want to see targets and standards that we can all work towards and a national public health campaign dedicated towards air pollution.

‘School streets should become mainstream, we need better electric vehicle infrastructure, better provisions for walking and cycling, better public transport links and working from home should be normalised. We all need to play our part through individual actions but we also need to be empowered to call on authorities to make the bigger systemic changes.’

"After the year we’ve just had I think we owe it to children to let them play and learn in a healthy environment." have a very long way to go.

‘As a country, I want people to really understand their own personal contributions to air pollution so it becomes a personal issue that people feel empowered to change but I

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The burning question - air pollution and plastic waste

An estimated 381 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced globally each year. Many countries are left struggling to deal with this growing mountain of waste, particularly those in the Global South and so they are left with little option but to dump or burn it. Pippa Neill investigates the air pollution impact of this.

The plastic problem Plastic is a product that in many ways has revolutionised the way we live our lives. It has enabled supermarkets to offer a wide range of fresh produce and it has saved lives through the production of various medical devices.

However, over the past few decades our plastic production has skyrocketed, in 1950 the world produced an estimated 2 million tonnes of plastic per year. Since then, annual production has increased nearly 200-fold, reaching 381 million tonnes in 2020, that’s nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population As a result of this rapid growth, our waste management systems have been unable to keep up. We are all more than used to the familiar site of spotting plastic in our rivers,

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oceans and nature spots, but in many cases the pollution goes much deeper than the one we can see. Many countries in the Global South lack any efficient waste disposal systems on a local or even national level and so with no way to dispose of this waste safely, individuals are left with no option but to burn it.

Professor Francis Pope, chair of atmospheric science at the University of Birmingham explained: ‘If you haven’t got a top-down system to deal with waste then burning it is the seemingly sensible thing to do.

‘Waste takes up space and it can be unsafe or unsanitary - by burning it you can get rid of it, you can prevent the spread of diseases, you can get rid of bad smells, you can stop rat infestations, and you can do all of this for free.’

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carbon, a fine particulate material that is released during the combustion process.

‘This means that even if plastic is only a small fraction of the overall waste, it is still responsible for something like 90% of black carbon emissions.

‘We also found that in Mexico over 90% of the waste in rural areas was burned. It was slightly better in bigger towns and cities, however the majority of the waste that is collected is then burned at bigger municipal sites.’

When it comes to air pollution, black carbon is particularly worrying, inhalation is associated with respiratory problems, cardiovascular disease, cancer and birth defects.

A lack of local waste collection services in the Global South means that many people have to burn their waste at home, in their gardens or on the side of the roads - this means that this dangerous air pollution is in very close proximity to human habitation.

Professor Smith explained: ‘We found that respiratory diseases were much higher in the countryside, we’re talking one in 20 people being affected by respiratory problems, it was staggering.

We expected that in rural areas away from traffic and infrastructure that people would be a lot healthier, but we were wrong.’

Black carbon is also a very dangerous greenhouse gas and is roughly 4,000 times more potent in terms of its climate change impact compared to carbon dioxide.

As explained by Professor Smith, ‘Burning waste leads to these local respiratory health issues but also transboundary global climate change impacts.’

Unequal effects

Air pollution While burning waste may seem like the sensible and cost-effective thing to do, there are many dangerous side effects.

When you burn any organic matter it produces carbon dioxide emissions and various air pollutants, but when you burn plastic the outcome is even more sinister.

In 2019, Professor Stephen Smith, head of environmental and water resource engineering at Imperial College London was involved in one of the most extensive studies to date looking at the air pollution impact of burning waste in the Global South. He told Air Quality News: ‘We measured the emissions from different types of waste and found that plastics are a huge producer of black

The problem with this pollution is that the burden of the suffering does not fall equally. If it is largely countries in the Global South that are struggling to deal with their waste and so are left with no option but to burn it then they shoulder a greater burden than us in the UK, where our waste is shipped off to other countries, buried in the ground or dealt with at incinerators.

Even within each country, the inequality goes even further. Joanne Green, senior policy associate at Tearfund, the international Christian relief and development agency told Air Quality News: ‘There are about 11 million waste pickers across the world and they are on the frontline of the battle against plastic pollution.

‘They work in extremely hazardous conditions and are exposed to open burning on a daily level. According to one study in Mexico, the average life expectancy of a waste picker is just 39 years.

‘They are resilient, productive and effective at what they do and yet there is no accountability.’

In their Burning Question report published in 2020, Tearfund called on mass consumer goods companies to work in partnership with waste pickers to create safe jobs.

They also called on high-income governments to provide the instruments and technical support required for local governments to work with these groups and offer support.

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Joanne Green added: ‘We think there is the potential for a real win-win situation here, we can create clean and decent jobs and we can also reduce plastic pollution, there are joint benefits for both people and the planet.’

What can be done?

Increasingly there is growing pressure on governments and multinational corporations to move away from a single-use economy to a more circular one. In a circular economy, manufacturers design products to be reusable, the purpose is to redefine growth by designing waste out of the system.

However, achieving this somewhat utopian vision is still a long way off, and in the meantime millions of people are continually exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution on a daily basis. It is therefore essential that we take action in the short-term to help other countries to deal with their

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waste in a safer way.

Professor Smith said: ‘Burning isn’t really picked up at all in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and this needs to change.

‘Burning is a really cross cutting issue, it generates air pollution, it generates climate change events and it’s connected to our waste crisis. It needs to be higher up on the policy agenda with top down organisations helping individuals to find alternative ways to deal with this waste.

‘The UK is hosting COP26 this year and I think this is a really unique opportunity to draw greater attention to this issue.

‘We need action on the ground, we need waste collection systems and we need to support the Global South to get it right. This isn’t just a local issue, it affects everyone and solving it wouldn’t just solve the burning problem, it would help to address water pollution, the climate crisis and our ongoing health crisis.’

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Vortex IoT to deliver state-ofInfrastructure (V2I) solutions to en Pathbreaking project in West Midlands, UK to help build safer, greener and smarter cities CURBS is a realtime remote condition & asset management monitoring solution for Smart City’s and urban environments.

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Vortex IoT, a disruptive UK-based IoT solutions company has developed a new Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) remote condition monitoring system to help improve asset and infrastructure management in urban environments by harnessing the unique capabilities of 3D lidar sensing, 5G wireless technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning.

The V2I solutions will transform cities with the connectivity and intelligence they need to bring about digital transformation to urban remote condition monitoring and asset management. As a recent study

by Juniper Research has forecast, by utilizing V2X-enhanced smart traffic management systems, cities will save $277 billion by 2025 by reducing emission and congestion globally.

CURBS, the product name, stands for Continuous Urban Scanner (CURBS) and has the potential to be a game changing technology in the management of the urban environment.

The technology can be used to monitor the condition of a number of assets, for example: -

• Potholes - detection, growth rate, position • Road signs - knocked over, missing, leaning • Bus stops - Damage • Lamp posts – damaged, leaning • Traffic lights - damaged, leaning • Rubbish bins - Overflowing, missing, leaning • Rubbish on pavement - Presence • Foliage - Passing set point above or out into roadway, fallen branches etc.

• Road surface or pavement degradation - Cracking, damaged running course, missing cobbles • Kerbs - Significant damage, upstand height • Pedestrian - Behaviour monitoring, spillage outside of licenced zones • Bus stopping - Identification of potential reasons for stopping of buses

Real Time Monitoring • Road Markings - degradation in visibility

Safety • Detection of near-miss events for cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles etc.

Mapping • 3D building information model • Kerbs and foliage mapping • Support for autonomous vehicle rollout • Vacant parking spaces • Roadway obstructions

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• Road safety assessment at crossings, roundabouts etc.

The award-winning CURBS system, uses lidar data from Cepton, along with advanced AI software and machine learning to enable real-time, accurate, remote condition monitoring of an urban environment. Deployment involves the retrofit of CURBS product to vehicles, and creating a real-time 3D mapping and dynamic monitoring system. The product can be mounted on public transportation, such as bus fleets, refuse collection trucks and mobile enforcement vehicles to name but a few. CURBS provides detailed 3D point cloud visualizations of each vehicle’s surroundings as it travels.

CURBS will stream the vast amount of processed information over 5G networks, curating detailed, accurate 3D maps that are constantly being updated in real time. Crucially, these maps not only help to provide real-time insights to services such as road maintenance and traffic management, but also demonstrate how asset managers can leverage the vehicles that are constantly using our city and urban areas to generate intelligent sensor data. This not only enabled a new paradigm of remote condition monitoring and asset management but also contributes to net zero carbon targets. This presents a step change opportunity to infrastructure and asset managers/owners who currently rely on the use of costly labour, carbon and manual interventions. These interventions frequently have inaccurate data from a whole cottage industry of unstructured and inconsistent reporting formats (e.g., paper based, spreadsheets, word of mouth and visual inspections).

The CURBS product is currently in pilot phase and forms an integral part of the West Midlands 5G testbed programme. Vortex IoT are benefitting from collaborating with National Express (fleet of 38,000 buses) and

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-the-art lidar-based Vehicle-tonhance urban asset management the UK’s leading traffic management solutions provider - Marston Holdings.

Through Marston Holdings a significant amount of market interest has been created which bodes well for the roll-out of the CURBS solution across 2021/22 and beyond.

“With vehicles becoming increasingly smarter, city infrastructure also demands next-generation innovations to deliver matching intelligence. Smart city solutions like CURBS are set to become commonplace across our towns and cities”, said Adrian Sutton, co-founder and CEO at Vortex IoT. “Public authorities should and need to adopt carbon and resource efficient ways to manage urban environments, and this becomes even more important as the focus on issues such as decarbonization, financial sustainability and climate change grows.”

“At the heart of this is digital transformation and the potential that connected technologies and data analytics present for asset management in real time. Enhanced use of big data will drive rapid urban planning and dynamic decision making. Here, perception is key, and nothing can produce accurate 3D data in real-life urban environments quite like lidar - especially the state-of-the-art lidar solutions developed by Cepton, that combine high resolution and long range with reliability and embeddability, making their sensors ideally suited for

these types of applications.”

Behzad Heravi, CTO and Cofounder of Vortex IoT had this to say, “CURBS uses the same sensing technology developed for autonomous vehicles through a partnership with Silicon Valley-based Cepton. The convergence of lidar, AI and 5G offers asset managers new digital

and power of artificial intelligence, lidar technology really enables transformative change.”

Mark Hoskin, Group Business Development Director at Marston Holdings, added: “Marston Holdings has made significant investments in technology-driven solutions that deliver the most efficient client-focused Vortex IoT are piloting the CURBS product with National Express on a number of bus routes in Birmingham.

capability which when leveraged will be transformative.”

“Thanks to the lidar’s superior, anonymized perception capabilities, CURBS not only maintains accuracy and resilience in a variety of weather and lighting conditions but also captures no biometric data and therefore protects the privacy of citizens without the need for additional data management and security protocols. When combined with the streaming capabilities of 5G

services. We have introduced many industry award-winning AI-based mobile solutions and the CURBS product, developed by Vortex IoT, has huge potential.”

About Vortex IoT Vortex IoT develop highly intelligent end to end B2B systems to enable digital transformation for smart city and urban areas. They have pioneering and market leading solutions in both environmental monitoring and vehicle to infrastructure.

Vortex IoT have a highly skilled team of engineers and data scientists as well as full in-house assembly, testing and rapid prototyping capabilities. They work with several high profile global sales channel partners and have multiple industry awards as well as being fully committed to the United Nations Race to Zero climate action pledge.

Founded in 2017 they are led by a strong team with decades of commercial, innovation, big data, wireless technologies and artificial intelligence. Vortex IoT is UK based with a growing footprint in the Middle East and Europe. The business is headquarted in Wales with satellite offices in London, Berlin and Singapore. Vortex IoT is a rapidly growing business.

For more information, visit www.vortexiot.com and follow us on Twitter and Linkedin.

For further information: curbs@vortexiot.com airqualitynews.com

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Feature

Improving indoor air quality to combat Covid-19 in care homes When experts realised Covid-19 was being spread via aerosols, care homes had to move quickly to find ways of minimising the risk.

Air Quality News reporter, Laura O'Neill, investigates how the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted widespread weakness in the UK’s approach to ventilation in care homes.

R

esearch published by the Department of Health and Social Care found that being in a well-ventilated room can reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection by more than 70%.

Covid-19 is spread through the air by aerosols that are exhaled from the nose and mouth of an infected person as they breathe, speak, or cough. Therefore, being indoors, with no fresh air, the aerosols can remain suspended in the air for hours or fall to the ground or a nearby surface where they can survive for hours or even days.

A report looking at aerosol-transmitted influenza found that enhancing indoor air quality could be as effective in reducing the transmission of viruses as vaccinating 50-60% of the population.

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At the same time, a study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge found that social distancing measures alone do not provide adequate protection from the virus, further emphasising the vital importance of ventilation in order to slow the spread of Covid-19.

The case for mechanical ventilation Graeme Fox, head of technical at the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) said the fact that many buildings, including thousands of care homes, had to rely on natural ventilation, such as opening windows, exposed a widespread weakness in the UK’s approach to building ventilation.

Feature

He told Air Quality News: 'Natural ventilation is completely temperature and wind direction-dependent and is still likely to leave unventilated, stagnant spots around the room.

'The path taken by air is critical and will be different depending on the layout of the space and the occupancy levels. Opening windows gives you no control over the direction of the outside air and no opportunity to filter it to remove potentially harmful pollutants coming in from outside.

'However, an engineered mechanical ventilation approach gives the user control over the air movement and the ability to adjust the speed and direction of airflow.'

Mr Fox highlighted that developing an indoor air quality solution is unique to the space in question and the make-up of indoor air is a complex cocktail of potentially harmful elements However, care home managers could start by simply measuring concentrations of CO2 to see if they are getting effective air dilution.

Mr Fox continued: ‘The CO2 works like a 'canary in a cage' to demonstrate whether appropriate ventilation rates are being achieved and, therefore, other potentially harmful elements are also being reduced, such as airborne viruses.

BESA advises aiming for air change rates of 10 litres per second (l/s) per person and CO2 concentrations below 800 parts per million.

This approach is also favoured by Professor Cath Noakes from the University of Leeds. She is a ventilation specialist and one of only two engineer members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) that has been helping the government navigate the pandemic.

'The spaces that worry me the most are those that are naturally ventilated as these are temperature and wind dependent.

'I advise the government that engineering controls should sit above the measures that rely on human behaviour such as distancing and wearing face coverings in any 'hierarchy of risk control'.

'This is not just about flow rates as it depends on the size of the space. 10l/s per person is ideal, but if people are close together and for an extended period, we may need more flow rate.

'You can also have quite a lot of people in a large space with lower ventilation rates.'

'This will be particularly important for buildings that house the elderly and vulnerable.'

Care UK said that when experts announced Covid-19 was being spread via aerosols, care homes had to move quickly to find ways of minimising the risk with very little government guidance.

The care provider invested in fogging machines and was one of the first providers to invest in air purifiers, which were already being widely used in Europe in social care settings.

Care UK's head of projects for its property department service, Steve Appleton said: 'With everything possible in place for traditional cleaning and sanitation measures, we knew we wanted to go one step further and so we turned to two pieces of technology to find the answers.

'After much research, we sourced fogging machines which fill a large, enclosed space, such as a lounge or dining room, with a fine dry fog that disinfects the whole area.

Mechanical ventilation in practice BESA has said that many viruses also thrive in cool, dry, and dark conditions, therefore improving humidity control should be another priority for care home managers.

Graeme Fox said: 'Improving indoor air quality is not just about preventing the transmission of disease, there are also considerable long-term comfort, wellbeing (including mental health) and productivity benefits to be had from improving the indoor environment. 'The issue of disease transmission has merely highlighted problems that we have been living with for years and we can enjoy the wider benefits long after Covid-19 has been dealt with.

'We also road-tested misting machines but found we preferred the dry clean of the foggers. We found that the foggers envelop everything, cleaning behind light fittings and pipes and getting into the smallest places to ensure thorough sanitation.

'We also invested in air purifiers that gently blow negative ions out into the surrounding environment.

'These ions ‘charge’ particles, such as dust, pollen and

airqualitynews.com

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viruses, that float in the air. This causes them to be attracted to surfaces like floors and desks.

'As they fall to these surfaces, there is less chance of people breathing them in and they can be easily killed by the thorough and regular cleaning of surfaces carried out by our dedicated cleaning and maintenance teams.

'To maximise their effect, they were installed mainly in the reception areas of homes, where there is the greatest volume of people passing through and most deliveries from outside the home come in that way too.

'They have proved invaluable as an additional line of defence, once regular cleaning and sanitisation processes have been carried out. The benefits in the care homes will be felt beyond the pandemic, protecting residents and colleagues from the flu and other viruses for years to come.'

A paradigm shift in ventilation BESA is now calling for legislation to be brought in that would make measuring and monitoring indoor air quality mandatory.

It says the UK’s lack of air hygiene regulations is in stark contrast with the strict public health controls imposed on food, sanitation and drinking water and therefore they are calling for a 'paradigm shift' in ventilation similar to the changes brought about almost 200 years ago in water sanitation and sewerage control.

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The association is also calling for a building certification scheme to be brought in that follow the best advice from around the world, including guidance from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on ventilating spaces.

It says ambitious indoor air quality levels should also be enshrined in domestic legislation including Part F of the Building Regulations, which is currently being revised, and the forthcoming Environment Bill.

Air Quality News asked the department of health and social care what kind of guidance they issued around maintaining good air quality and ventilation in care homes during the pandemic and if they planned to issue any as we come out of the pandemic.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'The safety of NHS and social care staff has always been our top priority and we continue to work tirelessly to deliver PPE to protect those on the frontline.

'PPE recommendations in the updated Infection Prevention and Control guidance are agreed upon by an expert group of clinicians and scientists from across all four nations of the UK, based on the latest clinical evidence.

'Emerging evidence and data are continually monitored and reviewed, and the guidance will be amended accordingly if needed.'

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has also been contacted for comment but at the time of going to press they are yet to respond.

Local Government interview

Councils call on other authorities to become 100% green Climate conscious councils are calling on other authorities to become 100% green in light of the G7 summit - UK100

C

ornwall Council - where the summit was held - is one of the most influential authorities in the UK committed to reaching net-zero. It has made changes to ensure that 40% of the county’s electricity demand is now renewable energy and it has spent £17m making transport green, with plans to create more than 300 new electric vehicle charging points across the country by the end of next year.

In the new Landscape of Leadership report, UK100 highlights the work that councils across the UK have carried out to help achieve net-zero.

Leaders have brought in specially trained staff, supported local businesses with green grants and implemented new agri-food initiatives to help the UK become more sustainable.

More energy efficient transport, low energy houses and offices, along with using land and rural spaces for renewable energy, are among the proposed changes that will help areas become greener.

Alongside more than 20 other rural councils, Cornwall also joined the Countryside Climate Network (CCN) last year.

The CCN is made up of ambitious local leaders from predominantly rural councils who are members of UK100, and are committed to delivering climate action in their communities.

UK100 is the campaign group at the heart of the CCN and is the only network for UK locally elected leaders who have pledged to play their part in the global effort to avoid the worst impacts of climate change by switching to 100% clean energy by 2050.

It brings together local authorities, from cities to the countryside, to share knowledge, collaborate, and petition the UK government with their collective power.

Since the launch of the CCN - action has been building on previous efforts across the country in some of its most ambitious members.

Overall, the CCN has a vision for climate change within UK councils, and has outlined a number of ways to implement it – which include: •A thriving net zero economy: Significant growth in jobs at all levels in the renewable energy and natural resources sectors: nature conservation, woodland, peatland, wetland management.

•B etter transport and connectivity: easy access to jobs and services locally or easily online through flexible, low carbon transport options such as demand-responsive public transport, electric vehicles (EVs), safe, dedicated active travel routes and high quality internet and phone services.

Polly Billington chief executive at UK100 • Efficient and net zero buildings: reduced energy demand and buildings optimised for local renewable energy generation with innovative solutions which are sensitive to the variety of building types in rural areas.

• More renewable energy: high contribution to large- and small-scale renewable electricity provision: wind, solar, hydro, sustainable bio-energy and renewable heat options, supported by a robust, fit for purpose national energy grid and local microgrids.

• Land use solutions: more land utilised for renewable energy, and for woodland, hedges, peatland and wetland restoration, sequestering carbon emissions, as well as boosting biodiversity, health and well-being.

• net zero Agriculture: increased agricultural productivity from diverse, efficient farms with much lower emissions which are adapting to provide for our changing national diet.

Polly Billington, chief executive at UK100, said: ‘We set up Countryside Climate Network with rural members of the UK100 Network to make sure voices from rural local authorities from across the political spectrum are represented in critical policy discussions and decisions about delivering UK net zero. They are critical to delivering net zero and must be part of the conversation if we are to create workable solutions.’

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Local Government

Cleaning up London’s air Joint position statement on air quality and health, by the London Environment Directors Network (LEDNet) and the Association of Directors of Public Health London (ADPHLondon)

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he Covid-19 pandemic is the biggest public health challenge we have faced globally for almost 100 years. This crisis has surfaced other public health matters that have been exacerbated by the pandemic such as obesity, mental health problems, domestic violence and structural health inequalities. On the other hand, a public health matter that has had short term benefits particularly during the first national lockdown is air quality.

In September 2019, London Environment Directors’ Network (LEDNet) and the London Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH London) prepared a joint position statement on air quality and health to set out how we should respond to this challenge, based on expertise and the available evidence. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we refreshed the statement to highlight the impact that the first national lockdown had to continue raising this agenda.

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Whilst efforts are still mainly focused on the pandemic, we cannot forget the negative impacts of air pollution on Londoners and the UK, especially with the recent Coroner’s inquest into the role of air pollution which contributed to the death of nine-year-old Londoner Ella AdooKissi-Debrah, and recommendations to the government to implement legally binding targets for particulate matter (PM2.5).

In London, road transport is currently the most significant source of emissions in London, and a key priority for the city, hence efforts like the congestion charge and ULEZ help to reduce transport. According to the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE), London’s homes account for 36% of its CO2 emissions, and every household spends on average £1,175 on gas and electricity bills every year – a total of £3.9 billion. Additionally, workplaces account for 42% of London’s emissions, and companies

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pay a total of £4 billion each year in gas and electricity bills.

Since the statement was released, the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown for the first wave from March 2020 to June 2020 led to some behavioural change amongst Londoners that contributed to the temporary improvement in air quality, with a reduction in personal vehicle use, road traffic, and an increase in active travel whilst socially distancing.

The pandemic has also highlighted health inequalities, with researchers assessing the potential risk of Covid-19 deaths and air pollution. More studies are needed to understand the impact of the first and subsequent Covid-19 waves, but already there is some learning and long-term behavioural change we can take when we step into the new norm.

Examples include recognising technological development (e.g. the ability to work from home, and travel apps) as a major factor in changing the way in which residents and businesses use transport, and that it can be an ally in reducing air pollution. During and beyond the pandemic, we must look at sustaining behaviours that contributed to the positive changes to air quality where possible and address the health inequalities that have been observed.

We see opportunities ahead in London such as the London Councils 2020 Air Quality Public polling that showed that 78% of Londoners think that tackling air pollution should be a priority. In addition to this, London’s commitment to the Covid-19 recovery missions programme, including a Green New Deal to tackle climate and ecological emergencies, and improve air quality by increasing the size of London’s green economy by 2030 to accelerate job creation.

In our statement, we have proposed seven key recommendations for local, regional, and national policymakers, environmental lobbyists, public health

Local Government

practitioners, environmental health practitioners, London health and care partners to: 1. A dvocate for at least 2.5% of UK annual GDP to be spent on tackling air quality and climate change in the UK. 2. Capitalise on behavioural changes towards active travel during Covid-19 pandemic, protect Londoners, particularly children and young people from exposure to poor air quality, and promote further inclusive active travel.

3. S upport a shared narrative and campaign on air quality and public health impacts across London that will change the public’s perception around their own contribution to cleaning our air.

4. Restrict driving fuelled by petrol or diesel and support cleaner alternatives by supporting schemes such as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ), & scrappage schemes and local schemes such as restricted and emissions-based parking, low emissions zones, school streets as well as building better walking and cycling infrastructure. We also want to learn lessons from the implementation of initiatives e.g. Low traffic neighbourhoods, Streetspace for London and School Streets.

5. Support retrofitting schemes of London’s residential properties to reduce fuel poverty, address health issues caused by inefficient housing and green the economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

6. Use public sector procurement and social value action to reduce our own contribution to air pollution, in particular by moving faster towards ultra-low and zero emissions vehicle fleets.

7. Speak with one voice as boroughs to secure the resources and powers needed to reduce air pollution and protect the health of our residents.

We want to hear good practice within and outside London on improving air quality and approaches that align with the recommendations above, and further our understanding on the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on air quality. If you would like to share examples, please contact: Dimitra Rappou, Principal Policy and Projects Manager, London Environment Directors Network (LEDNet), Dimitra.Rappou@ londoncouncils.gov.uk Vhenekayi Nyambayo, Partnerships and Improvement Lead, London Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH London), Vhenekayi. nyambayo@adphlondon.org.uk

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LEDNet is the membership association for London’s Environment Directors. Together, they develop research, trial new interventions and undertake policy advocacy at a regional and national level, to achieve enhanced environmental outcomes, increase adoption of best practice and successful innovation, and deliver more cost-effective outcomes for London residents.

ADPH London - The London Association of Directors of Public Health is the representative body for Directors of Public Health (DsPH) in the UK. It seeks to improve and protect the health of the population through collating and presenting the views of DsPH; advising on public health policy and legislation at a local, regional, national and international level; facilitating a support network for DsPH; and providing opportunities for DsPH to develop professional practice.

The Association has a rich heritage, its origins dating back 160 years. It is a collaborative organisation working in partnership with others to maximise the voice for public health.

Visit this website to view the full revised joint position: https://www. adph.org.uk/

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Legal

Environment Bill: Where Do We Stand on Air Quality Measures?

By Anita Lloyd and Francesca Puttock from Squire Patton Boggs publish a yearly report on air quality and on government and public authority action to improve it. The opposition argued that this amendment went further than the Secretary of State’s statement to Parliament and had its own merit.

Anita Lloyd

Francesca Puttock

O

n 26 May 2021, the anticipated Environment Bill had its third reading in the House of Commons. The bill will implement key parts of the government’s Clean Air Strategy and include targets for tackling air pollution in the UK. However, the specifics are still being debated and discussion on air quality was largely omitted from the most recent debate in Parliament.

We set out where the provisions on clean air currently stand, what proposed amendments have been defeated, and consider what further proposed amendments may be raised as the bill progresses.

What Measures Relevant to Air Quality Does the Bill Propose?

• For the Secretary of State to publish a report reviewing the Air Quality Strategy every five years (as a minimum and with yearly updates to Parliament).

• For the government to set two targets by October 2022: the first on the amount of PM2.5 pollutant in the ambient air (the figure and deadline for compliance remain unspecified) and a second long-term target set at least 15 years ahead to encourage stakeholder investment.

• For the Office for Environmental Protection to be established to substitute the watchdog function previously exercised by the European Commission.

• For local authorities’ powers to be extended under the current Local Air Quality Management framework, including responsibilities to improve local air quality and to reduce public exposure to excessive levels of air pollution.

• For “air quality partners” to have a duty to share responsibility for dealing with local air pollution among public bodies.

What Proposed Amendments Have Been Defeated?

Throughout the bill’s lifetime, key opposition proposals on air quality have been defeated in the House of Commons: • An amendment to align the PM2.5 target with that of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

• An amendment to require government to meet interim targets (later withdrawn).

• A new “clean air duty” requiring the Secretary of State to

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What Was Said at the Third Reading?

Air quality was not discussed in depth, although the issue was raised by opposition MPs calling for government to “stop resisting concrete protections” and set binding WHO targets. The shadow Environment Secretary suggested that the government failed to deliver the “landmark boldness” required and expected from the rhetoric surrounding the bill.

Government MPs maintained that the bill delivers targets on many environmental issues, including air quality; one Conservative MP referred to it as a “transformative, worldleading, exciting, ambitious Bill”.

What Developments Might We See As the Bill Progresses?

It is certainly the case that interest in air pollution, its varied sources and its effects on human health is increasing. A recent inquest, which named air pollution a “material contribution” to the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, sends a strong message that air quality targets need strengthening. Ella, who passed away in 2013, is the first person in Britain to have air pollution as a recorded cause of death.

It is widely reported that UK levels of PM2.5 sit at twice the WHO’s recommended target of 10 µg/m3. In May 2021, Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said the government was “working on” finding the right figure, but has yet to commit to a target. The House of Lords will inevitably revisit the coroner’s recommendation following the Adoo-Kissi-Debrah inquest that the WHO target become law, and discuss whether that figure is appropriate for the bill.

Stakeholders, including the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, have criticised the current bill for only seeking to limit levels of PM2.5, rather than setting a target. The House of Lords may also consider what targets might be set on other dangerous pollutants.

Concluding Remarks The government intends the Environment Bill to become law in autumn 2021, as a statement to accompany the UK presidency of the COP26 climate change conference. However, the rejected proposals on air quality have drawn criticism from opposition MPs and campaigners who are dubious of how effective the bill will be. How that will play out as the bill progresses through the House of Lords, and is then finalised, remains to be seen.

*Article correct at time of writing – 2 June 2021.

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