Air pollution in China's capital city is reaching sobering levels. The World Health Organization warns that levels for fine airborne particulates that pose the greatest health risks should go no higher than 25 for 24-hour exposure on the PM2.5 scale. On January 22, the official Beijing government reading near Tiananmen Square reached 258 at 4 a.m. The city rates it as "hea
Living close to highways has built-in health hazards. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asthma and carbon monoxide poisoning are two major public health problems caused by air pollution. Now, autism could be added to the list.
If you visited or lived in the Los Angeles area many years ago, you why it was called, unofficially, the City of Smog. In the early 1970s, I attended the LA Zoo with my third grade classmates on one of those given days when the South Coast Air Quality Management District likely issued a smog warning. The sky was gray, thick, and hazy. My eyes were red, my throat was thick and sore and it hurt to breathe deeply. Even though there are more cars on the streets and freeways of LA now than 40 years a
In a move sure to please urban-area gas station owners, the EPA has issued a waiver to its 1994 rule requiring gas pump vapor recovery systems. The devices were required in mostly urban areas to reduce smog-causing vapors from being released into the air during the refueling of vehicles.
Here's a novel idea: rather than installing air quality sensors in fixed locations, why not use mobile sensors to collect data in an evenly spread-out area?
Back in June of 2010, the picturesque city of London recorded its 36th "bad air" day of the year. That was a problem since European Union (EU) guidelines allow just 35 "bad air" days a year, so reaching that unfortunate level by the sixth month of 2010 meant that London was in violation of the law.
In December of 2010, the city of Beijing, China, announced that it would enforce a measure that restricts vehicle registrations to a mere 240,000, or one-third of the number recorded in 2010. That may sound harsh, but the move is aimed at curbing the city's chronic gridlock and reducing its unsafe le
Rising levels of roadside air pollution plague major cities across the globe. Over in Europe, fine particulate pollution in the cities of Bucharest, Budapest, Barcelona, Paris, Rome and London – to name a few – has been measured at levels exceeding the United Nations World Health Organization's recommended 10 micrograms per cubic meter. In fact, out of 25 European cities studied, only Stockholm was consistently be below the UN's 10 microgram threshold.
The picturesque city of London has recorded its 36th "bad air" day this year after monitoring equipment detected dangerous levels of minute airborne particles. EU guidelines allow just 35 "bad air" days, so reaching this unfortunate level by the sixth month of the year means that London is in violation of the law and faces stiff fines and numerous court cases. Also, London's air pollution is now considered to be the worst in all of Europe.
The decision on whether or not to allow states to enforce limits on vehicle greenhouse gas emissions is moving back to center stage under the incoming Obama administration. Lisa Jackson, the President-elect's nominee for EPA administrator, has promised to "immediately revisit" the issue once she is confirmed for the office.
Since the beginning of the year, all 2009 model year vehicles (and anything newer, once they're available) sold in California will be sporting a new sticker. No, not the kind that makes your car worth $4,000 more but the kind that describes the vehicle's global warming and smog scores. Just look under the hood of that new car (if you're the Sebastian Blanco
Move over Los Angeles, the city of Houston, Texas is now also officially on the "severe smog problem" list. The reclassification was requested by Governor Rick Perry last year and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made the change last Thursday. This move from "moderate" bypasses the level of "serious" and gives the state an additional nine years to meet federal health standards that were originally set in 1997. They were supposed to meet the goal by 2010. Although the 1997 levels are now
Subaru doesn't have any hybrids in its line up and its electric car program, based around the R1e, is still in its (seemingly never-ending) infancy, but it does have partial zero-emission vehicles (PZEVs) and , apparently, pogo sticks. In an effort to promote the sale of its PZEV vehicles in Canada, the company offers a website to explore the two options. It's a close call but we really have to go
In California, home of the strictest car emissions regulations in the U.S., cars produced before 1976 do not need to undergo smog testing. California State Senator Dean Florez has proposed legislation that would remove that exemption for cars registered in the San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District.
Whether or not you believe in global warming, nitrogen-oxides, or NOx, definitely does contribute to acid rain and smog, which are not debatable. Because NOx is emitted in large quantities from the exhaust of diesel engines, something needs to stop it from entering our atmosphere. One way to do this is with Jeremy Korzeniewski
