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Here is a letter I wrote to the European Environment Commissioner:
Dear Sir, Re: Hiding the health costs of the “Car Economy”, DEFRA’S multiple structures of deceit.
I write to you as a private citizen, a retired Consultant Child Psychiatrist, trained long ago, who has been observing the UK air pollution scene only since the spring of 2007.I have been shocked and appalled at the way that public health priorities, which would have been primary in 1968,say,have been subordinated to political economic ends. I understand that you may be thinking of prosecuting the UK government (I am sorry not to know the correct legal “grammar”) and I am writing to urge you to continue. The reasons follow, they form an intricate and subtle web, they did not arise by accident, I urge you to tear that web apart.
Emission inventory vs actual monitored levels: Presentations often talk of “falling emissions” when they mean the values of the computer modelled emissions inventory are falling. This has become embarrassing as the real time measures are steady, not to say rising. The measure of road kilometres affected pretends that some of the emissions are not gaseous, and extend over considerable distances, let alone seek to minimise the spread of particulates measured in international studies. Not all roads are canyons. There is no presentation of the populations subtended by these kilometres, nor their social deprivation scores. The policy adds insult to the injury already sustained by the polluted conditions within the “ghettoes” of working class housing (chemical plants, steel works, incinerators etc etc.).The recent VCM corrections to the previous TEOM particulate measurements will also provide a temporary artefact, apparently lowering readings of identical pollution. CMAQ 50% particulate peak error: Defra have chosen, as its pollution modelling tool, MM5-CMAQ.In recent European research this has been shown to undercount peak particulate levels by 50%, when combined with the MADE/SORGAM particulate model. WRF/CHEM, with the mosaic particulate model outperforms it, as do real-time measurements. Perhaps the commission could ensure that the relevant corrections to it have been made, otherwise it will present a far better picture of pollution than actually exists. COMEAP 6% vs 19-22% Despite numerous protests COMEAP continues to say that the excess mortality attributed to particulates is 6%.This flies in the face of modern research findings which show that chronicity of exposure adds to the total effect and mortality figures are actually much higher. Because its research strategy is to include only those effects for which there is a strong evidence base for quantification, it systematically underestimates the overall effects of air pollution on health. When used in cost-benefit analyses, it is anti-precautionary. The secretary of this body has been heard to state that treasury pressure forced the current situation, as the cost benefit analyses wouldn’t work with higher mortality figures. This also has consequences for the next section. Banding /graphic presentations The current bandings used by COMEAP,DEFRA and the LAQN were first introduced in 1998.I am sure you are aware of the explosion of air pollution work since then. They are now so out of date as to be dysfunctional and dishonest, and bear very little relation to the adverse health effects discovered since. Their green, amber, red and purple colours seek to psychologically reassure people at dangerous air pollution levels. They are used to form the basis of public health warnings. They also provide a structure for undercounting mortality…..as increasing mortality starts well into the green bands of all pollutants. Climate change prediction failure:. There should be a real concern about Ozone as an ever increasing source of pollution mortality.As peak summer temperatures rise ,with days over 30C,and park trees adding to vehicle and industry sources of VOCS,local ozone levels will rise.This summer,if forecasts prove to be correct,will provide such a killing zone.Keeping children and old people off the streets by giving accurate pollutiion forecasts well in advance, does not seem to be a priority. Airtext trigger levels “Public” warnings are triggered at the moderate (amber) levels of the bands above. This is far too late, and leaves many vulnerable people exposed to dangerous air. The access to these warnings is very restricted, so that it is hardly public at all. The whole system is truly against the spirit of the EU legislation. A simple remedy of these being relayed to all schools automatically has been refused. Some counties have made schools the centres for the roll out for this service, London has not. Undercounting the affected population The resident population of the centre of London is tiny by comparison to the numbers of commuters that flood into the city each day. They truly ride into the valley of death, as the City Of London’s own pollution monitors (some have recently been closed at very bad figures) show areas are at least as polluted as Marylebone Road, which is used as the common standard of awfulness. All this leads to an undercounting of morbidity and mortality. The existence of a population near London (which commutes) whose health is compromised will confound statistical analyses, disguising the London traffic pollution island effect because comparator populations will have higher than average rates of morbidity and mortality. Mayor Boris and Cycling campaigns In his first year the new London mayor has taken decisions which profoundly affect the quality of the air Londoners will breathe. This is not the Government’s responsibility (see next section) but will affect London’s health, nonetheless.
1. Western congestion zone extension cancelled 2. Black cab bi-annual particulate checks cancelled 3. LEZ 3 "postponed" 4. 4X4 and large engined car congestion zone increase cancelled 5. London Waste Board "packed" and incineration encouraged 6. "Chip fat "power stations ! and combined heat and power burning wood! 7. Fig-leaf numbers of hydrogen or hybrid buses...1.7% of the fleet... What is more his disastrous roll out of cycling is deeply inconsistent with current pollution levels. Cyclists breathe 10-20 times the amount of air a walker or car driver does. That air is not only already very bad generally, but is likely to be worse in the traffic stream they negotiate. This will damage their lungs if they are healthy and exacerbate any underlying health problems, if they are not. Isn't this rather like the WW I strategy of "muffling" machine gun fire with platoons of cyclists in the drive to "gain" the territory of modal transport shift! Political structures of irresponsibility The political structures of central government, local authorities and London itself have been used to so spread responsibility for change as to ensure that none occurs. It is rather like a dysfunctional family, where rules are vaguely uttered by distant parents, and are soon drowned out by children squabbling over the pocket money. Mexico City child neuropathology Professor Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas and her group now have a ten year track record of researching the neurotoxic effects of traffic pollution on the brains of children and young people. This has reached the stage of provoking editorials in two leading international journals. This research stream seems not to be recognised in Europe, and I would urge you to devote some resources to further investigation. I attach a balanced conservative review whose last line should be noted, "need to further investigate the suspicion that our urban air is neurotoxic for our children". I enclose some further recent references: 7. Air pollution, cognitive deficits and brain abnormalities: a pilot study with children and dogs. Calderón-Garcidueñas L, Mora-Tiscareño A, Ontiveros E, Gómez-Garza G, Barragán-Mejía G, Broadway J, Chapman S, Valencia-Salazar G, Jewells V, Maronpot RR, Henríquez-Roldán C, Pérez-Guillé B, Torres-Jardón R, Herrit L, Brooks D, Osnaya-Brizuela N, Monroy ME, González-Maciel A, Reynoso-Robles R, Villarreal-Calderon R, Solt AC, Engle RW. Brain Cogn. 2008 Nov;68(2):117-27. Epub 2008 Jun 11.
8. The neurological effects of air pollution in children. Sunyer J. Eur Respir J. 2008 Sep;32(3):535-7. No abstract available.
9. Immunotoxicity and Environment: Immunodysregulation and Systemic Inflammation in Children. Calderon-Garciduenas L, Macias-Parra M, Hoffmann HJ, Valencia-Salazar G, Henriquez-Roldan C, Osnaya N, Camacho-Del-Monte O, Barragan-Mejia G, Villarreal-Calderon R, Romero L, Granada-Macias M, Torres-Jardon R, Medina-Cortina H, Maronpot RR. Toxicol Pathol. 2009 Jan 26. [Epub ahead of print]
Incinerators-in-disguise The government has a national policy of incinerator building, hidden piece-meal, local authority by local authority, with new names and new mantras. London will soon have six, if people get their way. The particulate burden they will add will be very considerable.
I started on my journey, two years ago because my professional life had been devoted to the well-being of children. The findings of permanent lung damage from California and brain damage in Mexico City shocked me into paying attention.. What my country was doing about air pollution appalled me.
Yours sincerely,
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