Air Quality in Reading

Dr Tony Cowling 2012

How are we doing?

• What do you think that air quality is doing in Reading

• Improving, staying the same or degrading?• Are the current levels above or below

European standards?

Reading Data for Nox 2008 - 2012

Almost level, a tiny increase

NOx Reading 2012

Box and Whisker Chart

PM 10 with trend line

• A very different story!

PM 10 Scatter with trend line

Reading PM 10 (Winter)

Reading PM 10 (Summer)

Statistically Significant

• The charts have been analysed by a statistician and he has stated that the results show a genuine upward trend and that this is a real effect that we are seeing.

• “Houston we have a problem”

The particulates problem

• Particulates pollution in Reading is increasing worryingly fast.

• The winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11 were very cold and we might have expected that during the warmer winter of 2011/12 particulates pollution levels might have dropped. Or at least not increased.

• They didn’t so what would have happened had there been another cold winter?

Why worry about Particulates?

• It's an invisible health crisis which causes thousands of premature deaths in the UK every year. It can lead to asthma, reduce lung capacity and trigger heart attacks. And our country's failure to adequately address the issue has forced the European commission to take legal action against us. The Guardian 2011

Health Effects

• Increase in bronchial complaints

• Risk to those with heart conditions

• Very serious longer term risks as the particulates are known to be carcinogens.

RefrencesUseful papers

http:/ / www.environmental-protection.org.uk/ assets/ library/ documents/ Biomass_and_Air_Quality_Guidance.pdf

http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/What%20we%20do/UK%20energy%20supply/Energy%20mix/Renewable%20energy/policy/renewableheat/1387-renewable-heat-incentive.pdf quote

http:/ / www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/ air/ chauf-bois/ index-en.htm

This is one Canadian study Dave

Further data

http:/ / www.particleandfibretoxicology.com/ content/ 6/ 1/ 29

http:/ / www.ieabcc.nl/ publications/ Nussbaumer_et_al_IEA_Report_PM10_Jan_2008.pdf

Brianwilson

Two further Canadian studies on emissions impact

http:/ / docs.google.com/ viewer?a=v&q=cache:cSQ9zl7N284J :www.toronto.ca/ health/ hphe/ pdf/ techreport_fir

eplaces.pdf+wood+burning+emissions+canada&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgLGazl3d7SaqReBcGVjV1Iozk

a8X9PWpuOfqf4nUK3VppJ YLu0iZenbwfKBWM1vkw7WBA0QK-EZwc8OTmyz-BLoEceEw47HX5At6QmFd3Nqs-

27qvwZ-EqIZEnZD68h_7Fkll0&sig=AHIEtbSCS6wOtDrwotcJ 1J dMMFIaV8znug

http:/ / webcache.googleusercontent.com/ search?q=cache:9mLULF4oyVMJ :woodburnersmoke.net/ vicki_short_v

ersion.ppt+wood+burning+emissions+canada&cd=18&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

Gov report anticipates domestic woodburning will consume 5% of UK use, based on anticipated 60 Mt and 4t/

stove this equates to 750,000 units

http:/ / www.greencarcongress.com/ 2011/ 12/ pm-20111209.html particulates and health

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/jul/12/air-quality-health-crisis#start-of-comments Health

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/12/pm-20111209.html