Every Breath We Take – The Life Cycle Cost of Air Pollution

A new report issued by the Royal College of Physicians states that the health impact of Britain’s air pollution is far more serious than previously thought. It states that UK air pollution is the cause of up to 40,000 premature deaths a year. The report also concludes that in addition to the negative effects on health, air pollution also creates very high costs for society and business.

The report highlights the fact that air pollution causes damage throughout lifetime, from a baby’s first weeks in the womb all the way through to old age. For example, lung function naturally develops throughout childhood, now there is clear evidence that long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution suppresses this process. Air pollution is also linked to the development of asthma and cardiovascular diseases in adults (heart disease and strokes). The most vulnerable groups include people in low income areas, those with other health issues such as obesity, heart and lung conditions as well as the elderly and the young.

The report presents an historical overview of air pollution. The London smog of 1952 also referred to as the “Big Smoke” killed 12,000 people. Today’s older generations who were brought up in the 1940s-1950s were exposed to soot and sulphur dioxide from coal burning, in the 1960s-1980s carbon monoxide and emissions from leaded petrol were the pollutants of concern. Today’s children inhale nitrogen dioxide and sub-micron particles, so called PM1 from diesel-fueled vehicles.

The fact that air pollution and climate change are intertwined is also underscored in the report. In other words, many strategies to decrease air pollution are also effective in slowing down climate change. One way to achieve these dual goals is to use energy more efficiently.

What can we do as individuals to protect our health and the environment in a sustainable way? Although it is difficult for us to limit our exposure to outdoor pollution, we can do a lot to improve indoor air. Since we spend most of our time inside buildings, indoor air quality is crucial to our health. Pollution found inside a building is a cocktail of outdoor air pollutants and indoor pollutants such as, tobacco smoke, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and biological pollutants.

Historically; research, government recommendations and consequently public awareness has been limited to airborne particles labelled PM10 and PM2.5 (smaller than 10 microns and smaller than 2.5 microns). However the latest research now indicates that the focus should be put on even smaller particles, those that are 1 micron or smaller in diameter. This is because smaller particles pass the natural barriers in the human body such as nasal hairs and mucus films in the upper respiratory tract and penetrate deep into the fine structure of the lungs where they enter the bloodstream and get distributed around the entire human body.

It is noteworthy that a new international standard for classification of air filters (ISO16890), due for ratification later in 2016 will require that the efficiency of the filter against PM1 be assessed and reported. Camfil strongly supports this development. It is a certain way to ensure appropriate high efficiency air filters are used to provide protection of human health from very fine particles.

Many industry articles on how proper dust and fume collection techniques can protect you, your employees and your business in a factory environment can be found here.

How Air Pollution Affects You

Air pollution can affect your life in various areas that you may not realize. Three main areas that air pollution can affect you is in your health, the environment you live in and the cost of fixing of its effects.

Air pollution can have a major effect on your body in the short and long term. If you are exposed to air pollution on a daily basis, you may experience health issues such as dizziness, headaches, or difficulty of breathing. If you notice any of these symptoms, bring it to the attention of your doctor, employer and any other person that may be able to assist you. You, as a worker, have rights to clean air. Learn more about your rights here. 

If you are exposed to toxins for a long time, you could put yourself in the risk of cancer or if you are a woman, you can run the risk of potential birth defects. Air pollution is a serious thing that can harm you. Know your rights and understand if you are being exposed to it. If you are a plant manager, you should look into getting your dust or air tested to see if you can improve your work environment.

Air pollution not only affects your health, but it affects the environment you live in. If dangerous toxins go into the air, they can form acid rain or ground-level ozone. This in turn, can damage plants, wildlife, bodies of water. These harmful effects can lead into a domino effect, harming the animals that live in the environment which will eventually affect us.

Aside from harmful effects to our bodies and environment, air pollution can hurt our bottom line. Air pollution can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars in medical bills to fix symptoms that could have been prevented with proper ventilation or clean air.  Cleaning water supplies that have been damaged from acid rain or other harmful toxics can also cost businesses or governments an exceeding amount of money just to bring it back to what it once was. The cost of filtering out toxins in the beginning may seem like an unnecessary upfront cost, but in the long-run it's significantly cheaper.

If you have any questions regarding this or would like to learn more, please contact us here.

A Tragedy Due to Lack of Awareness

On April 17, 2013, a fire and massive explosion occurred at the West Fertilizer Company in West, Texas. This facility was a typical fertilizer retail, blending, and distribution business; like those located in rural farming communities all across America. This catastrophe resulted in 15 fatalities, 260 injuries, and widespread community damage totaling over 230 million dollars in damages.

CSB animation of West Fertilizer Co. initial fire, before the explosion.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recently released their final report of their investigation into this incident. They labeled it as one of the most destructive incidents ever investigated by the agency due to the extent of fatalities, injuries, and damages sustained both inside and outside of the facility’s fence line. Through their investigation they determined that the explosion was the result of nearly 30 tons of fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate (FGAN) being ignited by a structure fire at the facility. In concluding their investigation, the CSB determined several factors that contributed to the severity of this incident.

Since West Fertilizer Company was built in the 1960’s, growth of the city resulted in schools, a nursing home, a park, and residential housing being built within a little as 500 feet from the property. This was allowed to occur because were no federal or state regulations addressing these types of facilities being built near chemical facilities. These zoning regulations in Texas are left to the local government, as is common place all across the country.

The destruction to an apartment complex less than 400 feet from West Fertilizer Co., 

OSHA and the EPA both have a multitude of regulations for chemical facilities, but fertilizer grade Ammonium Nitrate and the fertilizer industry fell through the cracks. Lack of knowledge about the dangers of handling fertilizer grade ammonium was also evident in the way emergency responders handled the initial fire. They had no previous training or plans in place to deal with an incident like this. There are no standard hazardous materials training requirements for volunteer firefighters across the nation. Thirteen of the deaths in this explosion were emergency responders.

These findings can most all be summed up as lack of awareness. Not realizing the true dangers of hazardous materials in facilities like West Fertilizer Company. Through the CSB’s recommendations to various government agencies and their new safety video Dangerously Close: Explosion in West, Texas they hope to prevent history repeating itself.