Easter Smog

[Coast]

Not something that thankfully we are experiencing down here on the coast, but have you been affected by the smog over the last few days?

LONDON — The British government has urged people to avoid taking outdoor exercise in the afternoon over the Easter weekend because of the first "summer smog" of the year. The smog was visible as a haze over the London skyline on Friday morning, the start of a four-day weekend when many people were expected to head outdoors to enjoy the continuing warm weather. Britain has basked in sunshine for weeks and the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs said warm and still conditions over the next few days would likely cause a "high pollution episode" in England and Wales.

It urged the public to take "sensible precautions", saying: "Avoiding exercise outdoors in the afternoon can reduce exposure to ozone, and avoiding making unnecessary short car journeys wherever possible can reduce the formation of ozone". Ground level ozone is formed when sunlight acts on nitrogen dioxide and other atmospheric substances close to the ground. During high pollution episodes, levels of nitrogen dioxide, ozone and polluting particles are raised and can exacerbate lung diseases including asthma. But the ministry said most people should not suffer ill effects.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jjEkLLpPLHJJRoLPyI_YBSdBky5w?docId=CNG.d329a1dc93deefddd40e90d8a495c742.131

Officials have advised those who experience a shortage of breath to avoid strenuous outdoor activity. Professor Warren Lenney, of the British Lung Foundation, said air pollution posed a big risk to young children because it can damage their lungs, restricting their airways and making them more prone to asthma. The professor said: ‘We should be breathing normal healthy air with no soot, ozone or toxic nitrogen dioxide because all those things come into your airways and they produce inflammation.

'This then scars the lung tissue which results in smaller airways and can cause asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. ‘The smog that we are seeing this weekend is as bad as in Dickens’s time in Victorian England. ‘Then, it would have been really bad in November due to all the industrial smoke, but today it is somewhat worse due to the car exhaust fumes. ‘The particles in the air, which are microscopically small, can be breathed in a long way down into the lungs and then they become lodged. You breathe them in, then cough trying to dislodge the irritants and this inflames the tissue.’

Smog is created when vehicle exhaust gases such as nitrogen dioxide react with the air in strong sunlight to form ozone. While ozone in the stratosphere is benign and protects us from ultra violet rays, at ground level it is toxic and dangerous to health.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1379159/Hot-weather-smog-alert-Air-pollution-gets-worse-hottest-Easter-weekend-EVER.html#ixzz1KLeQgX5w

[Thundery wintry showers]

I was noticing signs of high pollution levels in the Norwich area as soon as last Saturday, with hazy skies and orangey glows near the horizon, and DEFRA indicated PM-10 concentrations at "42- 3 Low", just within EU emissions limits. Since early this week, when I left Norwich for Tyneside, Norwich's concentrations have crept up to "5 Moderate"- though even "Moderate" is still only likely to affect the most sensitive individuals according to DEFRA. Tyne and Wear has stayed at "3 Low".

Pollution levels across the UK appear markedly higher than at any other point in the last year and a half, but the primary pollutant of this episode, PM-10, only becomes a significant concern to many people when it reaches "High", which has only happened in some of the major cities (particularly London). Otherwise, life for a large majority of us continues as normal, the only difference being that the skies are unusually hazy.

Nonetheless, it's concerning that so many parts of the UK have started to fall short of PM-10 targets, after a strong track record last year, just because of a succession of synoptic circumstances. Apparently, if this happens again next year the UK could face fines from the EU.

More info here:

http://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/latest/currentlevels

[Coast]

For London you can see the current status of the air quality here:

http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/nowcast.asp

[Kentish Kiwi]

Quite a noticeable smog around the North Downs (I believe its smog anyway) remarkably poor visibility.

[Coast]

Quite a noticeable smog around the North Downs (I believe its smog anyway) remarkably poor visibility.

and over Eastbourne from the South Downs today: