From The Sunday Times
April 12, 2009
April 12, 2009
Jonathan Leake, Environment Editor
TOXIC emissions from ships are killing prematurely an estimated 39,000 people a year across Europe, with Britain among the worst-affected countries, research has shown.
New Scientist
The report comes as the European Union is planning Europe’s first low-emissions marine zones, designed to limit pollution from the thousands of giant cargo ships passing along its coasts each year. Some of the vessels have engines so large that they can emit the same amount of pollutants as 50m cars in a year.
Scientists have long known that particulates and the compounds of sulphur and oxygen emitted by such engines are a health threat, causing heart and lung diseases and cancer.
Since these pollutants are also emitted by factories, motor vehicles and power plants, it is only recently that scientists have been able to calculate the specific impact of shipping. “ The latest European research suggests shipping emissions are causing the premature deaths of around 39,000 people in the EU each year,” said James Corbett, professor of marine policy at the University of Delaware.
The statistics have emerged from a series of studies of emissions carried out by researchers in Europe and America. One study, published recently by the European commission, suggested that shipping pollutants were shaving several months off the average lifespan of every European.
Its lead author, Janusz Cofala, of the Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, said that the growth in international trade and the number of cargo ships - many of which originate in China - would make this much worse.
Cofala’s findings were, he said, particularly serious for Britain and Ireland because they have long coastlines with some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes just offshore.
He predicts that Britain’s west coast is likely to be so badly affected by shipping pollution that average life expectancy for people living in or near coastal towns could be reduced by 20-30 months from 2020.
Such findings were reinforced this month by research from Stockholm University’s applied environmental sciences department published in Atmospheric Environment, an academic journal. Its figures suggest that particulates and other airborne pollutants from all sources caused about 546,000 premature deaths across Europe each year.
Corbett said the Stockholm study made clear how serious a health impact shipping pollution was having. “It means about 39,000 premature deaths are linked to shipping pollution across Europe,” he said.
Shipping’s international nature excludes it from most national laws controlling pollution. It means the 289m tons of fuel burnt by the world’s 100,000 cargo ships each year can be sourced from the cheapest and most contaminated sources. These may contain 2,000 times the levels of sulphur allowed in the diesel fuels sold for cars, plus heavy metals and other contaminants.
Marine engines exacerbate the problem because they run at high temperatures and pressures - just right for creating tiny particles of soot that are deadly to health. These can be carried by the wind for hundreds of miles, which explains why British coastal towns are often badly affected by shipping lanes lying further out to sea.
Source: Times Online UK.
TOXIC emissions from ships are killing prematurely an estimated 39,000 people a year across Europe, with Britain among the worst-affected countries, research has shown.
New Scientist
The report comes as the European Union is planning Europe’s first low-emissions marine zones, designed to limit pollution from the thousands of giant cargo ships passing along its coasts each year. Some of the vessels have engines so large that they can emit the same amount of pollutants as 50m cars in a year.
Scientists have long known that particulates and the compounds of sulphur and oxygen emitted by such engines are a health threat, causing heart and lung diseases and cancer.
Since these pollutants are also emitted by factories, motor vehicles and power plants, it is only recently that scientists have been able to calculate the specific impact of shipping. “ The latest European research suggests shipping emissions are causing the premature deaths of around 39,000 people in the EU each year,” said James Corbett, professor of marine policy at the University of Delaware.
The statistics have emerged from a series of studies of emissions carried out by researchers in Europe and America. One study, published recently by the European commission, suggested that shipping pollutants were shaving several months off the average lifespan of every European.
Its lead author, Janusz Cofala, of the Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, said that the growth in international trade and the number of cargo ships - many of which originate in China - would make this much worse.
Cofala’s findings were, he said, particularly serious for Britain and Ireland because they have long coastlines with some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes just offshore.
He predicts that Britain’s west coast is likely to be so badly affected by shipping pollution that average life expectancy for people living in or near coastal towns could be reduced by 20-30 months from 2020.
Such findings were reinforced this month by research from Stockholm University’s applied environmental sciences department published in Atmospheric Environment, an academic journal. Its figures suggest that particulates and other airborne pollutants from all sources caused about 546,000 premature deaths across Europe each year.
Corbett said the Stockholm study made clear how serious a health impact shipping pollution was having. “It means about 39,000 premature deaths are linked to shipping pollution across Europe,” he said.
Shipping’s international nature excludes it from most national laws controlling pollution. It means the 289m tons of fuel burnt by the world’s 100,000 cargo ships each year can be sourced from the cheapest and most contaminated sources. These may contain 2,000 times the levels of sulphur allowed in the diesel fuels sold for cars, plus heavy metals and other contaminants.
Marine engines exacerbate the problem because they run at high temperatures and pressures - just right for creating tiny particles of soot that are deadly to health. These can be carried by the wind for hundreds of miles, which explains why British coastal towns are often badly affected by shipping lanes lying further out to sea.
Source: Times Online UK.
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