Air quality no better

"Roamer" (The Sunday Times, November 16) had every reason to be baffled by a report in your sister paper which claimed that "cleaner fuel" had contributed to "better air quality". This report was, of course, totally misleading and smacked of government propaganda.

As "Roamer" rightly writes, nose tells him that the situation is not one little bit as reassuring as the report made it sound. Lead levels might have climbed down but all the other dangerous pollutants are still there. Quite simply, it is a wonder that we are all still alive.

In truth the traffic density in Malta is of such proportions that we are all unwilling consumers of a smelly cocktail of oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, ozone and particulates. Our benzene pollution is among the worst in Europe.

Nitrogen dioxide, a highly irritant gas derived from exhaust emissions, and other volatile organic compounds, was found to be present at levels that exceed health limits in areas of high traffic density.

In addition to the airborne fine dust levels (which are above what is considered safe) we have the deadly 'particulates' from diesel exhaust. Though sulphur dioxide concentrations have slightly decreased, they are still higher than permitted levels and emissions from stationary sources such as our power stations need to be further reduced.

A link between heavy traffic pollution and early mortality has long been suspected. Now it is proved. There is powerful evidence of a link between the presence of particulates in the air we breathe and the frequency of admissions to hospital for asthma and heart disorders.

In a large-scale study conducted in Canada, aerosol sulphates, which are an important component of diesel pollution in the summer, have been found to be associated with increased hospital admissions for heart and circulatory diseases and early death.

Another study in Sweden showed that people exposed to heavy traffic fumes over a 30-year period had a 40% higher chance of developing lung cancer. Those exposed only for 10 years were shown to be 20% more likely to develop lung cancer. The effect was the same for smokers and non-smokers and for people from different economic groups. The increasing prevalence of asthma is accounted for by people, who may have had a mild asthmatic tendency, becoming overtly asthmatic as a consequence of exposure to pollution from traffic.

Of all the pollutants, the particulates emitted by diesel engines are probably the most dangerous. The pestilential black smoke which continues to be emitted by our buses and most diesel cars consists of a large number of dangerous pollutants but especially of particulates.

Particulates are microscopic sooty particles small enough to enter the deepest recesses of our lungs after inhalation and lodge there, never to get out again. These particulates, referred to as "PM 10", are known to be mutagenic. Mutagenic means 'cancer-inducing'.

So, if the clouds of black smoke emitted by all our buses and diesel driven vehicles don't worry you, it is time they did.

About two years ago, in an equally self-congratulatory article, we were proudly informed by Dr Francis Zammit Dimech that diesel "...with 60 per cent less sulphur..." was henceforth to be imported. In realistic terms this meant that, from the previous highly dangerous level of 0.50%, the level of sulphur in our diesel fuel was lowered to around 0.15%. This is still three times higher than the European standard of 0.05%.

Therefore our diesel-powered vehicles continue to pose a cancer threat and to induce asthma attacks. To make matters worse, most of our diesel vehicles are old, many diesel-driven vehicles are using the wrong (probably illegal) fuel or have badly tuned engines - most likely both. In fact, there is little difference to be seen in spite of the improvement of diesel quality. These vehicles continue to spew out toxic black smoke.

A State of the Environment Report of some months ago concluded what we all know, namely, that the 'phenomenal' volume of traffic is one of the main contributors to the alarming levels of air pollution in Malta. With 270,000 vehicles on our roads, this is no surprise. It also warned of the harmful emissions produced by the Marsa power station.

It is time the government moved its environmental agenda from producing yet more reports to where it really matters. The elimination, as far as possible, of dangerous diesel emissions should be given priority. It is time our police and traffic wardens started to stop vehicles which emit visible black smoke and take them off the road until their engines have been put right.

Other steps to curb traffic pollution are urgently needed. The challenge here is to find ingenious ways to reduce excessive use of cars powered by fossil fuels.