A positive result for Vietnamese officials has recently been released, stating that Hanoi’s air pollution has seen reductions this year compared to previous years. Air pollution was considerably lower around the national holidays this year then it was in past years.
Some places, particularly Pham Van Dong street, have seen in increase in air pollution this year, however. Pham Van Dong street is where CIAT offices are based and driving along this road is part of my daily commute. I can definitely confirm that air quality is poor in the area with large amounts of construction and roadworks taking place on a daily basis. A facemask is a must if one is to brave this street during rush hour.
Hi all. This week I have been looking at the health impacts of air pollution on populations. It has become clear to me that any city experiencing high levels of pollution, such as that from Sulphur Dioxide, Ozone, Carbon Monoxide and PM2.5/10 will also suffer from increased hospital admissions and mortality.
Individuals living in a polluted area for a long time are more at risk of respiratory illnesses, heart attacks, cancer and strokes than those of their counterparts in less polluted areas. It doesn’t necessarily take long to build up pollutants in your body that have an adverse health impact. Take for example those near the World Trade Center when it collapsed on 9/11. From the sheer volume of particulate matter in the air in the following days, those exposed to high levels suffered from numerous illnesses and many have died prematurely directly resulting from this toxic exposure.
There are 6 levels of concern regarding Air Quality Index (a measure of air pollution):
Good” AQI is 0 to 50. Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk (Dublin usually sits around this level).
“Moderate” AQI is 51 to 100. Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people. For example, people who are unusually sensitive to ozone may experience respiratory symptoms (Dublin may slip into this category at times of high levels of construction or traffic around the city center).
“Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” AQI is 101 to 150. Although general public is not likely to be affected at this AQI range, people with lung disease, older adults and children are at a greater risk from exposure to ozone, whereas persons with heart and lung disease, older adults and children are at greater risk from the presence of particles in the air.
“Unhealthy” AQI is 151 to 200. Everyone may begin to experience some adverse health effects, and members of the sensitive groups may experience more serious effects.
“Very Unhealthy” AQI is 201 to 300. This would trigger a health alert signifying that everyone may experience more serious health effects.
“Hazardous” AQI greater than 300. This would trigger a health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.
Hanoi today (8th June 2018) has an AQI of 231. You can bet I wore my face mask on my commute today.
Anyway, take a look at the above video from Harvard’s “take 2” series. It explains in more detail the affects of air pollution on human health.
When I first arrived in Hanoi, I could not get over the level of air pollution that people live with on a daily basis. One of my colleagues has been suffering from a terrible cough since she arrived here and after a day outside, you feel like you need to take a shower afterwards to wash the pollution off your skin.
My first instinct was to question how the local population could stand for this kind of air quality. Who is responsible for fixing this? Why is so little being done? Cars, trucks, buses and most importantly motorcycles are to blame for this air pollution. Hanoi is also experiencing massive urbanisation and by 2020 there is projected to be 1 million cars and 7 million motorcycles in the city. The reasons behind this are numerous. Firstly, the only form of public transport is busses, of which only 3% of the cities inhabitants use. Secondly, commuting by car is tedious and slow. Investment in public transport and road improvements would cost the Vietnamese government billions per year and motorcycles are ingrained into Vietnamese and SEA culture. This leaves two options – cycle in 40 degree heat or use a motorcycle. I must confess that even as an environmentalist and a qualified urban planner, I myself have invested in a motorcycle to get around the city.
What can be done to improve this? The suggestions are numerous and potentially viable but it would require a significant investment. Vietnam must firstly begin to invest heavily in renewable energy. It already gets 40% of its electricity from hydroelectric plants. Secondly, the electrification of cars and scooters must become far more common and dates should be set to phase out fossil fuel modes of transport. Electric light rail, buses, cars and bikes could clear up the air in the city and showcase just how beautiful a city it really is. Will this happen? Its up to the Government I suppose!
Anyway, it is not my job to try and solve every air quality problem that Southeast Asia suffers from. I’m just here to look into the agricultural aspect.
