From: Jeremy Bradley (jeremyb@nor.com.au)
Date: Wed 03 Sep 2003 - 06:57:39 GMT
SNIPPPPPPP........................
>> > > Kyoto has already apparently killed thousands in France, as the
French
>> > > artificially tax energy in the name of Kyoto to the point that the
old
>> > > and the poor can't afford air conditioning, and die in temperatures
>> > > lower than an Oklahoma summer day.
>> >
Hi all from the lurking Jeremy
I was just reading something that may interest you. It is an aspect of the
global warming thing that is not discussed much. An unpopular meme??????
Cheers and have fun in the declining years of humanity.
Pollution Cited as Factor in French Heat Deaths
Story by Kerstin Gehmlich
http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/22069/story.htm
PARIS - Air pollution may have been the cause of death for thousands of
French people who died in a heatwave that struck Europe this August, an
environmental official said yesterday.
"Several hundreds or thousands could have been affected. Maybe between
1,000 and 3,000," said Jean-Felix Bernard, president of France's Conseil
National de l'Air, an air quality agency attached to the Environment Ministry.
Hit by the hottest weather in some 60 years, France recorded around 11,400
more deaths than usual in the first two weeks of August. Pensioners have
been the worst affected, with many struck down by hyperthermia and
dehydration as temperatures rose over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
A recent study suggests that pollution may also have been a key cause of
death, as searing temperatures and a lack of wind left a cloud of smog
hanging over Paris.
Bernard said he based his estimate of pollution-related deaths on a 2002
study by the INVS, a health watchdog within the health ministry. It showed
people exposed to polluted air over a period of several days had a much
higher mortality risk.
The European Union has also recognized high ozone levels as a health
concern in a study published before the heatwave.
"Nearly 1,000 hospital admissions and more than 2,000 premature deaths per
year can be attributed to this pollution (high ozone levels) in the EU
countries," the European Environment Agency said in a report published in May.
While ozone in the upper atmosphere is vital for filtering out harmful
ultraviolet light, ground-level ozone - caused by sunlight reacting with
certain forms of pollution, especially car exhaust emissions - can cause
respiratory problems.
As temperatures rocketed in France this summer, the French also suffered
from record levels of air pollution.
"It's the first year since this form of data collection began in 1991 that
we've seen such high ozone values over such a long period," said Joelle
Colosio of environmental agency ADEME.
"It has been very hot, with temperatures not even falling significantly
during the night, and there has not been a lot of wind, which normally
dilutes pollution," she said.
POLLUTION IN SPAIN
In Spain, where the official heatwave death toll is 101, a group of
ecologists wants the government to investigate how many heatwave victims
were killed by ozone and other air pollutants.
"This could be one of the keys to the increase in deaths noted this summer
in our country and our neighbors (France and Portugal)," Ecologists in
Action said in a statement.
A spokeswoman at Spain's health ministry said an investigation into the
heatwave - which could be published as early as Friday - would examine all
possible causes of death.
The ecologist group said European guidelines state that short-term exposure
to ozone levels above 240 micrograms per cubic meter poses a risk to human
health.
Levels in Spain spiralled as high as the 288 micrograms recorded in
Tarragona on August 5, the group said, adding that in 2003, Spanish ozone
levels climbed over the EU's public notification threshold four times as
often as during 2002.
In France, the critical EU level was exceeded in many rural areas and
cities for several days in August, the ADEME said.
French environmentalists said car use should be reduced and air pollution
caused by industry better regulated.
"Having one "car-free" day per year will not be enough," said Yannick
Vicaire from Greenpeace. "We will have to seriously consider closing some
urban centers to all traffic."
(Additional reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison)
Story by Kerstin Gehmlich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jeremy Bradley
3200 Oxley Hwy Hartys Plains 2446
Phone:02 65856652 or 02 65856134
E-mail: jeremyb@nor.com.au
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