Blackthorn designs and supplies exhaust components including catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters, exhaust pipes and silencers. Our speciality is the reduction of toxic exhaust emissions in the following sectors:
This website aims to provide an overview of the air quality problems that engines can cause, and explain the choice of solutions currently available.
25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
A new study to further extend the evidence base as to whether emissions from modern well run Municipal Waste Incinerators affect human health has been approved by the Health Protection Agency. The HPAs current position that well run and regulated modern Municipal Waste Incinerators (MWIs) are not a significant risk to public health remains valid, but the study is being carried out to extend the evidence base and to provide further information to the public on this subject. The HPA will be funding the Small Area Health Statistics Unit, Imperial College London, and the Environmental Research Group, Kings College London, both part of the MRC-HPA Centre for Environment and Health, to carry out the study.For a distance of up to 10 15 kilometres from MWIs operating in the England and Wales, scientists will research whether there is a potential link between the emissions from MWIs and health outcomes, including: low birth weight, still births and infant deaths.Researchers will also investigate any possible link between MWI emissions and babies born with congenital anomalies, such as cleft palate and spina bifida, in areas where good quality data is available.HPA chief executive Justin McCracken said: "It is important to stress that our current position on the potential health effects of well run and regulated modern Municipal Waste Incinerators remains valid. This is that while it is not possible to rule out adverse health effects from modern, well regulated municipal waste incinerators with complete certainty, any potential damage to the health of those living close-by is likely to be very small, if detectable. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that modern and well managed municipal waste incinerators make only a very small contribution to local concentrations of air pollutants. "However, we recognise that there are public concerns about this issue and this study will provide valuable new evidence. .....
19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
The Association of London Environmental Health Managers (ALEHM) reviewed the LAQN during autumn 2011. Stakeholders, including London boroughs, Kings, the Health Protection Agency, DEFRA and the GLA, presented at a meeting on 17 November 2011. Topics included the history and operation of the network, provision of public information, LAQN support to the Health Protection Agency during emergency incidents, and during the Olympics, and costs of network membership in relation to other monitoring site costs. The strategic value of the LAQN measurements at both London-wide and UK level was also highlighted in presentations from the DEFRA and the GLA. In their statement ALEHM concluded: The network provides high quality air pollution data and information to support borough level local air quality management and the Mayor's strategies, and also provides important public information on local air quality to Londoners. The network benefits from its valuable partnership with King's College London, which not only co-ordinates the LAQN, but also undertakes research that informs and shapes policy and strategy at local and regional levels and is recognised at a national and an international level. ALEHM members will continue to support and promote the LAQN, and ensure it achieves London-wide coverage wherever possible. ALEHM also called for greater partnership between the Mayor and the London Boroughs on the LAQN in the future, with long term financial commitment for the LAQN to support existing monitoring and to address the funding of additional sites in order to ensure that the network is able to provide appropriate coverage in the future.More Information.....
17 Jan 2012 14:00:00 GMT
Kings have today updated their PM10 particles Nowcast map to show predicted pollution for the day, based on the latest measurements. The service will now be more useful to people trying to understand and avoid high pollution levels. The Nowcast has changed in line with the new Defra daily air quality index, which was introduced on the 1st of January 2012. Whilst the original PM10 Nowcast displayed measurements over the last 24 hours, the newly updated one uses real time measurements to look forward and predict PM10 air pollution for the day.More Information.....
17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
A new study by an international team of researchers, including scientists from Kings, shows that implementing 14 key air pollution control measures could slow the pace of global warming, save millions of lives and boost agricultural production. The research identifies 14 measures targeting methane and black carbon emissions that could slow global mean warming by approximately 0.5ºC by 2050. The measures could also prevent between 700,000 and 4.7 million premature deaths each year and increase global crop yields by between 30 million and 135 million tonnes per season. Professor Martin Williams from the Environmental Research Group at Kings said: Measures taken now to reduce carbon dioxide emissions will not have any effect on the global climate for another 40-50 years. We have shown that there are things we can do to begin to mitigate the temperature increases already being seen.Professor Williams added: The combination of methane and black carbon measures along with substantial carbon dioxide emissions reductions has a high probability of limiting global mean warming to less than 2ºC during the next 60 years, something which neither set of emissions reductions achieves on its own. While all regions of the world would benefit, avoided warming is greatest in central and northern Asia, southern Africa and around the Mediterranean, total numbers of avoided premature deaths are greatest in Asia and Africa and the greatest total tonnage gains in crop production are estimated to occur in China, India and the US, followed by Pakistan and Brazil. Countries in South Asia and the Sahel region of Africa could see considerable reduction in the disruption of rainfall patterns. The research published this week in the journal Science was led by Drew Shindell of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. The research team used sophisticated emission, air quality and climate models to estimate the impact of emissions reductions. Dr Johan Kuylenstierna, Direc.....
14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT
Recent Pollution Episode: Winter smog mid January 2012.....
Source: BBC News
Forum House, Stirling Road, Chichester, West Sussex. PO19 7DN England.
Tel: +44 (0) 870 0101 800 info@blackthorn.net