Latest news with #dustpollution
BBC News
02-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Worcestershire quarry gets green light amid air pollution fears
Close to half a million tonnes of sand and gravel will be quarried from land next to two Worcestershire villages, despite residents' fears of a risk to health from airborne firm Cemex plans to carry out three years of excavation on farmland close to Ripple and Uckinghall, to supply what it called "critical construction supplies" for the local works, which would extract materials to a depth of up to 5.5m, were approved by Worcestershire County Council's planning committee on the quarrying is complete, it is proposed that the site be restored to a mixture of farmland and wetland. Operator Cemex already has a number of quarries in south Ripple East site sits next to a previous quarry, which since 2015 has been restored as a local residents said the new dig was too close to homes, with the nearest property approximately 40m from the proposed excavation."Cemex have gone one step too far," said Ripple resident Nick Harknett, who spoke at the planning committee hearing on Tuesday morning. While he said he appreciated the benefits of operations at the first site, Mr Harknett stressed residents' fears of the dangers of dust pollution, particularly from silica found within the of the very fine particles has been linked to lung diseases such as silicosis and cancer."Silica is the new asbestos… you're playing with people's lives here," he told the meeting. "This site is too close to the villages."He urged county councillors to reject the plans, despite them being recommended for approval by officers."Airborne silica can be taken directly into the lungs," said Green councillor Martin Allen, who represents the local division and who proposed the application's refusal. Allen argued the project's impact on the local community would fail to meet the objectives of the county's mineral extraction plan."Other countries warn about residents living near quarries' exposure to risk," he said."We used to have a 200-metre exclusion zone under the old mineral extraction plan."In a vote, Allen's motion was defeated. In a subsequent vote, councillors then approved the application. "There's no basis for talking about silicosis in the way that's been put forward today," said Rich Marsden, Cemex's development said no cases of the disease had been associated with the sand and gravel industry and that it was not a risk for the general population."We are the most heavily regulated industry in the country," added Mark Kelly, Cemex's UK planning stressed the site's importance in supplying the local construction sector with building an written submission, the county's public health team raised no objections to the an officer stated they did have some concerns regarding the cumulative effect on air quality of two quarries operating simultaneously, they highlighted a mitigation plan would be put in place to protect residents' health."Silica is one of the most common materials on the planet… this proposed extraction is not considered to represent a high risk," said Steve Aldridge, the county council's development manager. Sand and gravel excavated from the Ripple East site would be transported by barge about two miles up the River Severn to Cemex's Ryall concrete plant, also close to where the firm has submitted another application for on the Ripple East site is also expected to take place at the same time as another firm, Cullimore, begins quarrying on the other side of the M50 motorway."We already have at least seven quarries in our small parish, either completed, active or in the planning stage," said resident Jessica Wardle before the meeting."Our villages may soon be islands in a sea of quarries," she said. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Efforts to reduce dust from dry Owens Lake bed are helping, report finds
The dry bed of Owens Lake has long been a major source of dust in the Owens Valley, but mitigation efforts have reduced those emissions to a point that other dust sources in the surrounding desert now cause most of the poor air quality days in the area, according to a new report. Owens Lake was left desiccated after Los Angeles began tapping the eastern Sierra watershed for its own needs more than a century ago. But the amount of dust coming from the lake bed has been declining in recent years as the L.A. Department of Water and Power has taken mitigation measures such as spreading water on parts of the lake bed. 'This is a success story in process,' said Ted Russell, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology and chair of the Owens Lake Scientific Advisory Panel. 'You want to be able to understand where these sources are, such that you can better control them.' The panel, which was established in 2018 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, released its report this week detailing research and data on off-lake sources of dust — also known as PM10, particulate matter that measure 10 microns or smaller, and that penetrate into the lungs and can cause health problems. Read more: A century after Owens Valley aqueduct protest, event marks tense time in L.A. water history The team said in the report that significant dust sources in areas around the lake include land where floods have left deposits of sand and debris, the Keeler Dunes, the Olancha Dunes, alluvial fans and areas where soil has been disturbed for road infrastructure. The scientists said some of these areas are naturally sources of dust, while others are emitting more of it because of diversions of water or alterations of the landscape by people. Russell said research shows that the DWP's dust control efforts have been successful in reducing PM10 emissions from the lake bed, as well as the frequency of exceedances of air quality standards. The DWP has invested about $2.5 billion in dust mitigation projects on the dry lake bed, using methods including the shallow flooding of the lake bottom, placement of gravel, tillage that roughens the soil and the planting of vegetation that serves as a windbreak. The days with air quality exceedances caused by sources other than the lake have gone up and down in recent years, without a clear trend, Russell said. 'Off-lake sources in this arid environment are significant and are driving a large number of the PM10 exceedances at this time,' Russell said. He said that means bringing the area into attainment with national air quality standards will require additional effects to control the dust sources other than the lakebed. The report was sponsored by the DWP and the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, which regulates air pollution in an area of about 32,000 people. The DWP had no immediate comment on the panel's findings. Read more: L.A.'s quest for water leaves costly bill: Higher rates for customers, choking air pollution The scientists noted that on the northeastern side of Owens Lake, the Keeler Dunes transitioned during the last century from a 'largely vegetated dune system' to one that releases more dust. They wrote that 'increased sand transport following the diversion of water from Owens Lake destabilized the Keeler Dunes.' The scientists said ongoing efforts to stabilize the Keeler Dunes have been effective in mitigating dust. The work there has included arranging bales of straw on the sand, which has enabled native shrubs to take root and begin to keep down the blowing dust. The panel said these and other efforts to establish native vegetation hold promise to control dust in other areas and further improve air quality in the Owens Valley. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘Almost intolerable:' Airdrie business concerned over potentially hazardous dust emitted from concrete company
Airdrie's Western R.V. dealership says its neighbour, Tanas Concrete, has not been cleaning up the mess left behind by its plant. Some Airdrie business owners are concerned about the dust blowing over from a neighbouring concrete business, calling it a health and environmental hazard. Western R.V., a dealership for recreational vehicles and campers says their vehicles are consistently coated in dust coming from the business to the southeast. Tanas Concrete, now owned by Lafarge, has been operating on 58 East Lake Crescent since 2016. Bruce Urban says he's noticed more dust and activity within the past five years, and says his staff and customers are worried about inhaling the fine dust. 'It's getting almost intolerable at this point,' he said. He and his son Brandon, tell CTV News they have reached out to the Airdrie mayor's office, every councillor, local MLAs and federally elected officials to address their concerns and complaints. 'I need to try to take action, but what's the action when the politicians don't want to listen? When you're up against a wall like that, my question is what do you do? Do you shut down your business because your employees are being put through this?' said Urban. Concrete and silica Concrete often contains crystalline silica, which can be harmful when inhaled, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS). It adds, silica particles can have damaging effects on the lungs, and have been known to cause lung cancer. CTV News has reached out to Lafarge, and is waiting for a response to our request for comment. The City of Airdrie sent a statement which reads: 'An investigation is currently underway. We are unable to provide any specific details until the investigation is complete.' The city is also working to determine 'which areas of the expressed concern fall within the municipal areas of responsibility.' According to open data, the land-use for the concrete business is zoned as a heavy industrial employment district, while the adjacent properties to the north are zoned as an industrial park employment district. 'Clean it up' The property owner of a parcel of land to the immediate west of the concrete company says he too has been reaching out to various government organizations with concerns. 'I'd just like to see the City of Airdrie follow what the Alberta government says they should be doing,' said Ken Maines before adding, 'clean it up.' The province sent an Environmental Protection Officer to the Tanas Concrete property on May 14, according to an email obtained by CTV News from the department of Environment and Protected Areas. The officer provided a list of corrective actions for the company. These actions include; daily road sweeping in the yard and public roads, improvements to its street sweeper machinery, regrading land in the yard, installing a mat system to clean mud off the cars, and 'application of calcium chloride on their yard for dust control will be completed by the first week in June 2025.' As for health concerns, the email stated: 'Understanding the potential health impacts that the dust may have, EPA does not address specific health hazards. For concerns related to health and safety, we recommend contacting Alberta Health Services and/or Alberta Occupational Health Safety directly, as they are the appropriate authority to provide guidance and support on these matters.' Brandon Urban says he will be directing further complaints about dust as suggested. His father, Bruce Urban, says he wants to see a more urgent response. 'We need somebody to listen.'
