In the UK, environmental organization Pollution Solution recently launched the World’s first ever highly effective in-road pollution removal technology, Roadvent.
This solution, which is also now available for installation in Canada and in the USA, is ideal for congested city pollution hot spots where people are exposed to high concentrations of vehicle emissions, such as school drop-off points, bus stops, busy traffic lights, road junctions and drive-thru restaurants. Roavent has been scientifically proven to reduce roadside exposure to air pollution by 91%.
How it works
Roadvent consists of intake slots installed into the road, which upon sensing the presence of vehicles, create a vacuum that captures the toxic fumes being emitted, avoiding dispersion to nearby pavements. Once the fumes are captured, they travel to a roadside air cabinet where pollutants, such as NO, NO2, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs and other harmful components are filtered to a level of 99%.
The air pollution effects on health
Exposure to air pollution has been linked to a multitude of health conditions, from cardiovascular disease, low birthweight, depression, alzheimers and much more. Polluted air is estimated to cause 7 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization.
Last month, for the first time, UK government advisors have said that air pollution is likely to be contributing to dementia and a declining mental ability in older people around the world, after conducting a 290 page report over the course of three years on the subject.
The study was conducted by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, and led by Professor Frank Kelly of the Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London who commented “Dementia is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, global challenge for health and social care in the 21st century”.
With air pollution being a global health emergency, scientists, including Professor Kelly have commented on Roadvent’s effectiveness at reducing air pollution exposure:
“Although progress has been made in reducing vehicle emissions in urban locations, hotspots still exist where traffic is idling or moving slowly. To date, there has been no effective way of removing pollution at roadside other than banning vehicles such as in the Clean Streets programme. Roadvent provides a promising viable alternative to banning traffic as the system sucks up pollution at the road surface before it can disperse to nearby pavements. Early tests of the system demonstrates significant reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, one of the major pollutants emitted from diesel vehicles.” – Professor Frank Kelly, PhD, FKC, FRSB, FRSC, FMedSci
“It has been really nice to see the system in operation. The data from the testing is compelling, showing the system to take the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from an unhealthy amount above the limits as recommended by the World Health Organisation to below those limits. If that was to be rolled out worldwide, it could make a remarkable difference. I believe it should be taken forward, and I think Pollution Solution has done a great job in the production.” – Professor James Lee, Atmospheric Chemistry, University of York
Air quality management
Leaders across the globe have been heavily focused on improving air quality for communities as new pollution mitigation strategies and technologies emerge. From installing air quality monitors throughout cities, diverting vehicles from critically polluted areas, introducing new charges to the most polluting vehicles, encouraging people to ‘sell my car’ and cycle more, to introducing more charging points for electric vehicles.
Despite the efforts to implement those solutions, it could take multiple decades to effectively bring air pollution levels down below the World Health Organization’s guidelines. It is evident that more immediate, proactive measures are urgently needed in order to prevent health complications and the loss of life of millions of people each year.
New technologies like Roadvent can have an immediate, drastic impact on local air quality and consequently vastly improve the health of surrounding communities currently being exposed to toxic emissions on a daily basis.
Workplace air quality
Many don’t realize they are breathing dirty air at their workplace, whether this is because their office is located on a busy road or their job involves being around a lot of slow moving/idling traffic, for example: gas stations, distribution centers, serving hatches at drive-thru restaurants, etc.
Workplace air quality is regulated in many countries, where many companies are continuously in breach of legal limits, thus exposing employees to dangerous levels of pollution.
By implementing effective measures, employers would be drastically improving the quality of lives and health of their employees, as well as productivity within their teams, as studies suggest air pollution diminishes cognitive function.
Conclusion
Although air pollution poses a global threat to human health, there is more that can be done to tackle the issue worldwide. Key decision makers, include governments and employers, who have the ability to roll out new turnkey technologies that can have immediate impact on air quality.
For more information on Roadvent, visit roadvent.com
