#clean air

[covidsafehotties]

Published April 25, 2024

Abstract

An improved understanding of the underlying physicochemical properties of respiratory aerosol that influence viral infectivity may open new avenues to mitigate the transmission of respiratory diseases such as COVID-19. Previous studies have shown that an increase in the pH of respiratory aerosols following generation due to changes in the gas-particle partitioning of pH buffering bicarbonate ions and carbon dioxide is a significant factor in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity. We show here that a significant increase in SARS-CoV-2 aerostability results from a moderate increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (e.g. 800 ppm), an effect that is more marked than that observed for changes in relative humidity. We model the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission on the ambient concentration of CO2, concluding that even this moderate increase in CO2 concentration results in a significant increase in overall risk. These observations confirm the critical importance of ventilation and maintaining low CO2 concentrations in indoor environments for mitigating disease transmission. Moreover, the correlation of increased CO2 concentration with viral aerostability need to be better understood when considering the consequences of increases in ambient CO2 levels in our atmosphere.

[aloneinthedark-eagle]

A corner of heaven

[liberaljane]

We need climate action.

Digital illustration of a blonde woman wearing a mask facing the New York City skyline. She is standing on a fire-escape wearing a tan dress that reads, ‘climate change is a public health crisis.’

[thoughtportal]

[reasonsforhope]

According to the World Resources Institute, the number of electric school buses operating or delivered in the United States more than doubled—from 598 in 2022 to 1,285 through June 2023—all driven to serve school children while providing cleaner air in 40 states.

Looking into the near future, the number of electric school buses that were already funded or on-order nearly tripled, and were spread across districts located in 49 states.

The emissions-free buses are found in 914 U.S. school districts and private fleet operators, according to the evidence-based nonprofit’s report published in September, 2023: State of Electric School Bus Adoption in the US.

California leads all states, with over 2,000 committed electric buses across the sprawling territory. This is more than five times as many EV buses as the next leading state, Maryland, with 391 commitments.

New Jersey has the second largest increase with 107 new buses, while West Virginia has the third largest increase with 42 new commitments. The updated data shows electric school bus commitments are now more evenly distributed across all regions of the country.

The Top 5 School Districts by Number of Electric School Buses are:

Montgomery County Public Schools (Maryland)

Los Angeles Unified School District

New York City Public Schools

Twin Rivers Unified School District (California)

Troy Community Consolidated School District (Illinois)

“We estimate approximately 69,000 students across the country are currently served by electric school buses that are delivered or in operation,” said the report authors, Lydia Freehafer, Leah Lazer, and Brian Zepka.

Zero pollution from tailpipes while buses are idling or driving means the students, staff, and community will be exposed to significantly less harmful air particulates that contribute to asthma and lung disease. The environment also benefits from reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The federal government’s Clean School Bus Program, administered by the Environmental Protection Agency, is one of the biggest funders of these vehicles, having awarded 2,339 electric school buses—with more on the way.

-via Good News Network, December 30, 2023

[ceevee5]

[gece3gibi]

[willowreader]

COVID testing seems to be a thing of the past. Some people are positive for 14 days. Yet are back in public after 5 days or less. We have failed.

[eaglesnick]

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

We know Rishi Sunak would rather he and his cronies made even more money than they already have than save the planet. Even those within the Conservative party acknowledge this fact, and this was BEFORE Sunak decided to issue hundreds of new licenses for oil and gas extraction from the North Sea, or scrap clean air policies for our cities.

“Goldsmith says Sunak is apathetic about the environment. It’s Hard to disagree. Evidence suggests PM has done little to advance green issues and is allowing the UK to fall behind in climate fight.” (Guardian: 30/06/23)

Are people really going to vote for a man who has allowed our waterways and beaches to become polluted by raw sewage? This was a headline from the Mirror newspaper only yesterday:

“Sewage pours into conservation sites including Lake District for 300,000 hours.” (Mirror: 31/07/23)

Back in January the BBC reported this warning from MP’s to Rishi Sunak:

“England's rivers are contaminated by a "chemical cocktail" of sewage, agriculture and road pollution,,,  Microplastics, slurry, car tyre particles, oils and wet wipes are all part of the problem, they said. No English river free of pollution, MPs warn.” (BBC News: 13/01/23)

Clearly, Sunak couldn’t care less as he is advocating more car use, more gas and oil exploration, and has given the privately owned water companies until 2050, to clean up our waterways and coast line.

Even if you are still sceptical about global warming and the lethal consequences this could have for our planet , everyone should care about our rivers and beaches. Two years ago, it was reported “Britain’s rivers are suffocating to death" and that “water pollution (was) causing death by a thousand cuts for rivers”.

In Whitby, there have been “unprecedented levels of crab, lobsters, coral and seabirds…dying on the northeast coast”. (Guardian 10/02/23, while in Kent, Whitstable’s world famous oyster beds are being threatened with extinction from repeated raw sewage discharges into the sea.

“Sewage spills threaten to “wipe out” Whitstable oyster farmers” (The Times: 11/04/23)

Sunak is not interested in you or me. He couldn’t care less about contaminated water, be it inland rivers and lakes or our beaches. He doesn’t care if the waters around our coast are contaminated and dangerous to health, be that human health of the health of marine animals. He doesn’t care for our coastal fisheries or the businesses than make their living from marine farming.

Sunak, a multi-millionaire with a bolthole in sunny California, doesn’t have to live with the consequences of his short-sighted and environmentally damaging actions. It wont be his children paddling in raw sewage. It wont be his children swimming in poisoned waters. It wont be his children who are forced to breathe in polluted air day after day because he has scrapped his own clean air policies. Mr Sunak is an unelected multi-millionaire whose only concern is to make more money for himself and his rich friends. If that means trashing the environment in the process, then so be it – he doesn’t have to live with the consequences. Unfortunately, you and I, and our children and grand children, do.

[thegoodmorningman]

Maybe if we ask The Billionaires nicely...

[laurellynnleake]

Just swapped out the filters on our 1st Corsi-Rosenthal cube, and what a difference! Dusty old filter above, minty fresh one below.

This particular filter box spent 10+ months on low inside our house, catching tons of wildfire smoke, PM2.5, and COVID-19 aerosols, as well as pollen, dust, and mold. Glad all that's on THERE and not in our lungs!

I highly recommend building your own CR box for your home, school, work, mutual aid meet ups, etc. All you need is 4 MERV-13 filters (sold at most hardware stores), a 20" box fan, scissors, cardboard, and duct tape.

It ends up costing about $75-100 - much cheaper and performs a lot better than a lot of fancy air purifiers. Building it with 2 people takes about an hour (mostly to measure and cut out the weird shroud thing), and swapping in new filters is much faster.

Check out the Clean Air Crew website to get started on your own! We protect each other! 💪😷✨

[thoughtportal]

the biggest industrial and economic transition that is ever going to happen on earth.

[dk-thrive]

For the right to breathe clean air, feel the lick of sun, live in that country.

— C. Pam Zhang, Land of Milk and Honey (Riverhead Books, September 26, 2023)

[pipzeroes]

Source.

A post by user luckytran on instance med-mastodon.com:

There is no silver bullet solution to mitigating the harm caused by #COVID. We need masks, clean air, vaccines, treatments and more. None of these things are perfect, and none alone are sufficient to prevent all the harm being caused. We need them all. Keep speaking up for layers or protections.

[gece3gibi]