eprintid: 10180229
rev_number: 6
eprint_status: archive
userid: 699
dir: disk0/10/18/02/29
datestamp: 2023-11-03 14:22:09
lastmod: 2023-11-03 14:22:09
status_changed: 2023-11-03 14:22:09
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
sword_depositor: 699
creators_name: Marais, Eloise A
creators_name: Kelly, Jamie M
creators_name: Vohra, Karn
creators_name: Li, Yifan
creators_name: Lu, Gongda
creators_name: Hina, Naila
creators_name: Rowe, Ed C
title: Impact of Legislated and Best Available Emission Control Measures on UK Particulate Matter Pollution, Premature Mortality, and Nitrogen-Sensitive Habitats
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B03
divisions: C03
divisions: F26
keywords: agricultural emissions, air quality, ecosystem health, nitrogen pollution, particulate matter pollution, public health
note: © 2023 The Authors. GeoHealth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Geophysical Union.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
abstract: Past emission controls in the UK have substantially reduced precursor emissions of health-hazardous fine particles (PM2.5) and nitrogen pollution detrimental to ecosystems. Still, 79% of the UK exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline for annual mean PM2.5 of 5 μg m-3 and there is no enforcement of controls on agricultural sources of ammonia (NH3). NH3 is a phytotoxin and an increasingly large contributor to PM2.5 and nitrogen deposited to sensitive habitats. Here we use emissions projections, the GEOS-Chem model, high-resolution data sets, and contemporary exposure-risk relationships to assess potential human and ecosystem health co-benefits in 2030 relative to the present day of adopting legislated or best available emission control measures. We estimate that present-day annual adult premature mortality attributable to exposure to PM2.5 is 48,625 (95% confidence interval: 45,188-52,595), that harmful amounts of reactive nitrogen deposit to almost all (95%) sensitive habitat areas, and that 75% of ambient NH3 exceeds levels safe for bryophytes and lichens. Legal measures decrease the extent of the UK above the WHO guideline to 58% and avoid 6,800 premature deaths by 2030. This improves with best available measures to 36% of the UK and 13,300 avoided deaths. Both legal and best available measures are insufficient at reducing the extent of damage of nitrogen pollution to sensitive habitats. Far more ambitious reductions in nitrogen emissions (>80%) than is achievable with best available measures (34%) are required to halve the amount of excess nitrogen deposited to sensitive habitats.
date: 2023-10
date_type: published
publisher: American Geophysical Union (AGU)
official_url: https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH000910
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 2103200
doi: 10.1029/2023GH000910
medium: Electronic-eCollection
pii: GH2482
lyricists_name: Marais, Eloise
lyricists_name: Lu, Gongda
lyricists_id: EAMAR45
lyricists_id: GLUXX15
actors_name: Flynn, Bernadette
actors_id: BFFLY94
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: GeoHealth
volume: 7
number: 10
article_number: e2023GH000910
event_location: United States
issn: 2471-1403
citation:        Marais, Eloise A;    Kelly, Jamie M;    Vohra, Karn;    Li, Yifan;    Lu, Gongda;    Hina, Naila;    Rowe, Ed C;      (2023)    Impact of Legislated and Best Available Emission Control Measures on UK Particulate Matter Pollution, Premature Mortality, and Nitrogen-Sensitive Habitats.                   GeoHealth , 7  (10)    , Article e2023GH000910.  10.1029/2023GH000910 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GH000910>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10180229/1/Impact%20of%20Legislated%20and%20Best%20Available%20Emission%20Control%20Measures%20on%20UK%20Particulate%20Matter.pdf