Special Sessions

Special sessions organised and sponsored by IUAPPA member national organisations or Congress sponsors on challenging contemporary issues in air and environmental policy. Each session, which will last for 2 to 4 hours, will include invited international experts.

1. Climate Change and Pollution
Monday 23rd August 2004
(VVM-CLAN, The Netherlands; Convenor Joop van Ham)
The Plenary Panel on Climate Change and Pollution will provide insight into the many scientific connections between the two problems and into technologies which can have an effect on them. An outline for development of effective policies to tackle them will be discussed as a conclusion of the Panel.

• Bert Metz, RIVM, The Netherlands; Co-chairman of IPCC Working Group III on Mitigation,
  moderator
• Meinrat Andreae, Max Planck Institute Mainz, Germany and Shaw Liu, Taiwan:
  The role of aerosols
• Ivar Isaksen, University of Oslo, Norway:
  Atmospheric ozone
• David Fowler, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology , UK:
  Reactive nitrogen in the environment
• Kornelis Blok, University of Utrecht/ Ecofys, The Netherlands:
  Controlling greenhouse gases and pollutants
• Daniel Rosenfeld, Israel:
  Present day climate change by air pollution suppressing precipitation

2. Air Quality and Health: Recent Advances and Unanswered Questions
Tuesday 24th August 2004
(UK Department of Health; convenor Dr. R. Maynard)

Concentrations of many air pollutants are now lower in Western cities than for many years. This reflects well upon both Governments and the research workers who have provided the evidence to show that health is benefited by policies designed to drive levels downwards. Research inevitably poses new questions: some particularly challenging ones have appeared in the past five years. Three areas seem unusually important. Firstly, which are the active components of the ambient aerosol? Small particles may be playing a key role and, if they are, this may lead to a reconsideration of the chosen metric for standards and control strategies. Secondly, who is at risk? Recent work has focused on people with cardiovascular disease and simulating hypotheses to explain this effect have been advanced. The very young may also be at risk and we need more data in this obviously important area. Thirdly, can we begin to devise a broad and consistent explanation for the effects of several pollutants? Particles may act by virtue of their capacity to induce the formation of free radicals in the tissues of the body, but ozone may also act in this way, as might nitrogen dioxide. A bold, unifying hypothesis is needed and may soon be available.

There are, of course, many more questions to ask: some will be answered during the next five years, others will not. The impact on health of ambient exposure to mutagens and to toxic organic compounds is poorly understood and tightening our grasp on these pollutants will be a serious challenge. Defining the effects of long-term exposure to pollutants, especially the gases ozone and nitrogen dioxide will also be a problem.

• Jon Ayres, University of Aberdeen, UK:
  Air pollution and heart disease
• Frank Kelly, Kings College, London, UK:
  A unifying hypothesis linking together the effects of different air pollutants
• H-Erich Wichmann, Institute of Epidemiology, Germany
  (INVITED)
• Dan Greenbaum/Robert O'Keefe, HEI USA:
  Public Health and Air Pollution in Asian Cities (INVITED)
• Jiun-Horng, Taiwan:
  Risk characterisation of organic air toxins in an industrial city in Taiwan
• Daniel Pedersen, Israel:
  Human cell mutagenicity of respirable airborne particles: seasonal, spatial and chemical variations
• John Stedman, UK:
  The predicted number of air pollution related deaths in the UK during the August 2003 heat wave
• Eugene Cairncross, South Africa:
  Communicating Air Pollution Exposure

3. Indoor Air Quality: Impacts and Management
Tuesday 24th August 2004
(APPA, France; convenor Jean-Marie Rambaud)

Recent progress in personal exposure and health effects assessment have led to an increased focus on "indoor" air pollution, which represents an average of 80% of total personal exposure. International experts from Europe, Japan and the USA will review recent work in this rapidly developing field. As well as general assessment of sources, exposure and effects, there will also be special presentations on tobacco smoke, radon monitoring and mitigation, the impact of materials, and ventilation.

The session has been prepared by APPA (Association pour la Prévention de la Pollution Atmosphérique) in association with the French CTSB (Scientific and Technical Centre for Buildings) and the UK Building Research Establishment, under the sponsorship of ADEME (French Agency for Environment and Building Management).

• Christian Cochet, France:
  Indoor pollutants, sources and human exposure
• Vincent Nedellec, France:
  Indoor air quality monitoring and assessment. State of the art and current surveys. International panorama.
• Kirk Smith, US:
  Health effects and risk assessment. Comparison between developed and developing countries
• David P. Wyon, Denmark:
  The effects of IAQ on performance, behaviour and productivity
• J. McLaughlin, Ireland:
  Environmental tobacco smoke
• Chris Scivyer, UK:
  Radon monitoring and mitigation
• Sin-Ichi Tanabe, Japan:
  Materials and IAQ
• Peter Wouters, Belgium:
  Ventilation and IAQ
• Michel Krzyzanowski, France:
  Guidelines, international and governmental programs

4. Emissions and Control Strategy - State of the Art
Tuesday 24th August 2004
(Commission on Air Pollution Prevention VDI & DIN, Germany: Convenor Dr. Rudolf Neuroth)

• K.G. Schmidt; B. Neukirchen; and R. Neuroth, Germany:
  Introduction: General overview - Latest developments - Standardisation aspects
• G. Baumbach, Germany:
  Flue gas emissions during the combustion of different natural fuel wood qualities
• Jens Seedorf, Germany:
  First results of PM10 measurements in a turkey barn - descriptions of methods and difficulties
• Hans Grimm, Germany:
  A new kind of portable environmental monitoring method
• Jürgen Franzaring, Germany:
  Environmental monitoring of reactive nitrogen with special reference to using plant bioindicators
• R. Bolwerk, Germany:
  Waste incineration and emission control by cement plants in Germany
• B. Johnke, Germany:
  Waste management, energy use and the reduction on climate relevant emissions

5. Air Quality in Asian Cities
Wednesday 25th August 2004
(Clean Air Initiative, Asia: Convenor Cornie Huizinga)

Sponsored by the Clean Air Initiative, Asia, this session will review the major challenges posed by air pollution in Asian cities, and will combine overseas papers on scientific assessment, policy and management with individual country studies

• Dieter Schwela:
  Strategic Framework for Air Quality Management in Asia
• Gary Haq, UK:
  Urban Air Quality Management in Asian Cities
• Lee Schipper (EMBARQ):
  Sustainable Transport in Asia
• Katherine Sibold (IES - USEPA)
  (Invited)
• Shamlong Poboon, Thailand:
  Sustainable Transport for Bangkok
• Atiqur Rahman, India:
  Health Impact of Road Transport in Delhi
• Ravindra Khaiwal, India:
  Impact of Introduction of CNG in India
• Dr. Tim Chatterton, UK:
  Air Quality Management in Asia, Europe and the UK
• Country studies from India, Thailand and Sri Lanka

6. The Future: Sustainable Transport
Wednesday 25 August

This workshop covers four areas where technologies are helping address specific challenges for air quality management. These are in-car environment, cleaner construction equipment, bio-gas use in passenger cars and low emission city buses.
With many people spending longer periods of time in their vehicles due to congestion and changing transport patterns, it is essential to understand the consequences of air quality inside vehicles. With this in mind, Volvo Car Corporation has turned its attention to the in-car environment, including internal air quality and contact allergies.
Construction sites represent a challenge for urban air quality management. This session will review the technology for cutting emissions from construction and the international experience in implementing clean construction strategies, including voluntary measures and the regulatory framework.
The use of fuels in the car industry has remained fairly static for the last hundred years; diesel and petrol have been the major players. Now, it's certainly time to take the next step. Volvo Car Corporation presents its current Bi-Fuel technology and also explores the industry's options to cleaner future fuels.
Public transport represents a highly effective way of tackling congestion and pollution in urban environments, provided it is attractive for commuters to use and utilises low emission city buses. Volvo Bus Corporation and Johnson Matthey will review new developments in emission control options for new city buses and those already in-service.

• John Murlis, University College London, UK,
  Setting the Scene - Impacts of Urban Growth And New Emission Standards
• Don Potts, Volvo Cars UK, Anders Lofvendahl, Volvo Car Corporation, Sweden,
  Clean In-Car Environment
• Andreas Mayer, TTM, Switzerland, Robert Evans, Johnson Matthey, UK,
  Clean Construction: Managing Emissions From Construction Vehicles And Equipment
• Niklas Gustavsson, Steffan Johannesson, Volvo Car Corporation, Sweden,
  Transition To Cleaner Technologies - Biogas Cities - Practical Examples From West Sweden
• Peter Danielsson, Volvo Bus Corporation, Sweden, Robert Evans, Johnson Matthey, UK,
  Clean Urban Transport: New Emission Control Technologies And Options For The Current Fleet

7. Integration of policies on climate change and air quality
Wednesday 25th August 2004
(VVM-CLAN, The Netherlands; convener Rob J. Swart)

Integration of air pollution and climate policies can have multiple benefits, increasing the cost-effectiveness of reaching air quality and climate targets and linking long-term global concerns to short-term local problems. Measures to abate GHG emissions may be the only or at least a very important way to meet stringent air quality targets. Possibilities for expanding the existing international agreements to address "the other issue" will be discussed, and concrete examples of actual benefits from integration of policies on climate change and air quality in economic sectors will be presented.

• Rob Swart, EEA European Topic Centre on Air and Climate Change and National Environmental Assessment Agency, Netherlands:
  moderator
• Frank Dentener, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, EC Joint Research Centre, ispra, Italy:
  Opportunities and Risk of Integration: atmospheric linkages
• Kristin Rypdal, CICERO, Norway:
  Ozone and aerosols in future climate regimes or greenhouse gases in air pollution agreements/: scientific and political challenges
• Carolien Kroeze, Wageningen Institute for Environment and Climate Research, Netherlands:
  Synergies and Trade-offs in the Energy sector: Case Studies from China and India
• Bob Noland, Centre for Transport studies, Imperial College, UK:
  Synergy and trade-offs in the Transport sector

8. Reactive Nitrogen: Nutrient, Pollutant and Climate Change Agent
Wednesday 25th August 2004
(VVM-CLAN, The Netherlands; convener Johan Sliggers)

Considerable quantities of nitrogen compounds are released in the production of food and energy. The chemically bound nitrogen formed in this way amounts to 1.5 times the naturally formed amount, leading to a number of environmental problems. The nitrogen compounds involved are mobile, reactive, and can be transformed into one another.
The session aims at providing a birds eye view of the problem in order to deal with these environmental reactive nitrogen (N-r) problems in a more integrative way.

• De Vries, Netherlands:
  The impacts of nitrogen deposition on carbon sequestration by European forest
• KH Sander, Netherlands:
  Proactive approach to reactive nitrogen
• H. Van Dobben, Netherlands:
  Simulation of critical load for nitrogen for terrestrial plant association in the Netherlands
• M. Posch, Netherlands:
  Derivation and evaluation of impact factors for acidifying and eutrophying nitrogen for use in European air pollution abatement policies

9. Ecosystems, Crops and Other Sensitive Vegetation
Wednesday 25th August 2004
(Convened by Professor Nigel Bell, Imperial College, London)

What are the likely effects on crop production and biodiversity from the predicted rise in background ozone. What are the other major pollutants affecting sensitive vegetation and ecosystems in the southern and northern hemispheres and what steps are being taken to control them. How will decreasing precipitation and increased temperature affect these issues? Is there a role for biological monitoring?

• Dr. Kristin Aunan (Norway -CICERO)
  Interactions with climate change and air pollution
• Prof. J.N.Bell (UK)
  A Chinese perspective
• Dr. Madroolika Agrawal (India)
  Effects of air pollution on crops in India: social and economic scenario
• Prof. R. Bobbink (Netherlands)
  Critical Loads for Nitrogen

• Prof. Mike Ashmore (UK)
  Ozone impacts on vegetation and ecosystems
• Prof. Luis Cifuentes (Chile)
  Key issues for the Southern Hemisphere
• Dr. Johan Kuylenstierna (Sweden)
  A Global view

• Dr. Lisa Emberson (UK)
  Scientific Protocols to assess air pollution impacts to crops - Asian Region
• Damien Cuny (France)
  Valuation of Environmental Ozone impact in an industrial basin in northern France
• David Doley (Australia)
  Co-ordinated local and regional monitoring of air pollution effects on ecosystems
• D. Brooke (UK)
  Analysis of SO2,NOx,and ammonia - A Habitats Directive Case Study

10. Emergency Response
Thursday 26th August 2004
(Chairmen: Patrick Cunningham (President of the UK Emergency Planning Committee) and
Peter Hedges (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - EPSRC))

This session will review how to deal with accidental and deliberate releases into the environment. It considers large-scale industrial releases of harmful substances and more localised releases of toxic material at street level. The current understanding of the way that substances disperse into the atmosphere and the tools available to model them are considered, and their application in matters of national and international security is explored.

• Richard Perkins
  Modelling Transport and Dispersion in Urban Areas
• Arthur Jones
  Accidental Releases
• Sam Arnold
  DAPPLE : Experimental Work in London
• Dudley Shallcross
  Tracer releases in London: Present Activities and Future prospects
• Rex Britter and Alan Robins
  Experiments and Modelling