The State of the Environment 2018 report which was tabled in Parliament shows a slight positive shift in Malta's car fleet towards fuel-efficient vehicles; however, private car use, and low consumption of alternative fuels, make car use one of the key forces for environmental concern.
A concern that Malta's ever-increasing vehicle fleet is having a negative effect on Malta's air quality has been present for many years. However, efforts are underway to discover ways which could result in reducing the more harmful pollutants. The report highlights that ambient air monitoring confirmed a significant reduction in sulphur dioxide (SO2) concentrations attributed to the phasing out of heavy sulphur fuels.
Malta's most significant air pollutants according to the report include: "ground level ozone (O3) (most of which probably originate from transboundary sources), Nitrogen Oxides and Particulate Matter (mainly from transport). Natural dust sources from sea spray as well as Saharan dust contribute a relatively large fraction of the dusts in our air." Particulate Matter is very fine dust. All these affect human health.
It also states that Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentrations have remained largely within the annual limits but had exceeded the hourly limit in the Msida traffic area in 2011. This was the only year this occurred for NO2 the ERA said. "The concentration of NO2 is higher in traffic congested areas and may pose a significant problem in dense urban areas."
The report states that there are efforts to reduce air pollution. The Malta Independent met Nadine Mercieca, team manager responsible for Air Quality, and Mark Scerri, a senior environment protection officer, both from the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), to talk about talk about Malta's air quality.
In reference to an editorial published by this newsroom entitled "Air pollution: a silent but effective killer", they clarified that climate change is a global issue and its effects on human health are indirect. Climate change results in global warming, so if industry and related sectors continue to emit greenhouse gases the Earth's surface temperatures will continue to rise. Greenhouse gases per se do not have an impact on human health, Mercieca said, adding that it is ambient air pollution which has a direct impact on human health.
The ERA is the competent authority when it comes to ambient air pollution and compliance with national emissions throughout the islands. ERA is also the entity that carries out air pollution monitoring. Its main aim is to monitor and ensure compliance with local (and European) legislation and international conventions, the representatives explained. "Air pollution not only has an impact on human health, but also on natural heritage (e.g. ecosystems) as well as on cultural heritage (e.g. buildings)," Mercieca said. She added that Malta has been monitoring air quality since around 2001.
She highlighted that the State of the Environment report looks at pollution trends from 2009 to 2015.
In terms of Particulate Matter, there are two values measured - PM2.5 (Particulate Matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter) and PM10 (Particulate Matter less than 10 μm in diameter which includes PM2.5)
Particulate Matter can also be emitted naturally from sea spray and dust coming from the North African region - which is seen very clearly when Malta is hit by Saharan events. It is estimated that in 2016, about 15 per cent of the PM2.5Particulate Dust PM2.5 (Particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter) in Msida was due to Saharan dust.
Mercieca stressed the importance of people knowing when Saharan dust is over Malta, and the ERA is working on a system to inform the public when there is a Saharan dust event, as it could have implications on someone who has respiratory ailments, for example, asthma.
Focusing on the Msida monitoring station given the heavy traffic flow in the area, the representatives said that there has been a constant decrease in PM2.5 levels since 2011. She said they can only speculate on the valid reason for this - the public transport reform carried out that year that got rid of the old buses, which could have contributed to the reduction. This could also be attributed to the newer cars slowly entering the Maltese islands.
"We also believe that improvement in vehicle technology has been undermined by the number of cars being registered every day, and as such the improvement is being balanced out due to increasing vehicle numbers," Mercieca said.
With regard to PM10 (Particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter which includes PM2.5), it is at a higher value in Msida when compared to the other monitoring stations. The sea salt and Saharan dust contribution is an important factor one must take into consideration. When this is subtracted, Malta is still within the EU limit value, but at times this hovers around the limit. "This shows that traffic is slowly and gradually becoming the major source, and if Malta continues on this trend without taking action it could become problematic." While there was an improvement in PM 2.5, this was not the case in PM 10 (which would include dust with PM 2.5) she said. This can be speculatively attributed to the fact that non-exhaust emissions by vehicles (which are not controlled by Euro standards) occur mostly in the PM10 fraction and therefore it will be difficult for the situation to improve unless vehicle flows are curbed, the representatives said.
Scerri explained that both are harmful. Dust with PM 2.5 makes its way into the blood stream from the lungs and has been associated effects due to chronic exposure. The effects would be seen in the longer term. Dust with PM10 is stopped in the upper airways and their effects are associated more with acute exposure, from being exposed to a high concentration of PM 10 for example, he said. Examples of this would be asthma, he added.
ERA highlighted the Transport Strategy and Master Plan which looks at various options which could tackle this situation. "We are also looking into an Air Pollution Control Programme which we intend to finalise by 2019."
The representatives highlighted Malta's shift to use of electric vehicles, stating that this would be 'of great benefit.' "It will not totally solve the issue of particulate matter, as this dust is also put back into the air through the contact of tyres on the road. But the emissions of Nitrogen Oxide and particulate matter from the engine itself would be non-existent. This would be extremely beneficial from an air-pollution perspective."
The representatives stressed that the way forward in terms of tackling particulate matter and Nitrogen Oxide, is not through one singular policy or action, but by a collective series of policies and initiatives which are being implemented and are yet to be implemented. Such initiatives are also present in Malta's transport strategy document.
Tackling PM2.5Particulate Matter also tackles Nitrogen Oxide, as their sources are very similar, Mercieca explained.
In terms of premature deaths due to air pollution in Malta, the representatives said that they are not exactly sure whether they can compare the data between the different years, as the European Environment Agency (EEA) used different methodology in the different editions of the Air Quality in Europe report. The reports over the years showed that the number of premature deaths stood at 220 in 2012, 250 in 2014, and 270 in 2016. However, according to the EEA report, Malta with a mortality rate of 63 for every 100,000 inhabitants has one of the lowest mortality rates after Ireland, the Scandinavian countries and Luxembourg. However, these values are modelled values and the error margins quoted by the EEA are rather large, meaning that they should be taken for what they are, i.e. an indicator, they said.
Turning to ozone, which was also cited as one of Malta's most significant air pollutants, the representatives said that ozone is higher in rural areas, adding that it is a secondary pollutant which is not emitted directly through a specific source, but is produced in the air by sunlight. "EU and other countries recognise the important need for all countries to work together to reduce emissions."
Scerri highlighted that a colleague of theirs conducted a study in Gozo and discovered that high levels of ozone were associated with air masses being brought over from Europe. "Winds blowing over from Malta have lower ozone levels as some of the substances in our air react with ozone and transform it into something else," Scerri said.
While highlighting that they are not medical experts, the ERA representatives said that high levels of ozone could lead to a range of medical issues, including irritation of the upper respiratory tract. High ozone levels are also known to damage crops, they said. This issue is not one which can be dealt with locally, but needs to be dealt with at a hemispheric level. It is a hemispheric issue, they said.
The State of the Environment 2018 report reads as follows. "EU standards set the following limit values for O3, which require real-time monitoring: 120 µg/m³ eight-hourly running average limit value for human health protection, not to be exceeded more than 25 times per year (equal to 6.8 per cent of 366 days); and 180µg/m³ hourly information threshold for human health protection, which should never be exceeded. During the period 2008 to 2015, the Għarb station surpassed the allowed number of exceedances of the eight-hourly limit value. The lowest number of annual exceedances at this station was 25 in 2009. In 2011, the eight-hour limit value was exceeded on 82 occasions. Meanwhile the Żejtun station recorded exceedances on 34 out of 335 days measured in 2011. That was the only year in the reporting period where the allowed number of exceedances had been surpassed in Żejtun. Only one exceedance was recorded in Msida in 2008 and then again between 2012 and 2015. There were no exceedances in this traffic hot spot between 2009 and 2011."
While the above situation is dependent on hemispheric action, the representatives believe that Malta's focus should be on tackling the anthropogenic side of emissions, especially traffic.