Latest news with #JamesParkin
The Guardian
14-02-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Brake pad dust can be more toxic than exhaust emissions, study says
Microscopic particles emitted from brake pads can be more toxic than those emitted in diesel vehicle exhaust, a study has found. This research shows that even with a move to electric vehicles, pollution from cars may not be able to be eradicated. The researchers found that a higher concentration of copper in some commonly used brake pads was associated with increased harmful effects on sensitive cells from people's lungs, as a result of particles being breathed in. Exposure to pollution generated by cars, vans and lorries has been previously been linked to an increased risk of lung and heart disease. While past attention has mainly concentrated on exhaust emissions, particles are also released into the air from tyre, road and brake pad wear. These emissions are largely unregulated by legislation and the study found that these 'non-exhaust' pollution sources are now responsible for the majority of vehicle particulate matter emissions in the UK and parts of Europe, with brake dust the main contributor among them. Dr James Parkin, from the University of Southampton and lead author of the study published in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology, said: 'People generally associate pollution from cars as being from exhaust pipes and think of electric vehicles as having zero emissions. However, electric vehicles still produce particulate matter due to friction and wear of the road, tyres, and brakes. 'We wanted to understand how different types of chemical composition of pads affect the toxicity of the particles emitted and what this might mean for the health of individuals.' The scientists examined the effects on lung health of particulate matter from four different types of brake pad with differing chemical compositions; low metallic, semi-metallic, non-asbestos organic and hybrid-ceramic. Results showed that of the four types of brake pads, non-asbestos organic pads were the most potent at inducing inflammation and other markers of toxicity, and were found to be more toxic to human lung cells than diesel exhaust particles. Ceramic pads were the second most toxic. Dr Ian Mudway, senior lecturer at the school of public health at Imperial College London, said that while the research appeared sound it was premature to conclude that emissions from brake pad wear were worse than diesel exhaust. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion He said: 'Too many variables remain uncontrolled: brake disc types [a highly varied category], diesel exhaust particle composition, and chosen endpoints, among others. While this paper focuses on brakes, tyre wear and road dust resuspension should also be considered. This has significant policy implications, as it suggests that policies solely targeting exhaust emissions will not fully mitigate the risks of traffic-related pollutants.' The project supervisor Prof Matthew Loxham said this was 'a fair comment' but said the brake wear particles were generated on a test rig according to a standard braking cycle, different types and speed of braking, which is used for brake testing, 'therefore one would expect the particles to be representative of general real world brake wear particles'. 'Although there may well be differences to the particles from each of these sources caused by changes in braking or engine parameters, I think it would be fair to hypothesise that these differences would be rather less than the differences due to the individual sources,' he said.
South China Morning Post
31-01-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Don't push Pacific Islands to choose between China and the West, UK admiral says
Published: 2:14pm, 31 Jan 2025 The West should not pressure Pacific Island countries to choose between cooperating with China or with the US and its allies, a British navy admiral has said, pointing out that Beijing's maritime dominance could cast considerable influence over the small island nations. On Wednesday, during the West 2025 conference hosted by the US Naval Institute and AFCEA in San Diego, Rear Admiral James Parkin, responsible for overseeing the development of naval technologies for the British Royal Navy, said the interconnectedness of global trade meant China 'has a trump card of maritime trade that no other nation on the planet's got'. Parkin specifically cited China's shipbuilding infrastructure, which currently outpaces its neighbouring competitors such as South Korea and Japan in the number of ships built per year and dominates more than half of the global share in exports. Beijing 'passed a law that every merchant ship can be changed to be a state-owned vessel in [an] era of combat,' Parkin said. 'So, as well as the silhouettes of warships versus warships … there's another 10,000 state-owned Chinese vessels which could be brought to bear in an era of conflict.' Noting China's dominance at sea, Royal Navy Rear Admiral James Parkin has warned the US and its allies not to pressure Pacific Island nations to choose sides between China and the West. Photo: He added that China could therefore use its fleet to create an 'almost universal maritime trade embargo' which, for the small, isolated Pacific Island countries, would have immediate ramifications.
