Interesting Noble. . . .in the MIT research below they didn't even measure the substances they only estimated them from fuel consumption. . . .surely if it were so easy they would have measured them or got their data from some reliable source. . . .don't you think??????

MIT study finds aircraft emissions at cruise altitude contribute to 8,000 premature deaths per year worldwide

[link to www.greenaironline.com]


(graphic: Christine Daniloff, MIT)


Fri 8 Oct 2010 – Findings from a new study show that around 8,000 premature deaths a year can be attributed to the effects of oxides of nitrogen and sulphur (NOx and SOx) emissions from aircraft at cruise altitude, reports Morgan Bettex. Most of these emissions are caused by aircraft over North America and Europe but prevailing winds take them eastwards, where they can form a deadly mix with ammonia released from farming. Nearly half the total premature deaths occur in India and China. Up till now, regulation has only applied to such emissions up to the 3,000-feet level, the take-off and landing cycle, but the researchers recommend that cruise emissions be explicitly considered in the development of policies, technologies and operational procedures designed to mitigate the air quality impacts of transportation. Similar emissions from shipping are believed to be responsible for around 60,000 premature deaths annually.

To study the effects of cruise emissions, Barrett used a
computer model that combined data about plane trajectories, the amo
nut of fuel burned during flights and the estimated emissions from those flights. He combined that with a global atmospheric model that accounts for air-circulation patterns in different parts of the globe and the effect of emissions to determine where aviation emissions might cause an increase in fine particulate matter. He then used data related to population density and risk of disease in different parts of the world to determine how the change in particulate matter over certain regions might affect people on the ground – specifically, whether the air pollutants would lead to an increased risk of death.