FROM fishing skiffs to supertankers, boats and ships around the USA are belching out harmful pollutants that cloud the air. Almost none of them have pollution filters.
Big ships burn some of the dirtiest fuel on the planet and emit gases that contribute to acid rain, lung disease and heart problems. Now for the first time, US state and federal officials are working to stifle air pollution from ships. The first America-wide restrictions on ship emissions take effect this year. And at least a half-dozen cities and states — from Los Angeles to New York — have undertaken their own efforts to rein in boat and ship pollution.
US environmental officials ignored pollution from marine vessels for decades. Instead, they focused their regulatory might on cars. “Ships were perceived as a small source that could be neglected,” says James Corbett, who studies emissions at the University of Delaware’s Graduate College of Marine Studies. “We’ve been regulating cars for 30 to 35 years. Ships have not been significantly regulated to date.”
Part of the reason that boat and ship pollution is getting more attention is that cars and trucks are getting cleaner. That means ships account for an ever-larger share of the air pollution around port cities. Environmental officials estimate that in 25 years, marine vessels will account for nearly double the percentage of the USA’s smog-forming pollution.
What’s more, shipping traffic to and from the USA is projected to double by 2020. New EPA regulations require many vessels built today to have cleaner engines. Cities and states are trying to cut boat and ship pollution with incentives such as money for cleaner engines. But only the EPA has the power to require the vessels to clean up.
The EPA’s new regulations do just that. The agency recently set new pollution standards for boats and ships of all sizes. This year, the EPA announced it will consider making the standards tougher for smaller boats. Local officials say they’re not enough. That’s because substantial amounts of pollution come from the biggest ships: behemoths that cross the oceans and emit huge amounts of pollution at sea and as they approach port.
These tankers, container ships and car carriers have engines similar to those in power plants. They burn fuel that’s laden with sulphur, which clogs pollution-control equipment and turns into pollutants that cause health problems.
“These ships are essentially floating smokestacks,” says Vickie Patton of the non-profit group Environmental Defense. An international treaty that takes effect next year will curb emissions from these ships. But the Senate hasn’t approved the treaty, so it can’t be enforced against foreign vessels in US waters. And the restrictions apply only to new ships, so existing ships — which last 20 to 40 years — are free to pollute.
The treaty needs “to be re-examined and tightened. It’s fairly old now,” says Tom Chase of the American Association of Port Authorities. — Samina Iqbal
A beautiful mind
SCHIZOPHRENIA is one of the most disabling mental illness, affecting one in 100 people in their lifetime, some 80 per cent of whom will experience chronic or relapsing symptoms. This was stated in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal. The ideal treatment is yet to be found. The conventional antipsychotics, haloperidol and chlorpromazine, introduced in the 1950s, were effective but had undesirable side effects. The new generation atypical antipsychotics in use since the mid-1990s, are as effective as the conventional ones, but they as yet have to establish their credentials. In fact, more effective are community care programmes for these patients.
The World Health Organization studies on relapse rates of schizophrenia showed better outcomes in developing countries. There were 60 per cent patients symptom free after five years in poor countries against 18 per cent in rich ones. This finding was attributed to better social acceptance and support in these communities. Recently other factors have been included in the management of schizophrenia. The importance of the family in psychoeducational approach has been identified, especially to counter the relapse inducing effects of high expressed emotion. Earlier families had a hostile or critical attitude towards the patient.
The new antipsychotic agents also have their long-term problems, with weight gain and diabetes being the most obvious ones. A careful review of physical health, medication dosages and consideration of gradual withdrawal should be considered initially. Compliance with treatment is important and a small group of patients have been created who can describe their experience with schizophrenia to assist research. — Dr Fatema Jawad
