PHILIPPINE CLEAN AIR ACT RA-8749

The Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 (Republic Act RA-8749) 

Salient Features of the Philippine Clean Air Act:

The State shall pursue a policy of balancing development and environmental protection. To achieve this end, the framework for sustainable development shall be pursued. As such, it shall be the policy of the State to:

Formulate a holistic national program of air pollution that shall be implemented by the government through proper delegation and effective coordination of function and activities; Encourage cooperation and self-regulation among citizen and industries through the application of incentives market-based instruments; Focus primarily on pollution prevention rather than on control and provide for a comprehensive management program on air pollution; Promote public information and education to encourage the participation of an informed and active public in air quality planning and monitoring; and Formulate and enforce a system of accountability for short and long term adverse environmental impact of a project, program or activity. This shall include setting up of a funding or guarantee mechanism for clean-up and environmental rehabilitation and compensation for personal damages.

It mandates the various government agencies to do the following in support of the Act:

• Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – act as overall of the lead agency; prepare a National Air Quality Status Report which shall be used as a basis in formulating the Integrated Air Quality Improvement Framework; issue rules and regulations in the implementation of the Act.
• Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) – in coordination with the DENR in case of industrial dischargers and the DOTC, in case of motor vehicles, shall, based on environmental techniques, design, impose on and collect regular emission fees from all said dischargers as part of the emission permitting system or vehicle registration renewal system, as the case may be; implement the emission standards for motor vehicles
• Department of Science and Technology ( DOST) – with the DENR, other agencies, private sector , the academe, non-government organizations and people’s organization, shall establish a National Research Development Program for the prevention and control of air pollution.
• Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) , DOST Local Government Units (LGUs) – together with the DENR shall develop an action plan for the control and management of air pollution from motor vehicles with the Integrated Air Quality Management Framework.
• DOTC, DTI and DENR – shall establish the procedures for the inspection of motor vehicles and the testing of their emissions for the purpose of determining the concentration and/or rate of emission of pollutants discharged by the said sources.
• Department of Energy (DOE) co-chaired with the DENR, in consultataion with the Bureau of Product Standards of DTI, DOST with the fuel and automotive industries, academe and the consumers – shall set specifications for all types of fuel and fuel-related products, to improve fuel composition for increased efficiency and reduced emissions.
• Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Service Administration (PAGASA) – shall regularly monitor meteorological factors affecting environmental conditions including ozone depletion and greenhouse gases.
• Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) – with the DENR shall regulate all projects which will involve the use of atomic and/or nuclear energy, and will entail relaease of radioactive substances into the environment, incident to the establishment or possession of nuclear energy facilities and radioactive materials, handling, transport , production , storage and use of radioactive materials.
• Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) , Department of Interior and Local Governments (DILG) and the Philippine Information Agency ( PIA) – shall encourage participation of government agencies and the private sector including NGOs, POs, academe, environmental groups and other private entities in a multi-sectoral campaign.

HEALTH & ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS!!

 

Health and Environmental Effects of Exhaust Emissions:

What comes out of your car's exhaust?

European rules affecting exhaust emissions from cars first came into force in 1970 and have been tightened up progressively ever since. This means that cars are cleaner now then they have ever been and are set to get cleaner still.

The limits form part of the European type approval regulations – a collection of safety and environmental tests which a new vehicle must pass before it can be sold in the European Union. Euro standards affect the construction of the car and although this will impact on MoT testing, the tests are not the same.

Euro standards

After the first standard in 1970 the next big change came in 1992 with the introduction of the Euro 1 standard. This heralded the compulsory fitting of catalytic converters to petrol cars to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) emissions.

Combustion products

In theory, you should be able to burn a 'hydrocarbon' fuel (petrol, diesel, gas etc) with air in an engine to produce just carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water (H₂O). The rest of the exhaust would be the nitrogen (N₂) that came in with the air.

Unfortunately the fuels we burn comprise hundreds of differently structured hydrocarbons that burn in different ways and at different rates. This means that in practice the exhaust contains some that were partially burned, some that reacted with others and some that reacted with the nitrogen.

What's in the exhaust?

The main exhaust products and their effects on the environment and our health.
·         Nitrogen (N₂) - no adverse effects
·         Oxygen (O₂) - no adverse effects
·         Water (H₂O) - no adverse effects
·         Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) - non-toxic gas but contributes towards acidification of oceans and one of the most important greenhouse gases. Governments around the world are pursuing policies to reduce CO₂ emissions to combat global warming.

·         Carbon Monoxide (CO) - results from incomplete combustion of fuel. CO reduces the ability of blood to carry oxygen and can cause headaches, respiratory problems and, at high concentrations, even death.

·         Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx) - produced in any combustion process, NOx emissions are oxidised in the atmosphere and contribute to acid rain. They react with hydrocarbons to produce low level ozone which can cause inflammation of the airways, reduced lung function and trigger asthma, and also contribute to the formation of particulate matter.

·         Sulphur Dioxide (SO₂) - sulphur occurs naturally in the crude oil from which petrol and diesel are refined. It forms acids on combustion leading to acid rain and engine corrosion. It also contributes to the formation of ozone and of particulate matter. Sulphur can also adversely affect the performance of catalytic converters and is now removed from both petrol and diesel during the refining process.

·         Hydrocarbons (HC) - HCs are emitted from vehicle exhausts as unburnt fuel and also through evaporation from the fuel tank, from the nozzle when you fill up and also at stages through the fuel supply chain. They react with NOx in sunlight to produce photochemical oxidants (including ozone), which cause breathing problems and increased symptoms in those with asthma.

·         Benzene (C₆H₆) - naturally occurring in small quantities (less than 2%) in petrol and diesel, Benzene is emitted from vehicle exhausts as unburnt fuel and also through evaporation from the fuel system although modern fuel systems are sealed and have carbon canisters to hold the vapours. Benzene is toxic and carcinogenic. Long-term exposure has been linked with Leukemia.

·         Lead (Pb) - lead accumulates in body systems and is known to interfere with the normal production of red blood cells. Following the introduction of unleaded petrol and withdrawal of leaded petrol, lead is essentially eliminated as an exhaust product.

·         Particulates (PM) - particulate matter is partly burned fuel associated mainly with diesel engines and is also formed by the reaction between other pollutants. PM10s and the smaller PM2.5s are particles that can pass deep into the lungs causing respiratory complaints and contributing to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Modern diesel cars are fitted with Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF) to stop these particles passing into the atmosphere.