Shipping can be bad for health

I guess we usually think of shipping as more "environmentally friendly" form of transport compared to aircraft and motor vehicles. However, there was an interesting article in the Guardian today about the health risks of emissions from shipping.

Ships burn fuel oil - one of the "dirtier" fuels, containing high levels of sulphur. So emissions of sulphur dioxide are significant. The heat of the combustion process also generates another toxic gas - nitrogen dioxide. Both of these acid gases have harmful effects on human health and can also damage other living organisms. Particulate pollutants are also emitted.

Key points in the article include

• "just 15 of the world's biggest ships may now emit as much pollution as all the world's 760m cars"
• "pollution from the world's 90,000 cargo ships leads to 60,000 deaths a year in the US alone and costs up to $330bn per year in health costs from lung and heart diseases."
• 1,000 Danish people die prematurely each year because of shipping pollution and shipping emissions cost the Danish health service almost £5bn a year, mainly treating cancers and heart problems.

Dealing with these health related problems will not be easy. Control over shipping is notoriously difficult as a ship isn't based in one country. Concerted international action will be needed which can be easily circumvented by countries which allow ships to register under a "flag of convenience"