Overview
- Researchers from the University of Southampton sampled air around the Port of Southampton and found ultrafine particulate matter enriched with metals such as vanadium, nickel and cobalt at the cruise terminal.
- Laboratory tests using lung cells showed exposure to these ultrafine particles and to vanadium increased inflammatory gene signals and reduced antiviral responses, and vanadium exposure raised replication of common cold and COVID-19 viruses in cell models.
- Concentrations of the metal-rich particles were higher during the busy summer season and when winds carried emissions from berthed cruise ships, a pattern the authors link to so-called hoteling where ships run engines while docked.
- Associated British Ports disputed aspects of the study’s methodology and inference, pointed to real-time monitoring that shows nitrogen dioxide and particulate levels within national limits, and highlighted shore power installations and a roughly £1bn annual cruise-sector contribution to the local economy.
- The study highlights an underregulated gap for ultrafine particles, has prompted calls for more monitoring and emissions cuts through shore power or cleaner fuels, and leaves open questions about how cellular findings translate to population-level health impacts and policy changes.