Port Talbot remains air pollution hotspot

Port Talbot is the most polluted place in Wales and the second most polluted urban site in Britain, according to official air quality figures released today by Friends of the Earth. The figures also show rural areas in Wales, such as Narberth in Pembrokeshire and Aston Hill in Powys, as suffering from excessive levels of ozone pollution.

Friends of the Earth has used the Government's data and the Government's method to calculate the value of its Air Quality Indicator for 1999. This measures, at selected monitoring sites across Britain, the average number of days on which air pollution levels for five main pollutants - ozone, particles, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide - were above the Government's air quality health standards. The Government has called this a "key quality of life indicator" [2].

Figures for Wales show that air pollution in Port Talbot exceeded health standards on eighty two days last year. The main problem was high levels of fine particles resulting from industrial activity and road traffic [3]. Port Talbot also suffered exceedences of ozone on thirty six days.

Environment Agency data, released last year by Friends of the Earth, also showed that the Port Talbot steel works were the second largest emitter of harmful dioxins in Britain.

Rob Jones, of Port Talbot Friends of the Earth, said:
"We are calling on the Government, the local authority and industry to act to improve air quality in Port Talbot for the sake of the health of local residents and the image of the town.

The position of Port Talbot near the top of the air pollution tables for three years is unacceptable and urgent action must be taken to clean up industry and traffic emissions. As a first step, we would like to see the local Council declare Margam and Taibach special air quality management areas.[4]"

The monitoring site at Narberth in Pembrokeshire recorded the highest level of ozone exceedences of the five monitoring sites in Wales [5]. The other sites - at Port Talbot, Cardiff, Swansea and Aston Hill in Powys - also recorded numerous days when ozone breached health standards.[6]

Val Jones, of Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth, said:
"It will surprise many to learn that Pembrokeshire, and other parts of rural Wales, are blighted by high levels of ozone particularly during sunnier weather.

As an asthma sufferer myself, I know how poor air quality can affect health. It's vital that the Government does more to tackle the problem of traffic pollution and that policies to reduce traffic levels in Wales are pursued. These worrying figures should warn against any proposals to build a dual carriageway into Pembrokeshire."

Friends of the Earth Cymru believes that the Welsh Assembly can take a stronger stance on air quality than in England, where the Government plans to weaken the particle standard. The group has already written to Environment Secretary, Peter Law, urging him not to weaken the standard for particle pollution in Wales.

Gordon James, of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said:
"We are urging the Welsh Assembly to use their powers to set higher standards of air quality in Wales. This will help to improve health, to secure the greener image of Wales and to enable the Assembly to progress its duty to promote sustainable development."

Notes

1. The Government's Air Quality Indicator measures levels of five key pollutants - ozone, nitrogen dioxide, particles, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide - at monitoring sites throughout Britain
2. The Government's Air Quality Indicator is one of 14 headline indicators of sustainable development announced by the Government last year
3. Government research ('Atmospheric Emissions Inventories for Four Urban Areas' DETR 1997) shows that industrial emissions are the main source of particles in the Port Talbot area.
4. Powers granted under the air quality section (Part iv) of the Environment Act 1995
5. Pollutants mainly generated in urban areas drift to rural areas where they form ozone in the presence of sunlight. Ozone is partly destroyed by other chemical reactions in urban areas. Road traffic is the main source of the chemicals which cause ozone.
6. Ozone levels can be abated by reducing petrol and diesel fumes, and other volatile organic compounds (solvents etc). The Welsh Air Quality Regulations could be framed to include volatile organic compound (VOC) action areas.