Home > Press releases > 1998
19 Jan 1998
The worst areas in London for key pollutants were:
|
Particulates |
Particulate levels exceeded Government health standards on 54 days in Camden, 42 days on Marylebone Road and 35 days in Haringey. |
|
Ozone |
Levels of ozone (summertime smog) exceeded Government health standards on 38 days in Teddington, 23 days in Brent and 20 days in Eltham. |
|
Nitrogen dioxide |
Highest annual averages for nitrogen dioxide were recorded at Camden, Bloomsbury and Tower Hamlets. |
The figures will put new pressure on the Government to support the
Road Traffic Reduction Bill, a Private Members Bill from Cynog Dafis
MP, due to be debated in Parliament on 30th January. 422 MPs - including
Transport Minister Glenda Jackson (Hampstead and Highgate) - have now
indicated support for the principles of the Bill, which would require
the Government to produce a national plan to cut road traffic from 1990
levels by 5% by the year 2005 and 10% by the year 2010 [3].
Tony Bosworth, Friends of the Earth's Air Pollution Campaigner, commented:
“Pollution is a problem throughout London, not just in the centre
of the city, and is causing thousands of premature deaths every year.
The Government and boroughs must act urgently to tackle traffic levels
- the main cause of London's pollution. Government support for the Road
Traffic Reduction (UK Targets) Bill is now essential”.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] Figures are calculated from the Government's
data for their own monitoring sites in London for 1997.
NITROGEN DIOXIDE
Exceedances of Government health standard -21 parts per billion (ppb)
as annual mean. Only sites with data for at least 75% of the year have
been included.
|
Site |
Above stdd? |
Annual mean (ppb) |
|
Bexley |
Y |
22 |
|
Bloomsbury |
Y |
37 |
|
Brent |
Y |
21 |
|
Camden Roadside |
Y |
38 |
|
Earls Court |
Y |
29 |
|
Eltham |
Y |
21 |
|
Hackney |
Y |
33 |
|
Haringey Roadside |
Y |
31 |
|
Hillingdon |
Y |
32 |
|
Hounslow Roadside |
Y |
34 |
|
Kingston Roadside |
Y |
35 |
|
North Kensington |
Y |
26 |
|
Sutton |
N |
19 |
|
Sutton Roadside |
Y |
26 |
|
Teddington |
N |
17 |
|
Tower Hamlets Roadside |
Y |
37 |
|
Victoria |
Y |
31 |
|
Wandsworth |
Y |
28 |
OZONE
Exceedances of Government health standard -50 parts per billion (ppb)
as rolling 8-hour mean.
|
Site |
Number of exceedances |
|
Bexley |
17 |
|
Bloomsbury |
3 |
|
Brent |
23 |
|
Eltham |
20 |
|
Hackney |
6 |
|
Haringey |
13 |
|
Hillingdon |
2 |
|
Lewisham |
4 |
|
Marylebone Road |
0* |
|
North Kensington |
10 |
|
Southwark |
11 |
|
Sutton |
13 |
|
Teddington |
38 |
|
Victoria |
6 |
|
Wandsworth |
6 |
* indicates data for less than 75% of the year
PARTICULATES
Exceedances of Government health standard -50 microgrammes per cubic
metre (.g/m3) as rolling 24-hour mean
|
Site |
Number of exceedances |
|
Bexley |
22 |
|
Bloomsbury |
30 |
|
Brent |
22 |
|
Camden |
54 |
|
Eltham |
19 |
|
Haringey Roadside |
35 |
|
Hillingdon |
29 |
|
Kingston Roadside |
25* |
|
North Kensington |
30 |
|
Marylebone Road |
42* |
|
Sutton Roadside |
24 |
* indicates data for less than 75% of the year
[2] The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air
Pollutants (COMEAP), a Department of Health expert group, published
on 13th January its report
“Quantification of the effects of air pollution on health in the
United Kingdom”.This “suggests that the deaths of between
12,000 and 24,000 vulnerable people may be brought forward and between
14,000 and 24,000 hospital admissions and readmissions may be associated
with short term air pollution each year”DoH Press release 98/012
“New report estimates effects of air pollution”.
In addition, levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulates are
associated with between 14,000 and 24,000 hospital admissions and readmissions
each year.
[3] The Road Traffic Reduction (UK Targets) Bill
was drafted by Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and Plaid Cymru.
Although Glenda Jackson and Gavin Strang (both Government Transport
Ministers) have given their backing to the Bill, the Government has
yet to give its support.
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
