Archived press release

Health standards broken at every london air pollution monitoring site in 1997

19 January 1998

The worst areas in London for key pollutants were:

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.

OZONE

Exceedances of Government health standard -50 parts per billion (ppb) as rolling 8-hour mean.

* 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

* 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.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust