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Air quality falls in 2003
28 April 2004
Air quality was lower last year than in 2002 new Government figures reveal today [1].
DEFRA released figures today showing that in urban areas in 2003, air pollution was recorded as moderate or higher on 50 days on average per site, compared with 20 days in 2002. In rural areas, the figure for 2003 was 61 days on average per site, compared with 30 in 2002. The increase is partly blamed on the hot summer.
"Air pollution affects the health of hundreds of thousands of people. Last year's hot summer pushed up pollution levels, causing more health problems for people across the country. Climate change means we're likely to have more hot summers. So if the Government wants to make Britain's air breathable it must tackle the source of the pollution by cutting the amount of traffic on our roads. This means investing in alternatives to the car rather than building roads and widening motorways."
Note
1. DEFRA press release: http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2004/040428a.htm
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Jun 2008
