Air pollution in the United Kingdom

UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs air quality monitoring station (UK-AIR ID: UKA00362) at the National Trust's Wicken Fen nature reserve

Air pollution in the United Kingdom has long been considered a significant health issue. Many areas, including major cities like London are found to be significantly and regularly above legal and recommended levels. Air pollution in the UK is a major cause of diseases such as asthma, lung disease, stroke, and heart disease, and is estimated to cause forty thousand premature deaths each year, which is about 8.3% of deaths, while costing around £40 billion each year.[1][2]

Air pollution is monitored and regulated. Air quality targets for particulates, nitrogen dioxide and ozone,[3] set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), are mostly aimed at local government representatives responsible for the management of air quality in cities, where air quality management is the most urgent. In 2017, research by the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change and the Royal College of Physicians revealed that air pollution levels in 44 cities in the UK are above the recommended World Health Organization guidelines.[4][5]

The UK government has plans to improve pollution due to traffic, and is banning fossil fuel cars by 2040, and is phasing out the use of coal in electrical power generation.

England Air management

If a local authority finds an area where the targets are not likely to be met, it must declare it an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA)[6] and produce a Local Air Quality Action Plan[7] to improve the air quality. DEFRA has published a list of local authorities with AQMAs.[8] The action plan may include measures for idle reduction of vehicle engines. An example is the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.[9]

A few cities have designated low-emission zones.

Published pollution information

The UK has established an air quality network where levels of the key air pollutants[10] are published by monitoring centres.[11] Air quality in Oxford, Bath and London[12] is particularly poor. One study[13] performed by the Calor Gas company and published in the Guardian newspaper compared walking in Oxford on an average day to smoking over sixty light cigarettes.

The UK Air Quality Archive contains more precise information[14] which permits a cities management of pollutants to be compared against the national air quality objectives[15] set by DEFRA in 2000

Localized peak values are often cited, but average values are also important to human health. The UK National Air Quality Information Archive offers almost real-time monitoring of "current maximum" air pollution measurements for many UK towns and cities.[16] This source offers a wide range of constantly updated data, including:

  • Hourly Mean Ozone (µg/m³)
  • Hourly Mean Nitrogen dioxide (µg/m³)
  • Maximum 15-Minute Mean Sulphur dioxide (µg/m³)
  • 8-Hour Mean Carbon monoxide (mg/m³)
  • 24-Hour Mean PM10 (µg/m³ Grav Equiv)

DEFRA acknowledges that air pollution has a significant effect on health and has produced a simple banding index system[17] that is used to create a daily warning system that is issued by the BBC Weather Service to indicate air pollution levels.[18] DEFRA has published guidelines for people suffering from respiratory and heart diseases.[19]

Pollutants, notably toxic particles emitted by diesel vehicles are enterring children's lungs, potentially getting into their blood streams and their brains. This can effect children's long term health, even lifelong health, their life expectancies and their intelligence. The government lost three high court cases because its plans to deal with air pollution were considered too weak, green groups and clean air campaigners frequently criticise the government. Air pollution leads to 40,000 early deaths annually and seriously impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands more, air pollution costs the NHS and social care services £40m annually.[20]

Past problems

The Great Smog of 1952

The Great Smog of 1952 in London.

Early in December 1952, a cold fog descended upon London. Because of the cold, Londoners began to burn more coal than usual. The resulting air pollution was trapped by the inversion layer formed by the dense mass of cold air. Concentrations of pollutants, coal smoke in particular, built up dramatically. The problem was made worse by use of low-quality, high-sulphur coal for home heating in London in order to permit export of higher-quality coal, because of the country's tenuous postwar economic situation. The "fog", or smog, was so thick that driving became difficult or impossible.[21] The extreme reduction in visibility was accompanied by an increase in criminal activity as well as transportation delays and a virtual shut down of the city. During the 4 day period of fog, at least 4,000 people died as a direct result of the weather.[22]

April 2014

More areas of England warned of 'very high' air pollution in April 2014. High levels of pollution in London and other parts of the south east of England may at worst days cause sore eyes and sore throats and experts warned those with heart conditions and asthma to stay inside.[23][24]

April 2015

On 29 April 2015, the UK Supreme Court ruled that the government must take immediate action to cut air pollution,[25] following a case brought by environmental lawyers at ClientEarth.[26]

Remediation

Government

On 26 July 2017, the British government announced plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in Britain by 2040.[27] This follows a similar announcement by the French government on 6 July 2017.[28]

Industry

On 25 July 2017, BMW announced that it would start production of an all-electric version of the Mini at its plant in Cowley, Oxfordshire, in 2019.[29] Volvo had earlier announced that all its new cars from 2019 would be electric or hybrid.[30]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Roberts, Michelle (23 February 2016). "Pollution link to 40,000 deaths a year" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  2. ↑ Silver, Katie (20 October 2017). "Pollution linked to one in six deaths" – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  3. ↑ "National air quality objectives" (PDF). uk-air.defra.gov.uk.
  4. ↑ "Air in 44 UK cities and towns too dangerous to breathe, UN pollution report finds".
  5. ↑ "{title}". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  6. ↑ webmaster@defra.gsi.gov.uk, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). "Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs)- Defra, UK". uk-air.defra.gov.uk.
  7. ↑ "Action Planning Guidance and Help. Action Planning. Local Air Quality Management Support - Defra, UK". Laqm.defra.gov.uk. 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  8. ↑ "List of Local Authorities with AQMAs - Defra, UK". Uk-air.defra.gov.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  9. ↑ "Idling Vehicles Contribute to Air Pollution". www.dudley.gov.uk.
  10. ↑ "The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA): Air Pollution". Archived from the original on 2009-04-06. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  11. ↑ "LAQM Air Quality Management Areas". Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  12. ↑ erg-web@kcl.ac.uk, ERG Web Services -. "London Air Quality Network -- The comprehensive source of information about air pollution in London -- Home".
  13. ↑ Taking the Oxford air adds up to a 60-a-day habit (a newspaper article in The Guardian)
  14. ↑ webmaster@defra.gsi.gov.uk, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). "Home- Defra, UK". www.airquality.co.uk.
  15. ↑ "UK National Air Quality Objectives". Archived from the original on 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  16. ↑ Current Air Pollution Bulletin Archived 2006-01-13 at the Wayback Machine.
  17. ↑ webmaster@defra.gsi.gov.uk, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). "Daily Air Quality Index- Defra, UK". www.airquality.co.uk.
  18. ↑ "BBC Weather Service".
  19. ↑ "Air Pollution - What it means for your health". Archived from the original on 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
  20. ↑ UK children inhaling toxic air on school run and in classroom The Guardian
  21. ↑ Nielsen, John (2002-12-12). "The Killer Fog of '52: Thousands died as Poisonous Air Smothered London". National Public Radio.
  22. ↑ "On this Day: 1952 London Fog Clears After days of Chaos". BBC News. 2005-12-09.
  23. ↑ Weaver, Matthew (3 April 2014). "Smog alert: 'very high' air pollution levels spread across England" – via The Guardian.
  24. ↑ Mason, Rowena; correspondent, political (3 April 2014). "David Cameron accused of playing down role of pollution in UK smog" – via The Guardian.
  25. ↑ "Court orders UK to cut NO2 air pollution". BBC News. BBC. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "UK Supreme Court orders Government to take "immediate action" on air pollution". ClientEarth. 29 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  27. ↑ "New diesel and petrol cars face 2040 ban". 26 July 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  28. ↑ Chrisafis, Angelique; Vaughan, Adam (6 July 2017). "France to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040". the Guardian.
  29. ↑ "Electric Mini to be built in Oxford". 25 July 2017 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  30. ↑ Vaughan, Adam (5 July 2017). "All Volvo cars to be electric or hybrid from 2019". the Guardian.

Further reading

  • Anderson, H. Ross. "Air pollution and mortality: A history." Atmospheric Environment (2009) 43#1 pp: 142-152.
  • Brimblecombe, Peter. The Big Smoke: A History of Air Pollution in London Since Medieval Times (Methuen, 1987)
  • Ciecieznski, N. J. "The Stench of Disease: Public Health and the Environment in Late-Medieval English towns and cities." Health, Culture and Society (2013) 4#1 pp: 91-104.
  • Hanlon, W. Walker. "Pollution and Mortality in the 19th Century (UCLA and NBER, 2015) online
  • Mosley, Stephen. "'A Network of Trust': Measuring and Monitoring Air Pollution in British Cities, 1912-1960." Environment and History (2009) 15#3 pp: 273-302.
  • Thorsheim, Peter. Inventing Pollution: Coal, Smoke, and Culture in Britain since 1800 (2009)
  • Williamson, Tom. An Environmental History of Wildlife in England 1650-1950 (A&C Black, 2013)


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