Pollution blamed for thousands of London deaths

Nearly 9,500 people in London died prematurely in 2010 due to exposure to air pollution, as mentioned by a new study released Wednesday.

The report, produced by experts at King’s College London, for the first time quantifies the health and economic effects of the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2), where all previous studies have focused on particulate matter (PM2.5).

The researchers, who were commissioned by Transport for London and the Greater London Authority, found that NO2, which inflames the lining of the lungs and reduces immunity to lung diseases, was even more lethal.

The organisation is one of several to single out diesel vehicles as a major contributor to air pollution in the wake of today’s figures, which also follow a report by the London Assembly this week calling for action to tackle NO2 emissions from diesel fuel (see AirQualityNews.com story).

Heathrow Chief Executive Officer John Holland-Kaye said on July 1 that the hub’s plans will meet air-quality rules.

He added: “As shocking as they are, these deaths are really only the tip of the iceberg”.

“Following our Supreme Court victory earlier this year, they must produce plans to bring deadly nitrogen dioxide pollution within legal levels as soon as possible”.

“These figures suggest that, every year, six times as many people are killed by air pollution in London as are killed in road traffic accidents across the entire country”.

The Mayor has also confirmed the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London from 2020. We need to get the worst polluting of these out of our towns and cities, away from our schools and hospitals.

Matthew Pencharz, the deputy mayor for environment and energy, said that local authorities could only do so much and the government needed to step in. “It is equally disappointing that the Mayor’s proposals to tackle air pollution in London have been so timid since he came to office in 2008”.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the data was five years old and did not include numerous impacts of measures he had implemented to clean up the capital’s air, including hybrid buses, age limits for taxis and tightening low emission zone standards.

Philip Insall, health director at cycling and walking charity Sustrans, said: “The evidence of damage caused by air pollution is so damning that the government can’t afford not to act, and act now”.

The stats are generated by Place I Live, on a map that also shows the levels of PM10 dust particles – the ground-up dirty bits in the air caused by factories, farming and more road pollution.

However, if adopted the new regulations would increase pressure on governments and businesses to introduce a host of new policies and technologies to curb air pollution levels, such as electric vehicles, congestion charging and restrictions, and increased investment in public transport.