Sources of pollution:
Petrol and diesel-engined motor vehicles emit a wide variety of pollutants, mainly carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM10), which have an increasing impact on urban air quality. In addition, pollutants from these sources may not only prove a problem in the immediate vicinity of these sources, but can be transported long distances.
Photochemical reactions resulting from the action of sunlight on nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and VOCs, typically emitted from road vehicles, lead to the formation of ozone. Ozone is a secondary pollutant, which often impacts rural areas far from the original emission site as a result of long-range transport.
In all except the worst-case situations, industrial and domestic pollutant sources, together with their impact on air quality, tend to be steady or improving over time. However, traffic pollution problems are worsening world-wide.
Key legislation:
This section provides a short summary of the existing legislation and the responsibility of the Local Authorities to comply with them.
Boroughs have an important role to play in addressing local pollution. The statutory basis for local authority air quality obligations is Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. This requires that London Boroughs monitor and review pollution. Where they exceed standards, they must declare a London Local Air Quality Management Area (LLAQM) and put in place an action plan detailing how they will tackle the problem.
We have looked at [https://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/annualmaps.asp]. If you look at the map the air quality is displayed as yellow across most of the Borough, whilst along the main traffic routes is dark red/brown — indicating immense levels of air pollution.
This map is developed and maintained by The Greater London Authority and Transport for London, who fund, develop and maintain the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. For more information please visit [data.london.gov.uk].
The Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 establishes mandatory standards for air quality and set objectives for sulphur and nitrogen dioxide, suspended particulates and lead in air. Some pollutants have Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) expressed as annual mean concentrations due to the chronic way in which they affect human health or the natural environment (i.e. impacts occur after a prolonged period of exposure to elevated concentrations).
Others have AQOs expressed as 24-hour or 1-hour mean concentrations due to the acute way in which they affect human health or the natural environment (i.e. after a relatively short period of exposure). The introduction of a new control framework for PM2.5, as required by the Air Quality Directive, sets a national exposure reduction target defined as a percentage reduction in annual average concentrations of PM2.5 in urban background locations across the country, to be achieved by 2020.
Under the Environment Act 1995, the Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) boroughs must regularly review and assess air quality within their boroughs and designate Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs) where UK standards and objectives are currently not being met.
Defra’s Air Quality Plan (2015):
This includes zone specific air quality plans which set targeted local, regional and national measures to ensure the UK air will be cleaner than ever before. There is an air quality plan for achieving EU air quality limit values for NO2 in Greater London (September 2011).
The plan identifies a variety of joint measures to improve NO2 in the Greater London Urban Area agglomeration zone, including measures at different administrative levels (EU, national, regional and local). Some measures include, for example, promoting smarter travel, congestion charging, sustainable freight distribution, smoothing traffic flow, low-carbon vehicles, clean transport technologies and renewable energy sources
LAQN, London Air Quality Network Summary Report 2014 (March 2016):
This report details the results of air pollution measurements made on the London Air Quality Network during 2014 (and in 2016). The London Air Quality Network (LAQN) is a unique resource, providing robust air pollution measurements that are essential to underpin air quality management and health studies.
Conservative Councillors proposed the Council to join the scheme but it felt on the deaf ear by the majority run Labour Council.
The Conservative Councillors’ attempts were blocked by the majority Labour Council:
“In February this year, our shadow budget we asked for “a budget of £250k should be allocated to enable schools to properly monitor air pollution and take mitigating action to protect the health of pupils and teachers”
This was declined.
We ask at council for anti- idling legislation, already in use in other London boroughs, Southwark as an example, be implemented. Again, this was refused.
After taking advice from King’s college, and the air quality group Brentford, we requested that LBH switch their monitoring system to the London Air Quality Network. This system is used by most of the London boroughs and is the preferred choice of the GLA.
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Schools
We have the following information:
“SCHOOL INSTALL CLASSROOM AIR PURIFIERS
The notting hill preparatory school has installed air purifiers in 3 classrooms and has seen an 86% decrease in the PN 2.5 soot particles associated with diesel engines. “
Pollution monitoring equipment:
Our successes:
“INSTALL FINE PARTICULATE (LARGE PN 2.5) ANALYSER AT THE CHISWICK HIGH ROAD MONITORING STATION
Conservative Councillor persuaded the Council to use £30k of S106 funds to install this monitoring equipment, to analyse this particulate. We had no previous equipment that could measure this particulate size. Particulates in the PN 2.5 size range are able to travel deeply into the respiratory tract reaching the lung and exposure can cause short term health effects, such as eye, nose, throat and lung irritation, coughing and shortness of breath. People with breathing and heart problems, children and the elderly, may be particularly sensitive to PN 2.5.
In last year’s council budget, the administration imposed a diesel charge on residents’ vehicles using our CPZs. None of these additional diesel levy funds has been used to ameliorate air pollution or fund diverse related projects.
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Impact:
There is a significant link between illness and exposure to air pollution.
- Impact of air pollution on health can range from unnoticed physiological changes to restricted physical activity/reduced performance, to hospital admissions.
- NO2 exposure in high concentrations causes inflammation of the airways and long-term exposure can affect lung function and respiratory symptoms. It can also increase asthma symptoms. PM aggravates respiratory and cardiovascular conditions; acts as a contributor to early deaths from cardiovascular disease. Studies have suggested that the most deprived areas of Britain bear a disproportionate share of poor air quality.
- A King’s College report estimates 102 equivalent attributable deaths, corresponding to 1,564 lost life years for 2010. The report also estimated 79-174 deaths linked to NO2 exposure and 1,200-2,700 life years lost annually.
Impact on most vulnerable:
DEFRA studies show that the greatest burden of air pollution falls on the most vulnerable in the population, such as children, older people and those with existing heart and lunch conditions. Individuals most at risk include those with existing respiratory problems and chronic illnesses such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In 2005, 2.4% of the Hounslow Borough suffered from coronary heart disease, 10% reported diagnosed hypertension and 4.6% were reported asthma sufferers. The Health Effects Institute (HEI) panel concluded from evidence that there is a causal relationship between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and exacerbation of asthma. Hounslow’s air quality problems are largely caused by traffic emissions over a broad area.
The British Medical Association in 2012 showed that prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with several adverse outcomes in pregnancy, such as low birth weight, intrauterine growth retardation and increased risk of chronic diseases later in life.
Impact on socially deprived areas:
A close link has been shown between areas of high deprivation and pollution, often because homes and residences of these groups are situation next to roads with higher concentration of emissions. Deprivation is measured based on an Index of Multiple Deprivation of seven domain indices including income deprivation, employment deprivation, and living environment (which uses air quality as a key indicator of deprivation). LBH is ranked 151st out of 326 Local Authorities, with 1 being the most deprived, in the 2015 Index of Multiple Deprivation.
Pledges to improve environment page 5 manifesto:
We will preserve and enhance our shared environment:
- Re-join the London Air Quality Network
- Oppose any scheme that will increase air pollution
- Lobby the London Mayor to rethink the planned Ultra-Low Emissions Zone and remove diesel buses
- Increase the pressure on Thames Water to improve Mogden Sewage Works
- Work with third party partners to reduce the risks of over-development e.g. flooding
- Enable residents to better contribute effectively in planning decisions
- Insist that new developments meet the highest environmental standards
- Rigorously enforce the laws against unlicensed and illegal Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs)
- Champion improvements to transport infrastructure
- Part-fund replacement of old domestic boilers
- Make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists
- Roll out additional electric charging points
- Commission an holistic strategy for the Borough’s heritage assets
More pledges:
Manifesto page 7: “We will move to replace the Council’s own fleet of vehicles with electric/hybrid vehicles. We will join with other councils in forcing Heathrow Airport to adopt environmentally responsible transport solutions. We will plant 1,000 new trees mainly in areas where air pollution is at its worst. We will enforce anti-engine idling legislation at key locations. Labour wish only to restrict enforcement to areas outside schools – good but not good enough.”
Also page 7: “We support the introduction of more charging points for electric cars. Residents will retain a say in where these charging points are sited.”
Conclusion:
Due to emission volumes and overall impacts on health, we pledge to make difference to our environment and consequently to your own well-being.
Page 10: “We promise nothing less than a complete change in culture. As Conservatives we never forget that we are elected to serve the residents of the Borough. We will not assume as Labour appears to do that all residents have access to a computer or a state-of-the-art mobile phone.”
Vote Conservatives for #BetterHounslow
Green Queen 