Leeds Fails To Meet WHO Standards For Clean Air

Thursday, 12 May 2016 07:00

Yorkshire and the Humber has two cities failing to meet World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for particle air pollution – a new report reveals today (12 May).

Leeds and Scunthorpe are both on the list, along with eight other cities across the UK. This type of air pollution leads to 29,000 early deaths across the country each year. Friends of the Earth is calling for Clean Air Zones to be introduced across all UK cities and large towns, including Scunthorpe, and for urgent action to get the worst polluting diesel vehicles off our roads to help save lives.

The WHO report reveals the following 10 UK cities which are breaching their air quality standards for levels of PM10 particulate air pollution: Port Talbot, Stanford–le-Hope, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Scunthorpe, Eastbourne, Nottingham, Oxford and Southampton. Many more UK cities were also breaching limits for smaller particle air pollution.

Though the research shows a slight reduction in overall levels of particulates in the air we breathe across Europe – the figures are not coming down quickly enough to keep people safe. Air pollution from particulates can cause lung cancer, heart and lung disease and research has revealed there is no safe limit of exposure. Today’s WHO air pollution database also only tells half the story, as it does not include figures on the deadly nitrogen dioxide gas which is also polluting our air and harming our health.

Jenny Bates, Friends of the Earth air pollution campaigner, said:

“The figures for Europe might look like they’re improving slightly but we’re still talking about dangerous levels of pollution. There is no safe level of exposure.

“This is yet another report which shows the air we breathe is unsafe. With 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK from air pollution, what more will it take for our political leaders to act?

“This is a public health crisis. It’s time it was treated that way. Scunthorpe needs fewer and cleaner vehicles, and to help achieve this it needs a Clean Air Zone. A Clean Air Zone is already planned for Leeds but politicians must go further; including urgently introducing a diesel scrappage scheme to get the worst polluting vehicles off our roads and more investment in alternatives to driving.”

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