Magnetic wands and big vacuum cleaners to suck up dirty Tube air
DUST will be sucked out of Tube stations and tunnels with industrial vacuum cleaners in an attempt to clean up air on the Underground.
More than 50 stations and five tunnels will be cleaned using the super-strength vacuums. Magnetic wands will also be taken into tunnels every night to collect metal particles.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said the millions of people using the Tube “deserve to breathe the cleanest air possible” and the air quality scheme will help ensure dust and particles are kept to an “absolute minimum”.
He added: “I’ve asked for an updated scientific analysis of pollution on the Tube so we can fully assess the air quality levels and take appropriate measures to ensure that the air is clean.”
A combination of the friction from trains against their rails, air ventilated into the network from above ground and skin particles from passengers all contribute to dust on the Underground system.
Previous independent scientific research funded by Transport for London in 2004 found that the composition of dust particles on the Tube was different from that above ground, and concluded that the dust did not contain components at levels which are likely to pose a risk to the health of passengers or staff.
However, the Mayor said more than a decade has passed since the last set of wide-ranging tests and today commissioned a new review of air quality on the network.
His measures include monitoring the air quality at 12 stations and making the results available for commuters to see online. Monitors will also be placed within Tube trains.
Mr Khan will also be taking advice from the Department of Health’s independent Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.
Mark Wild, managing director of London Underground, said Tube dust levels have been monitored for many years and a “wide range of measures” have ensured particle levels are well within health and safety guidelines.
He added: “As scientific understanding of the effects of particles develops, we are ensuring that we’re both using the very latest research and that we’re doing everything possible to keep the air underground clean.”
This summer the Mayor also plans to tackle pollution at construction sites and fund greener, less-polluting vessels on the Thames.