City’s air quality at edge of clean limit
CALLS FOR GREATER GOVERNMENT ACTION
NEWCASTLE’S air pollution almost exceeds limits set by the World Health Association (WHO).
WHO data shows Newcastle is one of 47 towns and cities across the country which match or exceed air pollution limits.
Researchers measure pollution by looking at fine particle emissions, called PM 2.5, which can cause health problems when they hit people’s respiratory systems. The WHO’s limit is 10 micrograms per cubic metre.
Newcastle’s pollution levels were recorded at 10 micrograms per cubic metre, meaning the city is just within the WHO limit. The data was recorded in 2015. In 2013, levels were around 10.75.
Pollution levels in Sunderland were recorded at 7.75, while Middlesbrough’s were 11.75, according to the WHO data.
It puts Newcastle at the same level as Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Portsmouth and Southampton. All of these cities, with the exception of Birmingham, are near the coast, which means they are exposed to winds which can disperse particle emissions.
Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Sheffield and York all recorded levels of 12, while London’s was 11 in 2015.
In Carlisle, pollution levels have risen from eight in 2013 to 12 in 2015.
South Wales steel town Port Talbot recorded the highest levels in Britain, at 18.
Alison Cook, director of policy at the British Lung Foundation, said: “This report reconfirms that air pollution is one of the leading environmental public health crises in the UK today.
“Action to reduce the toxic particles in the air we breathe can no longer be delayed. How much more evidence do we need to see before the Government sets new legal limits on pollution levels to protect the nation’s lung health?” Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, said: “The UK Government needs to show leadership by adopting WHO air quality guidelines into national legislation and in doing so, help to protect the nation’s heart and circulatory health.” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO, said: “Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalised people bear the brunt of the burden.” Prof Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, said while there was a need to take action on air pollution in richer cities such as London, the problem was far greater in other parts of the world.
Data from 2012 shows the UK death rate for air pollution was well below the European average, and only a fifth of levels seen in India and a sixth of that in China, he said.
“We must not be complacent about UK air pollution, but in global terms, things really aren’t at all bad here,” he said.
A Defra spokesman said: “While air quality in the UK has improved significantly since 2010, this report from the WHO clearly shows the impact air pollution is having on the health of men women and children in the UK and across the world.
“Tackling this issue is a priority for this government, which is why we have a £3.5bn plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions and will set out further actions through a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy later this year.”
Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest bear the brunt of the burden Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus