UK doctors declare a diesel emergency

BRITAIN is facing a major health emergency unless diesel cars are taken off the roads, doctors warn.

Fumes and toxins from diesel cars are already contributing to smog which has been linked to the deaths of 40 000 people a year.

But with the government failing to get a grip on illegal levels of pollution in major cities that number could spiral, experts warned.

Health charities, medical leaders and environmental groups called for a new law to rival Anthony Eden’s Clean Air Act, which 60 years ago ended the “pea souper” smogs that had blighted cities until 1956. That legislation forced an end to coal power stations in towns and cities.

The modern Clean Air Act aims to bring pollution under control, and introduce a scrappage scheme to encourage drivers to abandon diesel cars.

Separately, more than 300 doctors in the Doctors Against Diesel group wrote to UK Prime Minister Theresa May, calling for a diesel reduction initiative to reduce the impacts of pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and soot.

Ownership of diesel cars has more than trebled in the last 15 years – driven by misguided government tax incentives that identified diesel as a “green” fuel. Almost 1.3 million new diesels were registered last year, 48 percent of all car purchases, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Evidence is growing about the health impacts of nitrogen dioxide and the tiny particles of soot emitted by diesel engines. These toxins add to pollution from factories and power plants to create a deadly smog. But while tough industrial regulations have driven down factory emissions – these advances have barely made a difference to pollution levels because of the increasing number of diesel cars on the road.

Scientists now believe a typical diesel vehicle emits 10 times as much nitrogen dioxide as a petrol equivalent. The UK is notoriously bad at controlling air pollution, with 37 cities across Britain persistently breaching legal limits of air toxins set by the EU.

London is already planning an “emission zone” which diesel drivers would be charged to enter. But experts are desperate to find new ways to rein in the damage done by pollution, after legal annual limits for pollution were breached in the first week of January.

Motorists in Westminster have been told they may soon be charged 50% extra for on-street parking in a diesel.

In addition, the mayor of London proposed a £3 500 (R57 300) scrappage scheme to encourage drivers to switch to petrol or electric cars earlier this week. – Daily Mail