TIPS FOR A CLEANER LIFE
PLANT a hedge, tree/hedge combination or a ‘living wall’. A study by the University of Surrey found this significantly reduced pollutants in busy, wide streets.
‘Planting a hedge outside your home can filter out traffic fumes at the level of exhaust pipes,’ says Professor Prashant Kumar, chair in air quality and health at the University who led the research, published in the journal Atmospheric Environment earlier this year.
Professor Kumar said planting ‘ hedges only’ showed greater reductions in pollutants, including PM2.5, than either planting a hedge and trees in combination or trees alone.
But where there are tall buildings on either side, trees alone only seemed to increase PM2.5 underneath. ‘ Trees may trap pollutants and restrict natural movements of the flow — so in those narrow “street canyon” scenarios, it’s better to build green living walls [walls planted with vegetation] and hedges instead,’ says Professor Kumar.
A study published in the Journal of Living Architecture by researchers in Sydney last year found that such ‘bio’ walls significantly reduced PM2.5 levels in an indoor environment.
WHEN you air your house, open windows that are furthest from the road.
TURN your car fan off if stuck in traffic or at traffic lights. ‘Otherwise you will be sucking in polluted air,’ warns Professor Kumar. ‘Press the air recirculation [air conditioning] button instead.’
DON’T leave your engine idling. DEFRA recommends switching off your engine if you’re waiting to pick children up from school or you’re stuck in a traffic jam.
BURN the right sort of wood. Use ‘seasoned’ wood with the DEFRA ‘Ready to Burn’ logo (it’s more expensive than the wet wood sold on garage forecourts in nets but this creates more smoke that contains particulates). Buy a moisture meter to check the water content of wood.
Avoid burning waste wood such as furniture and fence panels. Get your chimney swept at least once a year to remove a build-up of particles which can affect air flow. If you’re buying a new stove, look for the DEFRA exemption label permitting its use in a smoke control area (check with your local council to see if you live in one). For more advice, see burnright.co.uk
TAKE your asthma preventer medication. ‘Pollution makes the lungs “twitchy”,’ says Dr Andy Whittamore, a GP and clinical lead for the charity Asthma UK. ‘You are more likely to react to pollutants if your asthma is not being well-controlled, so although we can’t change pollution levels much, you can make it less likely you’ll react by taking anti-inflammatory steroid inhalers every day.’ SWITcH to beeswax or soy candles. Although these will still give off carbon particles, it’s likely to be less than candles that are made of paraffin (which is derived from petrol).
cOOK with electricity. This gives off less emissions than gas. Also, ensure your kitchen is well ventilated by opening windows and using extractor fans to move the pollutants out of your house, advises Professor Kumar, particularly in newer properties (older ones tend to be draughtier).
VENTILATE your kitchen. Some reports have suggested that cooking at high temperatures, such as roasting, or even simply making toast, could release toxic particles into the air. Studies cited by a review at Birmingham University in 2013 found deep frying created the largest amount of particulate matter 20cm from the cooker, and steaming the least. Cooking with oil rather than water also contributes to higher concentrations of particles.
DEcORATE with care: ‘Paints contain thinners (oils), and when you put them on the walls they evaporate as the paint dries and volatile compounds are then emitted into the room,’ says Professor Kumar.
These react with other chemicals in the atmosphere and form PM2.5.
choose low volatile organic compound paints and ventilate the room well during decorating and afterwards.