Leicester was today named and shamed by the World Health Organisation for having dangerous levels of air pollution. The city was found to be in breach of the World Health Organisation guideline levels for PM 2.5, tiny particulates which can penetrate deep into the lungs.
This comes after Leicester was named as one of 16 zones in the UK found to be in breach of EU levels of another pollutant, Nitrogen Dioxide. The European Commission launched legal proceedings against the UK government for these breaches back in January.
Campaigners have called on local authorities and national government to do more tackle Leicester's air pollution problem.
Hannah Wakley, transport campaigner with Leicester Friends of the Earth, said:
“An estimated 250 people die prematurely in Leicester every year because of poor air quality and 90% of the pollution comes from transport. We need to change our travel habits to protect our health.”
Andy Wardlaw, a professor of respiratory medicine in Leicester, said:
"Outdoor air pollution, which mainly comes from vehicles, affects everyone in some way, but especially children whose lungs are developing and people with problems with their lungs and heart. It can aggravate conditions like asthma, COPD and bronchitis and particulates are a recognised and important cause of increased deaths in Europe and the USA from respiratory and heart disease. We need to do all we can to tackle the causes of air pollution to improve our health."
Further information
1. Air quality deteriorating in many of the world’s cities | WHO press release: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-quality/en/
2. The EU has started legal proceedings against the UK for failing to tackle air pollution:
http://foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/eu-takes-legal-action-over-uk-air-quality_20022014
3. Friends of the Earth briefing on air pollution (May 2013): https://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/air-pollution-briefing-21993.doc
4. Clean Air in London's Clean Air in Cities app gives an esimate of the number premature deaths due to poor air quality in different areas of the UK http://cleanairinlondon.org/ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/clean-air-in-cities-index/id646281816?mt=8
5. Public health England: Estimates of mortality in local authority areas associated with air pollution: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/estimates-of-mortality-in-local-authority-areas-associated-with-air-pollution and their report: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317141074607
This comes after Leicester was named as one of 16 zones in the UK found to be in breach of EU levels of another pollutant, Nitrogen Dioxide. The European Commission launched legal proceedings against the UK government for these breaches back in January.
Campaigners have called on local authorities and national government to do more tackle Leicester's air pollution problem.
Hannah Wakley, transport campaigner with Leicester Friends of the Earth, said:
“An estimated 250 people die prematurely in Leicester every year because of poor air quality and 90% of the pollution comes from transport. We need to change our travel habits to protect our health.”
Andy Wardlaw, a professor of respiratory medicine in Leicester, said:
"Outdoor air pollution, which mainly comes from vehicles, affects everyone in some way, but especially children whose lungs are developing and people with problems with their lungs and heart. It can aggravate conditions like asthma, COPD and bronchitis and particulates are a recognised and important cause of increased deaths in Europe and the USA from respiratory and heart disease. We need to do all we can to tackle the causes of air pollution to improve our health."
Further information
1. Air quality deteriorating in many of the world’s cities | WHO press release: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/air-quality/en/
2. The EU has started legal proceedings against the UK for failing to tackle air pollution:
http://foe.co.uk/resource/press_releases/eu-takes-legal-action-over-uk-air-quality_20022014
3. Friends of the Earth briefing on air pollution (May 2013): https://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/air-pollution-briefing-21993.doc
4. Clean Air in London's Clean Air in Cities app gives an esimate of the number premature deaths due to poor air quality in different areas of the UK http://cleanairinlondon.org/ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/clean-air-in-cities-index/id646281816?mt=8
5. Public health England: Estimates of mortality in local authority areas associated with air pollution: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/estimates-of-mortality-in-local-authority-areas-associated-with-air-pollution and their report: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1317141074607