Drivers in London are likely to be among the biggest beneficiaries of moves to penalise highly polluting vehicles in the capital, London’s mayor is to say, because at present many drivers are likely to experience more pollution than other road users.
Though they may have the illusion of being insulated in their vehicles from the effects of exhaust fumes, drivers can be more exposed to pollutants including the highly dangerous small particles known as PM2.5, which can damage lungs and lodge deep within the body.
PM2.5 particles are those less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter. They are invisible to the naked eye and small enough to penetrate deep into our lungs. Exposure to these tiny particles dominates the health harm from air pollution and is the leading environment risk factor for early death.
PM2.5 comes from the burning of solid and liquid fuels, through power generation, domestic heating and motor traffic. It can also form in the air from chemical reactions between other pollutants.
A growing body of research shows that these particulates are responsible for a huge range of health problems from lung and heart disease to diabetes and cancer, brain function to premature births. As well as leaving millions of people with life-limiting chronic health conditions, they also lead to the early death of more than 400,000 people across Europe each year. Experts say more than 200,000 of these could be saved if the air in Europe met World Health Organization guidelines.
The current WHO guidelines state that annual average concentrations of PM2.5 should not exceed 5 micrograms a cubic metre (µg/m3).
Gary Fuller
While the extent of exposure depends on the car, the air-tightness of the cabin, any filters installed and how the car is used, drivers can experience more of some of the most damaging forms of pollution than cyclists, bus passengers or pedestrians, according to a new report from scientists at Imperial College London.
The Imperial College researchers looked at findings from around the world, on the exposure to air pollution from traffic among different types of road user. They found that cyclists were exposed on average to about 20% less PM2.5 pollution than car users, and pedestrians were exposed to about 40% less.
Professional drivers such as taxi drivers are among the worst affected as they spend so much time in their cars. The London-based Driver Diesel Exposure Mitigation Study (DEMiSt), which examined the exposure levels of taxi drivers, couriers and heavy freight drivers, found that high levels of pollutants could linger inside the vehicle for as long as an hour after driving through a heavily polluted segment of road, increasing the exposure of drivers to toxic air even after they have driven away from hotspots.
The level of pollutants in the atmosphere from vehicle exhausts – known as traffic-related air pollution – tends to fall quickly away from the centre of the road, where it is concentrated, according to the Imperial College report.
The extent of driver exposure was also revealed by research using personal monitors measuring ultra-fine particles and PM2.5 absorbance, which found that car users’ lung function was negatively affected more than cyclists’.
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, has come under vicious attack for his implementation of an ultra low emissions zone (Ulez), expanded to outer London at the end of August, under which drivers of the most polluting vehicles are charged £12.50 a day.
The issue was widely cited as an important factor in Labour failing to take Boris Johnson’s former seat of Uxbridge, by about 500 votes in a byelection this summer.
Khan has stuck to the policy, citing statistics that show the Ulez has resulted in a 21% reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations in inner London and a 46% reduction in central London.
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah, founder of the Ella Roberta Foundation, named after her daughter who died from polluted air, said: “It breaks my heart to think of how many Londoners are breathing in toxic fumes simply because they need to commute, pick up their kids or work on busy roads.
“This air pollution from diesel and petrol vehicles is seeping into every organ of the body, causing lifelong illnesses, premature deaths and an extra burden on the NHS.
“The new Ulez expansion will help to encourage people towards cleaner, healthier modes of transport. But now we need policymakers to do more to ensure that public transport, cycle lanes and pavements are safe, accessible and affordable for everyone.
“The coroner was very clear: unless the air is cleaned up, more children like Ella will continue to die.”
Khan will travel to New York next week to discuss the climate crisis, with world and local government leaders from around the world, at the UN general assembly. Rishi Sunak, who has been heavily criticised recently on environmental policies, has elected not to attend the gathering, saying he is too busy.
