From todays Times: The EU limit for nitrogen dioxide is 40 micrograms per cubic metre of air averaged over a year. In Oxford Street it seldom fell below this and sometimes went far above — briefly reaching 800mcg on one occasion last August and often exceding 400mcg. Last year it was above 200mcg for 1,500 hours; 18 hours is the maximum allowed for that level. Carslaw said: “That is the highest long-term concentration anywhere in Europe and could make it the most polluted place in the world, above even Mexico City or Beijing. ” Ian Mudway, a respiratory toxicologist at Kings College London, who recently coauthored a World Health Organisation (WHO) report on European air pollution, said: “This is not just about vulnerable groups like asthmatics and people with heart conditions. “In the long term everyone will have subclinical effects that shorten their lives. We have no choice what we breathe and if you are exposed throughout the year then there is a risk of long-term damage to your lungs and other organs.” The new warnings follow a week in which Britain has been covered by a layer of smog caused by dust blown north from the Sahara mixed with diesel particulates and other pollutants, some blown in from Europe, but much of it generated by domestic traffic. The severe air pollution saw a surge in 999 calls from people suffering asthma, heart attacks and strokes — all of which increase when pollution rises. But the new research suggests the danger comes not just from peaks in pollution but also from long-term exposure, especially to the young. Britain has some of the highest levels of such pollutants in Europe. There is also strong emerging evidence that diesel emissions, especially particulates, can damage the brains of children living near busy roads, altering the way they develop and raising the risk of developing schizophrenia, autism and other diseases. Scientists in America have found that long-term exposure to the tiny particulates alters the way children’s brains grow, potentially altering their thought processes and behaviour all through life. Some scientists have likened the impact of diesel particulates to those emitted by lead in petrol. This was banned in 1999 after scientists found that the lead additives caused brain damage in exposed children — reducing their IQ and increasing their propensity to violent and criminal behaviour.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 09:35:08 +0000
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