The world’s leading health body has warned that Nottingham’s air pollution is at harmful levels.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has ranked the city as one of the worst offenders in the UK, with levels of pollution above the recommended safe levels.
Nottingham is ninth in the UK for poor air pollution, with Derby and Leicester not appearing on the list.
The data shows the city is among 11 urban areas where air contaminates are higher than limits set out by the WHO.
“Urban air pollution continues to rise at an alarming rate, wreaking havoc on human health,” said Dr Maria Neira a WHO Director.
“At the same time, awareness is rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality. When air quality improves, global respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses decrease.”
Nottingham City Council is already working towards clean air targets and runs the city centre’s air quality monitoring stations.
Top 10 worst UK urban areas for air pollution (WHO data)
- Gibraltar
- Port Talbot
- Stanford-Le-Hope
- Glasgow
- London
- Scunthorpe
- Leeds
- Eastbourne
- Nottingham
- Southampton
Councillor Graham Chapman, the authority’s deputy leader said: “The way the road patterns and the traffic flows into the city is bad, and we have tight city boundaries, compared to somewhere like Birmingham that reaches out to the suburbs.”
“We’ve had traffic changes; the A453, the trams and the ring road – and that has built up”
“I am a bit more optimistic because I think technology in the end will resolve this; in a few years time there will be loads more electric cars, which will improve air conditions.
“Our bus company is already in talks to get more gas buses, we already have one gas bus.”
Air pollution is measured in terms of two type of ‘particle matter’ or ‘PM’.
PM includes pollutants such as sulfate, nitrates and black carbon, which penetrate deep into the lungs and the cardiovascular system, posing the greatest risks to human health.
PM 2.5 are tiny particles that can cause the air to look hazy, and are so microscopic that they are inhaled easily.
PM10 are particles that measure no more than 10 micrometres – in comparison, a strand of human hair is 100 micrometres.
Harmful ‘PM’: Nottingham’s ratings;
PM2.5
WHO recommendation: 10
Nottingham reading: 12
PM10
WHO recommendation: 20
Nottingham reading: 21
Nottingham City Council has committed to providing city clear air zones before 2020, and part of that is reducing the number of diesel buses in the city.
Cllr Chapman added: “I would hope we would have moved away from diesel buses by 2020, but there is a big fleet of buses so this could take time.”
Around 29,000 deaths a year in the UK are attributed attributed to air pollution levels.
Anne Jennison, who runs Smoky Joe’s tobacco accessories stall on Clinton Street East said: “I’ve been working here for 19 years. I didn’t have asthma when I started working here, we’re quite near roads, and whether that has contributed to it, I don’t know.”
