London Mayor Sadiq Khan launched the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April 2019, which includes a £12.50 per day tax for older diesel and petrol cars. Buses pay £100 per day. This follows London`s plan for an environmental zone, which has been in force since 2008. [52] [53] The FTA was expected to result in a 20% reduction in road transport emissions and a reduction in the number of the most polluting vehicles entering the area each day, from 35,578 in March to 26,195 in April after the introduction of the tax. [55] [56] An April 2019 YouGov poll found that 72% of Londoners supported the use of emissions charges to tackle air pollution and congestion. [52] This improvement is partly the result of measures taken by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who introduced cleaner buses on routes due to pollution hotspots and charges to deter dirty vehicles from central London. “But I have one hand tied behind my back because of the government`s policy and inaction,” he told the Guardian. Britain introduced controls against air pollution after the deadly London smog in 1952. The result was the landmark Clean Air Act of 1956.

We analysed the data for each of the UK areas to understand the extent to which they violate EU legal limits. Find your region in the table below. Globally, indoor and outdoor air pollution caused about 7 million premature deaths in 2012, according to the World Health Organization. In general, the most polluting areas are located more centrally in London, with cleaner air quality in the peripheral suburbs. Toxic NO2 pollution affects most urban areas in the UK, but London is the hardest hit. Check live data from the capital to see which places exceed legal limits Air pollution in the UK has long been considered a significant health problem and causes many other environmental problems such as damage to buildings,[1][2] forests and crops. [3] Many areas, including major cities like London, are well and consistently above legal and recommended pollution levels. [4] [5] Air pollution in the UK is a major cause of diseases such as asthma, lung disease, stroke, cancer and heart disease, causing around forty thousand premature deaths a year, accounting for around 8.3% of deaths, while costing around £40 billion each year. [6] [7] Mining has existed in Britain since prehistoric times and lead mines (such as Charterhouse in Somerset and Odin Mine in Derbyshire) may have been mined before Roman Britain.

Pipe rolls refer to the smelting of lead and silver in the Middle Ages. [12] [13] [14] [15] Research on a Swiss ice core shows that lead-containing air pollution between the years 1170 and 1216 was as high as during the Industrial Revolution, which was precisely correlated with melting in the Peak District, the largest European source of lead and silver at the time, with pollution peaks closely linked to the increasing power of successive monarchs during their reign. [16] [17] [18] A total of twelve low-emission bus zones are currently in operation across London. Since their introduction, the zones have led to a significant reduction in pollution. According to the most recent NO2 levels, 4 of the 10 places with the highest NO2 levels in the UK in 2020 were in London. Among the top 10 places for NO2 levels in London, these are mainly located in central or central London, reflecting higher traffic density. The most polluted places in London for NO2, based on an annual average measurement, are Strand (City of Westminster, 88 μg/m3), Walbrook Wharf (City of London, 87 μg/m3), Marylebone Road (City of Westminster, 85 μg/m3), Euston Road (Camden, 82.3 μg/m3) and Cromwell Road/Earl`s Court Road (Kensington/Chelsea, 77.4 μg/m3).19 The top 4 sites at these sites are more than double the annual regulatory limit of 40 μg/m3 NO2. In the 1800s, burning coal especially for the Industrial Revolution made Britain the world`s largest source of carbon-based air pollution (surpassed by the United States in 1888 and Germany in 1913). [22] [23] Local campaign companies have emerged to complain about health risks, such as the Committee for Smoke Consumption in Leeds. [21] The Alkali Act of 1863 was passed – and temporarily amended – to regulate irritating gaseous hydrochloric acid, which is produced by the Leblanc process to produce sodium carbonate, but also sulphuric acid, which is often caused by emissions from the same plants.

[24] The Public Health Act was passed in 1875, which regulated not only the health effects of air pollution, but also visual effects. Air quality has also improved in Oxford Street, which exceeded the annual limit in just five days in 2015. But after the changes to the bus routes, there have been no violations so far in 2018. Initial hourly readings are checked and very occasionally a recalibration means correcting a result below the legal limit, but even if that happens, Brixton Road will very soon exceed the annual limit. In both developed and developing countries, air pollution – caused by cars, factories and coal fires – shortens lives. Air pollution is often thought to have started with the Industrial Revolution, but this is a much older problem. [11] In April 2014, for example, there were “very high” air pollution warnings for many parts of England. High levels of pollution in London and other parts of south-east England were severe enough to cause eye pain and sore throats, and experts warned people with heart disease and asthma to stay indoors. [31] [32] In the UK, air pollution causes up to 36,000 premature deaths each year.

It is associated with terrible health effects, including lung cancer and lung development disorders in children. Air pollution in London has been at the legal limit for the whole of 2018 for less than a month, prompting the government to “look at the big picture and show that it is serious about protecting health”. Our vision is for London to have the best air quality of any major city in the world by 2050, going beyond legal requirements to protect human health and minimise inequalities. In the 1600s, smoke pollution also affected the exterior of buildings. In a landmark court case from 1610, William Aldred obtained a verdict against his neighbor, citing the smell of pigsties and fumes from lime kilns, “stopping the clean air” and “infecting and spoiling the air.” [19] [20] [21] Particulate pollution is also a serious health risk, and although levels are generally below current legal limits, a study published in October showed that every person in the capital breathes air that exceeds World Health Organization guidelines. Exposure to smoke was not seen in a completely negative light. There has been no coordination on airspace clearance Measures to manage and improve air quality are largely governed by EU law, which sets legally binding limit values for key air pollutants.