Brighton is one of 40 UK cities named by the World Health Organisation as having breached safe air pollution levels today – but different measurements suggest the air is getting cleaner in the city’s worst spots.
The Brighton figures used by the WHO show that in 2012, the city had 11 μg/m3 for PM2.5, a measure of very fine particles such as soot in the air, above the limit of 10 μg/m3.
However, the WHO also used figures from 2013 which showed that the city was under its limit for slightly larger PM10 particles, with 17 μg/m3, under the 20 μg/m3 limit.
The WHO’s Dr Carlos Dora said: “It is crucial for city and national governments to make urban air quality a health and development priority.
“When air quality improves, health costs from air pollution-related diseases shrink, worker productivity expands and life expectancy grows. Reducing air pollution also brings an added climate bonus, which can become a part of countries’ commitments to the climate treaty.”
Dr Maria Neira, WHO director, department of public health, environmental and social determinants of health, added: “Awareness is rising and more cities are monitoring their air quality. When air quality improves, global respiratory and cardiovascular-related illnesses decrease.”
The latest figures for 2016 show the five worst areas in the city are also breaching UK and EU legal limits for nitrogen dioxide – but the air is getting cleaner.
Those areas are:
- North Street/Western Road (near Ship Street) 21% reduction in nitrogen dioxide since 2012
- Queen’s Road/Terminus Road (Terminus Road) 20% reduction in nitrogen dioxide since 2012
- New England Road (West of Preston Circus) 15% reduction in nitrogen dioxide since 2012
- Lewes Road (South of the Vogue Gyratory) 14% reduction in nitrogen dioxide since 2012
- London Road/Valley Gardens, (Cheapside Junction) 3% reduction in nitrogen dioxide since 2012
Chair of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee Gill Mitchell said: “We’re heading in the right direction but the journey is by no means complete.
“We need to make further improvements by using less-polluting travel modes and less-polluting vehicles. The bus companies continuing to make improvements to their fleets will bring much better air.
“The council has won grants totalling about £1.5m in recent years to help them do this and we’ll keep doing all we can to deliver cleaner air for the city.”
A spokesman added: “The WHO study reflects what we’ve often said, that our air quality in certain locations breaches health guidelines, such as EU limits, and that’s why we need initiatives like our Low Emission Zone.
“We’re making progress. Our worst locations are improving because of cleaner buses and more sustainable transport choices. But we still have some way to go.
“It is also worth pointing out that there is a national monitor for particulate pollution at Preston Park. If we didn’t host it we wouldn’t be mentioned. But clearly it’s better to know what’s going on.
“Some of these particulates will be well-travelled so local, national and regional agreements are needed to reduce such pollution.”
Council officers believe the decline in nitrogen dioxide could be a result of cleaner buses and a higher use of sustainable travel choices in and around the city centre. Cleaner electricity generation and heating systems also play their part in working towards cleaner air.
Weather can have an effect – cold conditions correlate with higher nitrogen dioxide, because this can adversely affect exhaust systems designed to stop pollution.
While nitrogen dioxide levels have improved across the Greater Brighton area the council says roadside pollution in the worst areas still breaches UK and EU legal limits for health protection.
In addition to the central areas mentioned above, nitrogen dioxide continues to be close the UK and EU limits at specific roadside sites at Wellington Road and Trafalgar Road, Portslade and in Rottingdean High Street.
To comply, further reductions of around one third in nitrogen dioxide levels would be required on North Street and London Road, for example.
Bus companies operating in the city are gradually upgrading their fleets with less-polluting vehicles. Brighton and Hove Buses will soon have phased out all of its old Euro 3 emission standard vehicles. Just over a year ago it was running around 100 of these.
Meanwhile it is spending millions on the highest-standard Euro 6 buses and converting other vehicles to lower-emission technology. Cuckmere Buses, and Stagecoach are also investing in cleaner vehicles.
Government grants secured by the council are helping the Sussex Bus company to retrofit cleaner emissions technology on twelve buses which travel on routes in central Brighton.
