Agenda item

To receive a presentation from Dr Kilbane-Dawe (Par Hill Research Ltd).

The Chairman welcomed Dr Iarla Kilbane-Dawe, Par Hil Research Ltd, to the meeting to present a report regarding air pollution in London. Dr Kilbane-Dawe informed Board Members that:

Air pollution was highly localised - exposure increases rapidly with proximity to sources. Exposure is strongly determined by individual’s routes or home environment.

Dirty vehicle motors and fuels reduced air quality - diesel is very polluting, but some fuels are cleaner and/or cheaper: petrol, LPG, CNG, EVs. Engine standards proven ineffective, the taxis are especially bad, but quality of evidence is low.

Vehicle motioncaused pollution - moving vehicles and heavier vehicles generate PM10 by wearing down vehicle parts and road surfaces.

Inefficient buildings and dirty heating systems caused pollution - building design was often driven by appearance rather than energy efficiency, causing waste. Biomass systems emit extremely high air pollution levels.

In response to queries from Members, Dr Kilbane-Dawe advised the following:

·        Cyclists and drivers were mostly likely to be affected by poor air quality.

·        Air pollution caused by Crossrail building work was higher in certain areas, however research did show that construction sites spread less pollution if they were sprayed down regularly.

·        Hackney carriages used diesel fuel ineffectively and the design of the vehicles caused the taxi to emit a large amount of pollution.

·        Research showed that coating road surfaces did impact on air quality, as less dust was sprayed into the atmosphere.

·        Air quality underground had not been researched, however due to the high dust levels and lack of ventilation it was highly likely that the air quality would be poor.

·        It was necessary to involve Public Relations Officers from the offset to ensure that the public were receiving messages about how to protect themselves against air pollution.

·        A joined up approach would be necessary to tackle this problem; Committee reports due to be considered by Streets and Walkways Sub Committee may benefit from consultation with the Health and Wellbeing Board Members.

·        The public smartphone ‘App’ had been launched which informed the public of less polluted ways of travelling to their destination.