To receive a presentation from Dr Kilbane-Dawe (Par Hill Research Ltd).
Minutes:
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.
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.
Dirty vehicle motors and fuels reduced air quality - diesel is very polluting, but some fuels are cleaner and/or cheaper: petrol, LPG, CNG, EVs. In urban driving condition, most diesel vehicles don't meet the required NOx limits that have been set in vehicle Euro standards.
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.
· 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.
· The condition of air within buildings was dependent on the filter being used.
· The City’s potential move to 20mph will improve air quality
The Chairman thanked Dr Kilbane-Dawe for his interesting presentation.