Air pollution soars as fog traps emissions in England’s urban areas

A bus crosses London Bridge during heavy fog in London on Monday. In Hillingdon, west London, PM 2.5 particles peaked at a 24-hour average of 129 micrograms per cubic metre, more than eight times the WHO’s daily guideline. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters View image in fullscreen A bus crosses London Bridge during heavy fog in London on Monday. In Hillingdon, west London, PM 2.5 particles peaked at a 24-hour average of 129 micrograms per cubic metre, more than eight times the WHO’s daily guideline. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters Particles from fireworks and bonfires likely to have contributed to levels well above WHO’s daily guideline Air pollution soared to “very high” levels across urban parts of England on Monday as still, foggy weather kept emissions trapped after a weekend of fireworks and bonfires. Government monitoring showed 11 sites, mainly in London and Greater Manchester, reached the highest band on its 10-point index for particulate matter in the 24 hours to 10am. A further 27 sites recorded “high” levels across the capital, the north-west, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the east of England. The worst reading was in Hillingdon, west London, where fine particles (PM2.5) peaked at a 24-hour average of 129 micrograms per cubic metre, more than eight times the World Health Organization’s daily guideline. In the north-west, Manchester Piccadilly, Wigan, Blackburn, Preston and Rochdale all reached the “very high” band. Particulate matter consists of tiny solid particles and liquid droplets suspended in the air. Exposure is linked to heart and lung disease and cancer. People in some of the worst-affected areas are breathing particulate matter concentrations five to 10 times above normal annual levels,” she added. Burston called for better pollution forecasts, more widely accessible health alerts and stronger action to reduce emissions from wood burning and transport. “If we had air quality at a much safer lower level all year round, then on nights like Bonfire Night, the extra pollution is less likely to push us to extreme levels,” she said. Larissa Lockwood, the director of campaigns at Global Action Plan, said the high pollution levels were “not surprising at a time of year when people are lighting log burners, having bonfires and lighting fireworks. On top of the normal levels from transport and industry, we see higher levels of air pollution and they’re then unable to disperse because they’re trapped .” Domestic burning and transport are the biggest sources of particulate pollution, she said.