Air pollution soars as fog traps emissions in England’s urban areas
Summary
Still, foggy weather trapped emissions after a weekend of fireworks and bonfires, pushing particulate pollution to “very high” levels at monitoring sites across urban England on Monday. Authorities and clean-air groups warned that the pollution can harm health and called for alerts and action to reduce emissions.Key Facts
- Government monitoring recorded “very high” particulate levels at 11 sites in the 24 hours to 10am Monday, mainly in London and Greater Manchester.
- Another 27 sites recorded “high” particulate levels across several regions of England.
- Hillingdon in west London had the highest reported PM2.5 reading: a 24-hour average of 129 micrograms per cubic metre, more than eight times the World Health Organization’s daily guideline.
- Manchester Piccadilly, Wigan, Blackburn, Preston and Rochdale also reached the “very high” band.
- Particulate matter includes tiny airborne particles and droplets; exposure is linked to heart and lung disease and cancer.
- Clean-air groups said fireworks, bonfires, domestic wood burning and transport add pollution, while fog and light winds prevent it from dispersing.
- London issued a high air pollution alert for Tuesday 10 November, based on forecasts from Imperial College London.
- Clean-air groups called for public health alerts and measures to reduce emissions, including limiting non-essential wood burning in towns and cities.
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