The union yesterday (September 28) published its own analysis of the government’s 2015 air quality data, showing that levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution in the air are higher than EU legal limits in 18 out of 110 monitored areas in the UK.
This is fewer than the 19 areas found to be in exceedance the previous year, but GMB says the health of its members – such as street cleaners, refuse workers, utility workers, police community support officers and parking staff – is still at risk from unsafe NO2 levels.
Nitrogen dioxide is a respiratory irritant which may exacerbate asthma, increase susceptibility to infections, increase symptoms of those suffering from lung diseases and can also cause acid rain. It is one of the pollutants believed to contribute to around 50,000 premature deaths a year in the UK related to air pollution.
Several areas in Greater London, as well as parts of Birmingham, Bath, Aberdeen, Bradford, Glasgow and Belfast are among the 18 sites GMB has highlighted as having a problem with high NO2 levels.
Action needed
As a result, according to the UK’s third-largest trade union, action at local and national levels is needed to cut traffic pollution, such as better air quality monitoring in urban areas, cleaner and affordable public transport, better cycling infrastructure and more air quality information in schools and doctors’ surgeries.
John McClean, GMB’s national health, safety and environment officer, said: “Contractors and councils should consider installing monitoring equipment on wagons and barrows. They should look at designing street cleaning and refuse collection routes to avoid the times in the areas with the highest levels of pollutants.”
Mr McClean added: “Even though engine technology is improving, these exposure levels are still dangerously high, and place workers and the public at increased risk of respiratory diseases.
“We reiterate our call for high polluting vehicles to be banned from city centres, and for local authorities to take immediate action in priority areas such as near schools, hospitals and GP surgeries. Waiting for technology to reduce emissions is not an acceptable response. GMB calls for action now.”
He also said the NO2 problems were being exacerbated by the “deceit” of carmaker Volkswagen, which recently admitted that as many as 11 million of its diesel cars worldwide are involved in the scandal over the deliberate manipulation of emissions testing to show lower emissions levels than on the road (see our sister website AirQualityNews.com for more on this story).
UK areas breaching NO2 limits
The 18 monitoring stations in the UK identified by GMB to have exceeded the EU annual NO2 limit of 40 ugm3 (microgrammes per cubic metre) this year are:
- Aberdeen Union Street Roadside (45 ugm3)
- Bath Roadside (52)
- Belfast Stockman’s Lane (49)
- Bimingham Tyburn Roadside (43)
- Bradford Mayo Avenue (40)
- Camden Kerbside (60)
- Glasgow Kerbside (57)
- Hafod-yr-ynys Roadside (69)
- Haringey Roadside (40)
- London Bloomsbury (48)
- London Hillingdon (50)
- London Marylebone Road (84)
- Luton A505 Roadside (42)
- Oldbury Birmingham Road (41)
- Oxford Centre Roadside (47)
- Southwark A2 Old Kent Road (43)
- Stoke-on-Trent A50 Roadside (56)
- Tower Hamlets Roadside (54)
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