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London's Dirty Secret
Other | Monday 21st March 2016 | Sabrin
LONDON has some explaining to do after its dirty secret is out for all of Europe to see. The City of London has a severe problem with nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxin that increases the risk of respiratory diseases such as lung cancer and asthma as well as inflaming the lungs and stunting their growth.
In 2010, London was found to be one of Europe’s most polluted places for the 36th time. The government was issued with a final warning by the European Commission, plunging us into an embarrassing mission to improve London’s air.
Within the first week of 2016 areas of Putney and Knightsbridge had already exceed the yearly limits of NO2 allowed in the air. The limit is measured hourly and allows for 18 breaches in a year and by 9th January, both areas had breached the limit 19 times.
Just last year, the government was warned by the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants that the number of deaths in the UK due to air pollution each year has reached an alarming 60,000. Let’s hope that this shocking number is enough for our government to make some real changes to lower the NO2 pollutant that is posing a dire risk to everyone living in London .
