London Breached 2016 Nitrogen Dioxide Air Quality Limits on Jan. 8

Summary: On Friday, Jan. 8, London breached 2016 nitrogen dioxide air quality limits with West London's Putney High Street's 19th instance of hourly parameter excess.

Putney High Street registered an annual mean value of 112 for nitrogen dioxide (NO2): Clean Air in London @CleanAirLondon, via Twitter Jan. 9, 2016

Eight days into the new year, Friday, Jan. 8, at 7 a.m. Greenwich Meantime (GMT), London breached 2016 nitrogen dioxide air quality limits of 18 allowable excesses of the hourly parameter of 200 micrograms when West London’s busy Putney High Street registered its 19th instance.

The rush hour toxic levels of nitrogen dioxide emissions surpassed not only the hourly quota of allowable breaches but also exceeded the annual mean value limit. According to the London Air Quality Network, its chemiluminescence analyzer at Putney High Street registered an annual mean value of 112. The Environmental Research Group (ERG) at King’s College London manages the London Air Quality Network (LAQN) website as “the main portal for real-time air pollution information in the capital.”

“It is breathtaking that toxic air pollution has breached the legal limit for a whole calendar year within a few days. Special thanks to the London Air Quality Network for diligently reporting it,” notes Simon Birkett, founder and director of Clean Air in London (CAL), in his Jan. 8 website posting. He adds: “Worse, several air pollution monitors have been vying for the dubious honour of recording the first officially monitored breach of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) legal limit in the world in 2016. Oxford Street would have been first again if it hadn’t been ‘offline’ since last Sunday afternoon -- possibly due to vandalism of the scientific equipment.”

The European Union has set an hourly mean value of 200 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) as the limit value of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for the protection of human health. The hourly mean value may be exceeded only 18 times within a year. Allowance of exceedances for the hourly objective recognizes the impracticality of expecting hourly average concentrations to fall neatly within the defined limit. Extenuating circumstances, such as bad weather conditions, can influence concentration levels.

The European Union also has set an annual mean value of 40 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) for nitrogen dioxide. Air quality objectives set by the United Kingdom National Air Quality Strategy for nitrogen dioxide agree with the European Union’s limit values.

Nitrogen dioxide is a brown gas released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels, such as by diesel or petrol car engines, home central-heating boilers, and power stations. The pungent, gaseous air pollutant is linked to airway inflammation and respiratory distresses.

The news that London breached 2016 nitrogen dioxide air quality limits has not surprised Andrew Grieve, a senior air quality analyst with the Environmental Research Group at King’s College London. His review of previous years’ data finds an early breach of nitrogen dioxide air quality limits as not at all extraordinary.

“It’s just [that] central London, and London as a whole, have a really huge problem with NO2. Breaching so early in the year really just illustrates how big a problem it is,” Grieve explained to Adam Vaughan, editor of The Guardian’s environmental site.

The European Union (EU) allows for only 18 excesses of the hourly mean value of 200 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2): Adeptus Environment @AdeptusConsult, via Twitter Jan. 10, 2016

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Putney High Street registered an annual mean value of 112 for nitrogen dioxide (NO2): Clean Air in London @CleanAirLondon, via Twitter Jan. 9, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/CleanAirLondon/status/685926053701906432

The European Union (EU) allows for only 18 excesses of the hourly mean value of 200 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2): Adeptus Environment @AdeptusConsult, via Twitter Jan. 10, 2016, @ https://twitter.com/AdeptusConsult/status/686203422115270657

For further information:

Adeptus Environment @AdeptusConsult. "RT @ESOF2016: Following the Paris climate talks, can the UK really cut #pollution? London > NO2 limits in 1 week." Twitter. Jan. 10, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/AdeptusConsult/status/686203422115270657

BEC Crew. "London has reached its yearly pollution limit in just 8 days." Science Alert. Jan. 14, 2016.
Available @ http://www.sciencealert.com/london-just-reached-its-yearly-pollution-limit-in-just-8-days

Birkett, Simon. "'Breathtaking' breach of NO2 annual legal limit in eight days." Clean Air in London > Policy > Legal. Jan. 8, 2016.
Available @ http://cleanair.london/legal/breathtaking-breach-of-no2-annual-legal-limit-in-eight-days/

Clean Air in London @CleanAirLondon. "Official / #Knightsbridge joins #PutneyHighStreet in already breaching the NO2 legal limit for 2016 HT @LondonAir." Twitter. Jan. 9, 2016.
Available @ https://twitter.com/CleanAirLondon/status/685926053701906432

Jackson, Allison. "Parts of London have air pollution as bad as Beijing's." Global Post. Jan. 14, 2016.
Available @ http://www.globalpost.com/article/6719945/2016/01/14/parts-london-have-already-exceeded-their-air-pollution-limits-2016

"LAQN Monitoring Statistics." London Air.
Available @ http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/publicstats.asp?region=0&site=WA7&bulletin=hourly&la_id=&statyear=2016

"Nitrogen dioxide limits in London - update." London Air Quality Network > News. Jan. 8, 2016.
Available @ http://www.londonair.org.uk/london/asp/news.asp?NewsId=NO2LimitsLondon2016&StartIndex=1

O'Sullivan, Feargus. "London Has Already Exceeded Its Pollution Limits for 2016." The Atlantic > Science. Jan. 13, 2016.
Available @ http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/01/london-pollution-european-union-limits/423972/

Stone, Jon. "London breaches air pollution limit for the whole of 2016 in just over seven days." The Independent > UK > UK Politics. Jan. 14, 2016.
Available @ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/london-breaches-air-pollution-limit-for-the-whole-of-2016-in-just-over-seven-days-a6811616.html

Vaughan, Adam. "London takes just one week to breach annual air pollution limits." The Guardian > Environment > Pollution. Jan. 8, 2016.
Available @ http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/08/london-takes-just-one-week-to-breach-annual-air-pollution-limits