Abstract

London has a long history of air pollution challenges. In this presentation I will guide you through the various steps taken and initiatives launched to address this important environment and health issue.

The devastating health effects brought about by air pollution became all too evident in December 1952, when a toxic combination of London’s cold, motionless smoggy air brought about the worst pollution disaster in history. This great killer smog episode claimed an estimated 4,000-12,000 premature deaths and increased morbidity from cardiorespiratory causes. It was also the impetus for the 1956 Clean Air Act, the major focus of which curtailed domestic coal burning. However, as one air pollutant was being solved another was developing in London and indeed in many cities around the world – traffic.

Working with successive Mayors in London policies were developed to move towards the point where air pollution no longer poses a significant risk to human health. A reduction in London’s road traffic emissions was achieved in two ways. First, through a decrease in the number of vehicles on the road (congestion charging), and second through reduced emissions from individual vehicles (low emission zones). Understanding that public transport emissions needed to decrease as well, a number of schemes have been introduced to achieve this as well. All buses in central London now meet or exceed the cleanest Euro 6 standards. Since January 2018 all newly registered taxis in London have been required to be Zero Emission Capable (ZEC).

Finally, The Mayor is also keen that we improve public knowledge about air pollution and thus we have developed a sophisticated alert system such that if an air pollution episode is forecast alerts are sent out to all schools, doctor’s surgeries, hospitals and are shown on the public transport digital signs such as at bus stops and on the London Underground system.

Biography

Frank Kelly holds the inaugural Humphrey Battcock Chair in Community Health and Policy, within the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. Within the School, Frank is the Director of the Environmental Research Group (ERG) – a leading provider of air and water quality information and research. The ERG combines air and water pollution science, toxicology and epidemiology to determine impacts on health and the causal factors. The group work closely with those responsible for air and water quality management to support policies and actions to minimise health effects associated with poor air and water quality. 

Frank has published over 460 peer-reviewed papers as well as many conference papers and books (as author or editor) on the toxicology and health effects of ozone, nitrogen dioxide and particulate pollution. He provides policy support to the World Health Organisation on air pollution issues and is a member of the Health Effects Institute Review Committee.  He is past Chairman of COMEAP, the UK’s Department of Health’s Expert Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, past President of the European Society for Free Radical Research and past Chairman of the British Association for Lung Research.