Pollution cloud hangs over the air people breathe
A pollution cloud which covered Croydon on January 12 shows how bad air quality has got, a campaigner said.
Simon Birkett, director and founder of Clean Air in London tweeted London Mayor Sadiq Khan to trigger emergency measures as the situation worsened, according to its monitoring stations.
He tweeted: “Official #CodeRed alert for HIGH particle #AirPollution in London on Wednesday & Thursday as winds slow”.
The Mayor tweeted: “Congestion costs London’s economy £5.1bn a year – over £1,000 per driver. It contributes to air pollution which leads to thousands of Londoners dying prematurely.
“I’m committed to tackling traffic & air pollution so we can build a cleaner, greener London.”
A DEFRA statement said: “It is known that, when levels of air pollutants rise, adults suffering from heart conditions, and adults and children with lung conditions, are at increased risk of becoming ill and needing treatment.
“Only a minority of those who suffer from these conditions are likely to be affected and it is not possible to predict in advance who will be affected.
“Some people are aware that air pollution affects their health: adults and children with asthma may notice that they need to increase their use of inhaled reliever medication on days when levels of air pollution are higher than average.”
DEFRA stressed people should continue to enjoy the outdoors when the pollution is in a reasonable range.