"ULEZ expanded zone has had limited impact so far, TfL report says" BBC News - "The expansion of London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) has had limited impact on pollution in the new areas, a report says. Transport for London (TfL) found no change in levels of pollutants since ULEZ expanded to the North and South Circular roads in October 2021. But roadside nitrogen dioxide levels in the expanded zone had dropped by 43% since 2017, the report said...Dr Gary Fuller [School of Public Health], air pollution scientist from Imperial College London, said: "We often hear that air pollution is a problem that is just too hard to solve but it's one that has a serious impact on everyone's health, which we cannot ignore. These new results from the expanded ULEZ show what can be done. But there is more to do..." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-62224609

"Road Suction Vent Touted As Anti-Pollution Tech That Could Prevent Motor Vehicle Bans" Forbes - "Pollution suction technology installed beneath roads could be a "viable alternative to banning [motor] traffic," says a public health expert. Prof Frank Kelly [Public Health], the Battcock Chair in Community Health and Policy at Imperial College London, was responding to today's (re)launch of Roadvent by U.K. firm Pollution Solution. Eight years in development, the technology has been independently tested to reduce by 91% the roadside exposure to pollutants pumped out by motor traffic." https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2022/06/14/roadside-suction-vent-touted-as-anti-pollution-tech-that-could-prevent-motor-vehicle-bans/?sh=164fb38e3c1a

"Dirty air affects 97% of UK homes, data shows" The Guardian [also in The Daily Telegraph, The Times, Daily Mail, Channel 4 News] - "Virtually every home in the UK is subjected to air pollution above World Health Organization guidelines, according to the most detailed map of dirty air to date... The map, produced by the non-profit group the Central Office of Public Interest (Copi) and Imperial College London, combined 20,000 measurements with computer modelling to produce pollution estimates every 20 metres across the country. People can check their address at the website addresspollution.org for free." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/28/dirty-air-affects-97-of-uk-homes-data-shows

"Pollution back at illegal levels on former zero-emissions street in London" Guardian "The ending of the UK’s first zero-emissions street scheme has led to a return to illegal pollution levels beside one of the country’s biggest cultural centres...Louise Mittal [School of Public Health], of the Environmental Research Group at Imperial College London and a co-author of the report, said: 'We found that there was a drop in NO2 concentrations when the zero-emissions street was in place. It went down more than other sites in London, then it went back up again when the street was removed'." https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/28/pollution-back-at-levels-on-former-zero-emissions-street-in-london

"London Pollution Worse Than Beijing as Mayor Extends Alert" Bloomberg - "With a lack of wind to blow emissions away, residents of the British capital are saying the air is so bad you can taste it...While pollution normally rolls into London from central and southern Europe at this time of the year, there’s currently a lack of wind to blow emissions out of the city, according to Andrew Grieve [School of Public Health], senior air quality analyst at Imperial College London’s Environmental Research Group." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-25/london-pollution-worse-than-beijing-as-mayor-extends-alert

"High air pollution warning issued for London" BBC News - "A high air pollution warning has been issued for London for the first time since August 2020, City Hall has said. The Mayor of London warned that the capital is "importing pollution from the continent" alongside a build-up of local emissions. An Imperial College London forecast said the capital would see a "further sustained import of particles" on Wednesday." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-60842537

"Does the air pollution on the London Underground harm your health?" BBC Science Focus - "On any given weekday, the London Underground sees up to five million passengers hopping on and off its network. Its 11 lines serve 272 stations, and at peak times there can be over 500 trains hurtling around beneath the streets of London... But how fresh is the air that you’re breathing on the tube? 'The air, even before it gets to the Underground, isn’t perfectly clean.' explained Dr David Green, senior research fellow at MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London and a member of the UK’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP). Green is also part of a group commissioned by TfL to regularly assess the COVID-19 risk on the Underground. 'The urban background air already has a low level of particulate matter, but on top of that you have all these extra emissions (coming from the tube).'" https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/london-underground-air-pollution/

"What London’s new clean air plan means for lungs and pockets" Evening Standard - Dr Gary Fuller [School of Public Health] talks about the impact of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and discusses the increase in toxic air post COVID as commuters return to work. https://podfollow.com/the-leader/episode/71a18484966822d5ec5716455d822ee870fb9e47/view

Cleaner air would help 150,000 breathe easier The Times reports on a new Imperial study showing that the number of people with respiratory diseases would fall by 150,000 a year by 2030 if the government delivered on promises to improve air quality. "We understand the sources of air pollution that must be targeted and we have the technologies to reduce emissions to low levels or to eliminate them," said Professor Frank Kelly. "By grasping this capability now, the government can improve our air quality and the health of people of all ages."

Housing and schools should not be built in air pollution hotspots, expert warns London News Online reports on a meeting of the London Assembly environment committee in which experts advised them that new schools and affordable housing targeted at young families should not be built in areas of London that are 'known pollution hotspots'. Imperial’s Dr Ian Mudway warned that the long-term health risks associated with toxic air pollution should force local authorities to reconsider where they build schools and houses. "We should absolutely not be building new schools, or cheap and affordable housing for young families, in areas which are known pollution hotspots within our city," he said.

Just 0.1% of idling drivers fined in central London, data reveals" Guardian - "Just one in every 1,000 drivers reported for unnecessary idling of their engines were fined in central London, data has revealed. Toxic air pollution kills about 4,000 people every year in the capital and councils have targeted parked drivers who do not turn off their vehicles...Dr Gary Fuller [School of Public Health], an air pollution expert at Imperial College London, said: 'Many councils boast to me about their anti-idling work. This effort seems out of proportion to the knowledge base. Most evidence is more than a decade old, with little evidence on the emissions from modern vehicles with the latest exhaust technologies. I’m not saying that idling is OK – far from it. But I worry that it becomes a politically acceptable diversion that reduces the pressure to take action on the far greater air pollution from the vehicles that are moving.' https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/mar/08/idling-drivers-fined-central-london-toxic-air-pollution

"Cleaner air would help 150,000 breathe easier" The Times - "The number of people with respiratory diseases would fall by 150,000 a year by 2030 if the government delivered on promises to improve air quality, a study has found... The study by Imperial College London calculated the health benefits that would result if the government implemented proposed policies by 2030... Professor Frank Kelly

Driving: More 50mph zones on the way for Welsh roads? New zones with driving speeds limited to 50 miles per hour (mph) could be introduced on two more sections of Welsh roads to tackle pollution, reports BBC News. The Welsh government wants to reduce levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a by-product of burning fuel that has been linked to health issues. According to Imperial's Professor Frank Kelly, reaching the lower target of just 10 micrograms of NO2 will be: "really, really, difficult... simply because we have so many diesel vehicles in our fleet, not only in the UK but in Europe". He also highlighted that exhausts are not the only source of pollution from cars, because there is also concern about the potential harm to health from wear and tear on tyres.

Air pollution in London contributes to over 1,700 hospital admissions for asthma (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/234356/air-pollution-london-contributes-over-1700/)

Londoners could be PAID to walk or cycle as a replacement for ULEZ driving charge Dr Ian Mudway from the Environmental Research Group, Imperial College London comments on smart charging scheme.

WHO air quality safety targets achievable across most of the UK by 2030 (https://www.imperial.ac.uk/school-public-health/environmental-research-group/research/modelling/pathway-to-who/)