A retired City worker with emphysema today said air pollution has made parts of London “no-go areas” for her.
Joan McCarthy, 70, relies on daily emails on air quality from scientists at King’s College London to plan her day.
If the pollution level in a neighbourhood is rated anything above “low”, she is advised to avoid it.
“There are some parts of London, like Oxford Street and Euston Road, that are no-go areas,” she said.
“I physically struggle to breathe in those places.”
She stays away from the Tube and predominantly walks down side streets to escape traffic fumes on busier roads.
The grandmother of three also told how she checks pollution levels before leaving her Hampstead home.
Her shortness of breath was originally diagnosed as asthma, but further tests revealed she had been suffering from emphysema for more than a decade.
The condition is triggered by high air pollution, causing coughing fits which leave her unable to move.
After working in the City for 20 years as an administrator for a pub company, she found that following her retirement her condition improved due to avoiding the fumes of central London.
Ms McCarthy said: “I thought it was just me and I was being stupid, but when I was told to try to get 20 to 30 feet away from traffic I did and it really makes a difference.
“Pollution has an effect — you can’t see it and you can’t taste it so you have to feel it doing damage.”
She urged politicians to tackle filthy air “whether it means a massive congestion charge, a ban on vehicles at certain times, or making them greener”.
She now helps run a support group for the British Lung Foundation called Breathe Easy.
Its chief executive Dr Penny Woods said: “Poor air quality means parts of the city are no-go areas for Joan and many others with lung disease.”
Last month, a report by think tank Policy Exchange, based on research by KCL, claimed millions of Londoners could live at least a month longer if a series of air-pollution-busting measures were introduced.
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