Air pollution falls as UK goes into coronavirus lockdown

Read our live coronavirus updates HERE Coronavirus: The symptoms
A small amount of traffic tracvels on the Blackwall Tunnell Southern Approach on the A102 road south east of London
AFP via Getty Images
Rebecca Speare-Cole24 March 2020

Air pollution in UK cities is falling as the country goes into coronavirus lockdown, experts have said.

The decrease in pollutants mirrors what has happened in other parts of the world as the global battle against Covid-19 continues.

Satellite images have already revealed dramatic reductions in concentrations of pollutant nitrogen dioxide in China and northern Italy, coinciding with lockdowns to tackle the pandemic.

Now, as daily life grinds to a halt in the UK, air quality has started to improve alongside the sharp reduction in traffic that causes much of the pollution in cities.

Two animated images show the fluctuation of nitrogen dioxide emissions across Europe from January 2020 until March 11, 2020
via REUTERS

But it is not yet clear what the health impacts of reductions in air pollution, which causes an estimated 40,000 early deaths in the UK each year, will be.

Air pollution is linked to health problems including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and disease, and respiratory diseases and infections, as well as stunting the growth of children's lungs.

Monitoring shows levels of key pollutants nitrogen dioxide, which comes primarily from vehicle exhausts, and fine particles known as PM2.5, are low across London.

The World on Coronavirus lockdown

1/45

Data from the London Air Quality Network, run by King's College London, shows drops in both pollutants compared with average levels, particularly at roadsides.

Professor Alastair Lewis, from the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of York, said: "Air quality has started to improve in many UK cities, mirroring what has been seen in other countries that have restricted travel and levels of outdoor activity.

"This is primarily a consequence of lower traffic volumes, and some of the most clear reductions have been in nitrogen dioxide, which comes primarily from vehicle exhaust.

A small amount of traffic travels on the Blackwall Tunnell Southern Approach on the A102 road south east of London
AFP via Getty Images

"However fine particles (PM2.5) have also reduced significantly. In London for example PM2.5 is noticeably lower than would be expected for this time of year at the roadside, and these reductions stretch through into the suburbs as well."

With no safe level of these pollutants, any improvement in air quality delivers health benefits, he said, though in the midst of a respiratory health crisis better air quality could only have a small, if positive, effect.

Prof William Collins, professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, said a large amount of the air pollution breathed in came from traffic.

A photograph of the M1 Motorway taken at 9:33am near Junction 44, the day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on people to stay away from pubs, clubs and theatres, work from home if possible and avoid all non-essential contacts and travel in order to reduce the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. PA Photo. Picture date: Tuesday March 17, 2020. See PA story HEALTH Coronavirus. Photo credit should read: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
PA

Levels of traffic pollution have plummeted with many countries in lockdown, while exposure to pollutants will also be reduced by people staying off the streets.

But he said: "It is too early to say whether these improvements will offset any of the mortality from Covid-19, or other health problems due to being confined indoors."

Anna Hansell, professor in environmental epidemiology at the University of Leicester, said air pollution would fall dramatically in line with travel restrictions and reduction in industrial emissions, as has already been seen in highly-polluted Wuhan, China, and northern Italy.

But she said: "Sadly we may not see reductions in air pollution translated into direct drops in mortality."

There would be an increase in the number of deaths due to Covid-19, as well as the impacts on financial hardship and stress, with poverty increasing the risk and severity of chronic diseases and death rates, she said.

There would also be adverse health impacts on isolation for elderly people, and the impact of restrictions on access to healthcare for other diseases.

But there should be reduced transmission of various infections as a result of social distancing, leading to reductions in deaths from disease such as non-Covid-19 pneumonia, which currently causes 25,000-30,000 deaths a year in England, she said.

Prof Hansell also said research was needed to see if pollution levels had contributed to coronavirus in Wuhan and northern Italy, either directly affecting infection rates or affecting severity by causing more heart and lung disease, which put people at greater risk of severe Covid-19 disease.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in