Surrey your air - Woking Borough Council

MI
LL
EN
NI
UM
RE
PO
SURREY
YOUR AIR
Prepared by the Surrey Chief Environmental Health Officers Group
and Surrey district and borough councils
RT
Surrey millennium
4
Air pollution across the
county
7
The problems – and
taking action
HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS YOU...
10
Living next to a
motorway. Constant
traffic, bad air?
11
Driving to work. How
much pollution do Surrey
commuters breathe?
12
Pollution indoors. Do you
escape pollution by
staying at home?
13
Incinerators are planned
in Surrey: what about
toxic emissions?
14
If you can ‘smell’ the
planes, does that mean
pollution is too high?
15
Overshadowed by
industry. Cause for
concern?
16
Outdoor activity: does
heavy exercise worsen
your pollution dose?
2
17
In the city. Dirty
windowsills, dirty lungs?
18
Near a quarry. Dust
clouds may annoy but
they don’t threaten
health
19
In the garden, Nice
garden, but shame about
the bonfire!
SURREY: YOUR AIR
air quality report
DOWN YOUR WAY...
AIR QUALITY IN YOUR AREA
20
Elmbridge
21
Epsom and Ewell
22
Guildford
23
Mole Valley
24
Reigate and Banstead
25
Runnymede
26
Spelthorne
27
Surrey Heath
28
Tandridge
29
Waverley
30
Woking
FINDING OUT MORE...
SURREY: YOUR AIR
31
Pollutants and their
health effects
34
Global warming,
petrol v.diesel
35
Further information
3
An at a glance guide to
AIRPORTS: Heathrow and Gatwick are
both outside of Surrey – but their air
emissions affect the county, particularly
Spelthorne, Mole Valley and Reigate &
Banstead. See page 14
MOTORWAYS: Surrey has the busiest
motorways in the country. But latest
research suggests that vehicle emissions
dissipate to background levels within
100m of the roadside. But traffic growth
could eventually overwhelm efforts to
clean up engines. See page 10
BUSY TOWN CENTRES:
Vehicle emissions can
build up in canyon-like
town centre streets, but
for the most part, there
isn’t sufficient town
centre traffic to create
dangerous levels of
pollution. See page 17
4
SURREY: YOUR AIR
emissions in the county
LONDON: London and its
suburbs provide a
concentration of emissions
from houses and vehicles.
Luckily for Surrey,
prevailing winds blow these
away from the county
GRAVEL WORKINGS: Surrey
has numerous sand and stone
workings. These create dust, but
effects are localised, and particles
so large as to be of minimal
health impact. See page 18
RURAL SURREY: Sadly
living remote from roads and
cities is no guarantee of clean
air – pollutants such as ozone
and particles can blow in
from as far as Europe to
cause summer and winter
smogs across the whole of
the south east. See page 29
SURREY: YOUR AIR
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Alternative fuel vehicles promise a
short term fix to air quality
problems. Gas and electric cars
are used by councils as examples
to others. See page 8
5
THE PROBLEM
Where
is the
bad air?
WELCOME TO THIS
millennium review of air
quality in Surrey boroughs
and districts. Find out what
you are breathing all day,
every day.
Are diesels dirty? Can I
light a bonfire? What about
fumes on the pavement? Is
commuting bad for my
health? Do factories leak
poisonous pollution? These
and other questions will be
answered in this report. We
hope you will be both
informed and reassured
about the air you breathe.
Pick up and browse this
introduction to air quality –
the subject can get very
complicated. We have tried
to provide an easy-to-read
overview for you to dip in
and dip out of. If you want
to find out more about the
chemistry, the law and the
detail, then we point you to
more detailed sources at
the back.
6
THOSE HOTSPOTS WE’RE
These are the polluters that we
most worry about:
● Heathrow and Gatwick
airports. Too many aircraft and
vehicles creating pollution
● Main roads: Vast swathes of
Surrey are affected by traffic
emissions
These are the places we are most
worried about:
● Spelthorne, especially near
Heathrow Airport
● Horley, downwind of Gatwick
Airport
● Houses near the M3, M25 and
M23.
Detailed
modelling of
Horley shows
the spread of
pollution –
coloured in
red – from
Gatwick
But just because we are concerned,
that does not mean air in these
places is dangerous, nor does it
mean air elsewhere is necessarily
clean. Find out where, why and how
within this report.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Taking action..
WORRIED ABOUT
A LOOK AT THE AIR QUALITY map
of Surrey will reveal that more than
anything else, it is excess traffic that is
causing most pollution. Even Gatwick
and Heathrow airports – that are
prompting air quality management
areas – are problems more because of
road traffic than their aeroplanes.
Pointing the blame at the car is easy
– finding solutions to the problem is
less easy. Surrey residents have enjoyed
perhaps the highest level of car
ownership and use in the UK and are
not readily about to abandon their carbased lifestyles that enable such
versatile work and social lives.
With pollution so closely related to
congestion, the answer to improving air
quality is inextricably linked with
reducing traffic. Ten years ago there
was a belief that road building would
be the answer to reducing congestion.
But once the planners unveiled their
vision of a 14-lane M25, residents
began to realise that the environmental
impact might be too much. Even traffic
planners pointed out that such a road
might well be free flowing but it would
be impossible to access it as feeder
roads would be clogged up. A
compromise was agreed and widening
to dual four lanes went ahead. Now the
M25 between junctions 12 and 14 is
due to be widened to dual five lanes
and to four lanes between junction 1415. Together with the expected consent
for Heathrow’s fifth terminal, extra
traffic is inevitable. But where can it
go?
While it may not seem like it,
Surrey’s roads – including the M25 –
are free flowing for most of the day,
most days of the week. The continued
growth in vehicle traffic means that
congestion will spread across the
network, and across the day. Cleaner
engines will compensate for some of
that growth – but not all. Something
else must be done, and it will involve
everyone doing their bit.
These pages explain who is doing
what to clean up the air.
ACTION FROM THE GOVERNMENT
WITH INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTING SO LITTLE TO SURREY’S AIR quality
problems, any action to reduce pollution across the eleven boroughs and districts
must focus on reducing the impact of vehicle emissions and traffic growth. They
may even have to cut traffic levels.
Reducing pollution from new vehicles is achieved at European level by a series
of directives that force vehicle makers and importers to comply with staged
pollution limits. In this way cars today are ten times cleaner than cars sold ten
years ago.
Today’s petrol cars are so clean that there is little left to clean up, and future
improvements are unlikely to make up for traffic growth. So the Government is
aware that it must encourage fewer car and truck trips.
It can subsidise rail freight facilities – but relatively little congestion is caused
by trucks. Better and cheaper trains and buses is an obvious solution – but few
will voluntarily switch to public transport in a rural area such as Surrey, unless
they are heading for London.
Making car journeys more expensive could tip the balance towards public
transport – but increased fuel taxes are not popular – and surveys suggest that
many drivers will not be priced off the road. For them, despite the congestion, the
car is simply too convenient.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
7
TAKING ACTION
ACTION FROM
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
WHILE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT HAS the
ability to discourage drivers through higher fuel
taxes, these were so unpopular that fuel duty is
now being left alone. Local authorities are in a
much better position to carry out small but
significant initiatives, although do not have
much money to fund such programmes.
Local authorities have pedestrianised high
streets such as Redhill and Staines which help
air quality. They have introduced higher parking
charges in areas such as Guildford in a bid to
discourage commuter parking, and have also
introduced a park and ride scheme and free
town centre shuttle bus. They have improved
walking and cycling facilities in places such as
Woking to encourage a switch to these less
polluting forms of transport, as well as
subsidising local bus routes to offer an
alternative to the car.
Councils such as Surrey Heath have invested
in electric or gas powered cars to set an
example to others to ‘do their bit’. And as a few
‘gross polluters’ in badly maintained cars can
have a disproportionate effect on air quality,
some local authorities can test vehicles to
ensure they have clean emissions. Air quality
monitoring stations can assess the effects of
such policies on the actual air we breathe.
And they can fund ‘travelwise’ initiatives to
explain to the public why they should think
green and leave their car at home. Through
planning controls, councils can require new
businesses to introduce green travel plans and
reduce car use.
ACTION FROM INDUSTRY
Modern,
efficient
public
transport
may not be
enough to
get drivers
out of their
cars
Polluting
industry
(left) in
Surrey is now
a thing of the
past
8
SURREY IS ONE OF THE LEAST
industrialised counties in the country – just a
handful of factories remain open, producing
negligible emissions.
Mole Valley has more than its fair share of
industrial chimneys, other boroughs have
crematoria and other processes that have the
potential to create pollution. In the event, the
Environment Agency sets emission limits for
these processes, which industry must meet, or
be closed down. Smaller industrial processes –
for instance vehicle paint resprayers – produce
emissions than can be annoying for their
neighbours. Local authorities regulate these to
ensure that health effects and odour nuisance is
kept to a minimum.
New national legislation is being introduced
to ensure that industry strives not just to keep
their local environment clean – the climate
change levy means they must cut their global
warming emissions too.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
ACTION FROM YOU
Less travel, less pollution
IT IS EASY TO ASSUME THAT YOURS is
the most important journey. Whether you are a
commuter, a school run mum, a shopper or
simply on a leisure trip, your journey is
important to you otherwise you wouldn’t be
making it – and it is very easy to think of
solutions that involve other people getting out of
their cars to make way for you!
The reality is that everyone must do their bit
– cutting out a few journeys here, walking a bit
there, sharing a car here, walking to school, all
these will reduce the frightening growth that
threatens to swamp our local roads.
You can make a real difference by constantly
thinking before emitting. Choose the smallest,
most efficient car that is suitable for you needs.
Try to avoid driving unnecessarily fast, or
accelerating fiercely. Plan your journey to miss
peak times. You will save yourself time, fuel and
emissions, and avoid worsening the congestion.
And it will also be less stressful.
Keep your car tuned, it will save money and
cut excessively high emissions. Instead of taking
your car out time and time again, why not link
your journeys together so that you do many
things at once. And if you can, share your car –
or get a lift with someone else. No one expects
drivers to give up their cars or walk ridiculously
long distances – but it will help to use them a
little less.
Cycling and walking:
better for your health
CLEARLY CYCLING AND WALKING DO
not pollute the environment, and the exercise is
good for your health. One in five car trips are
short enough to walk or cycle, and if those trips
SURREY: YOUR AIR
were removed from the roads, excess pollution
would vanish. Witness the distinct drop in
congestion during the school holidays when
there are more people on holiday, and fewer
school runs!
Less waste:
less incineration
If everyone
does a little,
emissions
will be cut by
a lot.
Recycling,
car sharing,
walking,
cycling and
using public
transport will
cut emissions
enough to
make our
towns and
cities more
healthy
THE PROPOSED INCINERATORS at Redhill
(Copyhold), Dorking (Capel) and Guildford
(Slyfield Industrial Estate) have raised the
profile of waste disposal across the county.
Ask most residents about their waste, and
their usual reaction is that they don’t care what
happens to it – provided it doesn’t happen near
them. Other counties are unlikely to accept our
waste, and if numerous incinerators are to be
avoided, residents must help reduce their waste
pile by recycling, composting and actively
choosing products with less packaging.
Indoors....
DON’T FORGET THAT WE SPEND MOST
of our time indoors and most of our exposure
can be from indoor pollutants. Some we can’t
avoid, such as the fumes from new furniture
and carpets. Others are more easy to reduce,
paint odour can be reduced with low odour
water based replacements.
Fumes from tobacco smoke and even frying
food on cookers can produce huge amounts of
pollutants – an open window or extractor fan
can cut exposure to a minimum.
9
HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS YOU
Living next to a motorway
The problem
Across the South East, it is
excess traffic that is causing
air quality problems. There are
few Surrey boroughs not
touched by busy trunk roads
and motorways such as the
M25, M3, M23, A3 or A30
and some sections of these
roads are uncomfortably close
to homes. There are many
‘local’ roads feeding these
huge traffic arteries that carry
as much traffic as some of the
trunk roads themselves.
Where traffic is free
flowing on these roads,
provided volumes are not
excessive, then emissions from
vehicles are generally
dispersed before they become
a problem. Very few houses in
Surrey are less than 50m from
the motorway verge where
pollutants can be concentrated.
But where there is
congestion on motorways,
there can be a disproportionate
rise in emissions, and the zone
10
of influence of the motorway
could be extended.
What can the
authorities do?
Traffic using motorways and
trunk roads is the
responsibility of central
Government which manages
those roads through the
Highways Agency. Much of
the traffic using the motorway
is long distance – traffic
heading for the ports, for
instance. But the real peak
time congestion is caused by
local commuter traffic.
Central Government can try
to discourage such journeys by
raising fuel prices and
improving public transport in a
bid to provide the ‘stick and
carrot’ to encourage drivers off
the road. But this is unpopular.
Surrey boroughs have no
control over long distance
traffic, but have some
influence on traffic heading for
Surrey’s employment and
A familiar site
in the South
East – here
the M3 is
uncomfortably
close to these
houses near
Farnborough
shopping centres. Here,
parking controls, traffic
calming, improved walking
and cycling facilities, better
local transport and park and
ride schemes will persuade
some to make fewer car trips.
Where houses are simply
too close to traffic – as is the
case with 50 houses in Reigate
and Banstead, for instance –
these houses are declared air
quality management areas in a
bid to focus attention on the
problem.
What can
you do?
No one expects residents to
stop using their cars, but
maybe some trips can be
avoided by car sharing, using
public transport, walking or
cycling. Pollution is at its
worst in stop-start motorway
traffic, so timing journeys to
avoid congestion will improve
emissions. And of course, keep
your car tuned.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Driving to work
The problem
Surrey’s motorways are
notoriously busy – and much
of this traffic is heading for
town centres in the county.
Larger centres such as
Guildford, Staines, Woking
and Epsom have notorious
peak hour traffic problems. But
smaller centres such as
Reigate, Dorking, Farnham
and Leatherhead also suffer
congestion.
While traffic volumes are
far less than those on the
motorways, the urban nature of
these centres means that the
traffic is stationary for much of
the time, and stop-start traffic
is at its most inefficient,
creating excess polluting
emissions.
This effect is worsened
because the pollution can be
trapped within street
‘canyons’, and there are many
people living – sometimes
literally – on the doorstep of
these choked-up roads. Those
residents breathe the poor air
for most of the day.
discourage car traffic,
including pedestrianisation,
traffic calming and parking
controls. They can encourage
bus and train travel through
subsidies and better facilities,
as well as providing cycle
lanes and a safer, more
pleasant walking environment.
What can
you do?
Is your journey really
necessary? Without thinking
about it, you probably already
ask yourself this question
when you know the town is
Cars are very
convenient,
but not in
large
numbers on
your doorstep
congested, and you probably
decide to re-time your journey.
This spreads out the emissions,
and can help a little. Also ask
yourself whether you can make
use of public transport, or walk
or cycle. Keeping your car
tuned is very important, as one
‘gross polluter’ can produce 20
times more pollution than a
well tuned car, and those
fumes hang around in the very
streets others are living, and
you want to visit.
Otherwise smoother
acceleration, reduced engine
revving and keeping to speed
limits will help.
What can the
authorities do?
Local authorities are being
given an increasing range of
powers to tackle excess traffic,
and are being actively
encouraged to seek solutions to
poor air quality in town
centres.
For those that declare air
quality management areas, the
council will be able to set up
roadside testing to catch those
vehicles that are badly tuned
and emitting dangerous
quantities of pollutants.
Councils can use a range of
transport measures to
SURREY: YOUR AIR
11
HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS YOU
and cleaning chemicals. New
homes are subject to building
regulations that ensure a
minimum standard of
ventilation.
Pollution indoors
The problem
For those with breathing
difficulties, it is easy to assume
that the problem is caused by
‘someone else’, whether it be
other drivers, industry or even
neighbouring countries.
Most people spend the vast
majority of their time indoors
in their own home, and as such
most of their exposure to
pollutants takes place in the
home. While it is true that
outdoor pollution does find its
way inside, particularly with
the windows open, the vast
majority of indoor pollution
comes from sources such as
cookers, heaters, smoking,
furniture and activities such as
dusting and vacuuming.
Particles in the dust, and gases
from cooking, can have the
same effect – or worse – than
12
outdoor pollution.
And tobacco smoke
contains cancerous compounds
such as benzene and 1,3
butadiene that can cause
cancer and leukaemia.
What can the
authorities do?
Your home is your castle, and
air quality regulations that
control outdoor air do not
stretch to inside your home.
You really can do what you
like inside your home in terms
of air quality, and that’s the
way most people want it to
stay.
But there are things the
authorities can do to help, such
as ensuring fumes from new
furniture are not excessive, and
controlling volatile emissions
from substances such as paints
Day to day
activities
such as
vacuuming,
cooking and
smoking will
worsen
indoor
pollution
What can
you do?
Clearly smoking within the
home creates a massive burden
of pollution, and the health
impacts on those who share
your home are well known.
If you must smoke in the
home, adequate ventilation
will reduce the effects
slightly.
Ventilation is also essential
for those using gas cookers
and heating. Immediate
dangers from using gas
appliances are well known –
carbon monoxide is a
suffocating gas. But the longer
term effect of gases and
particles from internal gas
burning can have cumulative
effects.
Making a conscious
decision to buy low odour
paints, and using volatile
solvents and cleaners as little
as possible will help. For
instance leaving brushes in
pots of white spirit inside the
house is unnecessary.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Downwind from
an incinerator
The problem
With three incinerators planned
in Surrey, there is much
concern about any possible
health impacts from local
plants.
Increasing amounts of
rubbish generated by Surrey
residents, and pressure to
reduce the amount of rubbish
buried in the ground means
that waste authorities must find
more sustainable ways to deal
with rubbish.
Burying domestic rubbish –
landfill – is therefore being
phased out and this will reduce
adverse health impacts from
landfill emissions that some
believe cause birth defects.
When rubbish is buried, it
produces many gases as it
decomposes, mostly these are
global warming gases such as
methane, but there are also
SURREY: YOUR AIR
contaminants such as heavy
metals mixed up in the fumes.
Even if these are collected and
burnt off, fears remain that the
gases are harmful.
If landfill is to be reduced,
rubbish has to go somewhere.
Some can be recycled – Surrey
districts achieve 17%, more
than the 11% national average,
and this must increase – by
law. But the realistic maximum
recycling rate achievable is
50%, leaving 50% of the
rubbish stream requiring
disposal.
Incinerators are designed to
reduce the volume of this
remaining rubbish, and recover
energy by burning it. But any
industrial process has its risks,
and incinerator emissions
contain the usual fumes that
can be expected from any
burning activity – including
toxic substances such a dioxins
(although special treatment
plant will remove most).
What can the
authorities do?
Incinerators
– like this
one in south
east London
– will be
unwelcome
neighbours in
Surrey
Every attempt will be made to
avoid incineration, mostly
through recycling. Councils
have a responsibility to make it
easy for the public to recycle,
and to correctly sort the waste
stream to recycle materials.
Central government can play
its role by setting tough
recycling targets, and making
laws to cut down excess
packaging.
But some incineration will
be necessary. Your local
borough will fight to ensure
that incinerators are not built
in unsuitable locations. Central
Government has set extremely
tight limits that will minimise
emissions, and the
Environment Agency will
enforce those limits firmly and
transparently.
What can
you do?
Waste is not someone else’s
problem. We all create rubbish,
and we all have a
responsibility to do our bit to
ensure it is dealt with in the
best way possible.
The obvious minimum is
that householders should use
bottle banks and doorstep
recycling collections where
provided. Garden waste can be
composted in your garden – or
at local recycling depots,
avoiding the need to burn or
landfill unnecessary volumes.
In the longer term, if
consumers made a conscious
decision to choose products
with less packaging,
manufacturers would take the
hint that unnecessary
packaging is bad for their sales
as well as the environment.
13
HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS YOU
Neighbouring an airport
The problem
While there are no major
international airports in Surrey,
three boroughs – Spelthorne,
Mole Valley and Reigate &
Banstead – find themselves
close to Heathrow and
Gatwick.
Traffic serving the airport –
and to a lesser extent the
planes themselves – converge
on a relatively small area and
inevitably create a pollution
hotspot. While the continued
improvement in car technology
will mitigate road traffic
growth, the expected long term
growth in air travel will
increase flight numbers and
emissions. At present there is
little prospect that improving
14
aircraft technology can help in
reducing engine emissions to
compensate for this volume
increase.
What can the
authorities do?
Air travel is by its very nature
an international business. It is
regulated at international rather
than local level and as such
even the UK Government has
very little control over issues
such as aviation fuel taxation
and flight movement limits.
International agreement on
curbing air traffic is unlikely.
Local authorities have no
control at all over the air
traffic – but can influence
traffic serving the airport, and
Overflown in
Reigate and
Banstead
(top).
Emissions
from aircraft,
and cars, can
cause
problems
try to ensure that public
transport use is maximised.
Coupled with improvements in
road vehicle engine
technology, this will reduce
emissions from passengers
driving to the airport.
What can
you do?
Few residents will be prepared
to forgo their foreign holidays
to improve air quality. But you
can do your bit by using public
transport to arrive at the
airport.
But be aware that there is a
growing recognition that ticket
prices must rise to reflect the
full environmental cost of air
travel.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Next door
to industry
The problem
Surrey is a rural county for one
so close to London, and there
are few industrial processes of
note, barely a dozen are large
enough to be regulated by the
Environment Agency.
Potentially polluting
processes that are in the county
include brickworks, crematoria
and paint shops. These are
relatively clean compared to
heavy processes in industrial
areas elsewhere.
But even small processes
can, if poorly managed, have
an impact on local air
quality, and emissions such as
dust and combustion fumes
will cause a nuisance and
possible health hazard if not
SURREY: YOUR AIR
properly monitored and
controlled.
What can the
authorities do?
Industry is regulated by both
local authorities and the
Environment Agency, and a
measure of their impact on
industry is that many older,
dirtier processes have chosen
to close down rather than
comply with tighter emission
rules. Such rules, and tight
enforcement of those rules,
have directly benefited
Surrey’s air quality.
For those processes that
remain, both the Environment
Agency and local authorities
are required to retain tight
control. This can include
monitoring of emissions from
tall chimney stacks, and
ensuring that odours and
emissions from small car
respraying businesses are
controlled effectively.
Central Government, and
Europe, is continually studying
impacts of many everyday
industrial processes, and it is
inevitable that new laws will
drive down emissions still
further over the coming years.
What can
you do?
Perhaps of all the air quality
impacts, industrial emissions is
the one where the public really
can blame someone else, and
leave the solutions for
someone else to implement.
Should you live near industry,
Surrey is
predominantly regulators will always
welcome reports of emission
rural – but
‘spikes’ from nearby facilities,
what if you
and will use those reports to
live near this
Capel factory? reduce future releases.
15
HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS YOU
The great outdoors
The problem
There is a dilemma for many
of those who contemplate sport
and outdoor activities: is the
pollution so bad that the
additional pollutants breathed
in during exercise might
damage the lungs and
counteract any health benefits
in taking the exercise?
Cycling and walking in
town centres is of particular
concern here, as these groups
are using pavements that are
on or next to busy main roads.
Such main roads, which are
frequently congested, tend to
harbour pollutants such as
nitrogen dioxide and particles,
and in summer, ground level
ozone might also be present.
Such pollutants are known to
cause ill health.
What can the
authorities do?
With traffic as the main source
of pollution, ways of reducing
traffic have been dealt with
elsewhere in this publication.
Local authorities can help by
segregating walkers and
cyclists from traffic – perhaps
with plants and fences – but
Surrey town centres usually do
not have sufficient space for
such segregation.
National government can
continue to sponsor research
into the very complex
interactions between the
pollutants involved and health
effects, and make available its
evidence on why outdoor
exercise remains good for you.
What can
you do?
The best advice is that
pollution drops off quickly
16
If air quality
is so bad, is
outdoor
activity a
good idea?
away from the road centreline,
and exposure on the footpath is
considerably less than that of
drivers in the carriageway.
Even cyclists, who ride at the
edge of the road and breathe
air at a higher level than most
car exhausts, escape the worst
of the fumes.
There is absolute certainty
that for normal healthy
individuals, the health benefits
of regular outdoor exercise
easily outweigh the
disadvantages of increased
exposure to outdoor pollutants.
For your own health, and the
health of those round you,
continue to exercise outdoors,
preferably replacing car trips.
If you have a choice, clearly
it is more pleasant to exercise
away from busy roads. For
those that are susceptible to
pollution, keep an eye on
pollution forecasts and avoid
heavy exercise during smog
alerts.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Living in the town
The problem
Urban dwellers are well aware
that the air they breathe is not
perfectly clean – they only
need to run their fingers along
their window sills to see the
deposited grime.
Traffic creates large
amounts of pollution, both
directly from exhausts, as well
as indirectly through road dust
whipped up by the wind and
passing traffic.
This road dust can contain
brake dust, tyre dust and traces
of metals found in engines as
well as sands and dusts that
occur naturally.
Researchers have studied
whether such pollution causes
health effects, and the
consensus is that there is a
small but significant risk from
breathing in such pollutants.
What can the
authorities do?
Town
dwellers
share their
lives with
cars and
trucks
Cutting traffic levels is now at
the heart of local authority
policy, and cutting emissions
from vehicles a priority for
manufacturers and legislators.
Local authorities monitor
air in towns and cities using
sophisticated monitoring
stations and numerous small
tubes that collect the air
samples. Laws have been
introduced that require
authorities to consider the
results of this monitoring, and
if there is any doubt, carry out
modelling to see what will
happen in the future. Where
they find that pollution might
exceed safe limits, they are
required to declare an air
quality management area. Such
a designation is recognition
that the air needs to be
improved, and also enables the
council to implement air
quality initiatives. These can
include reducing or removing
traffic from the worst areas,
perhaps by pedestrianisation or
building a bypass.
What can
you do?
Reduced car use will of course
help improve air quality, but
city dwellers will find that
closing windows during
periods of poor air quality will
keep a large proportion of the
fumes away. But it has to be
emphasised that there are very
few streets in Surrey where air
quality should cause
immediate concern to town
dwellers.
Bonfires can cause
problems for neighbours, so
check the advice on page 19.
And of course use smokeless
fuel in the fireplace.
HOW POLLUTION AFFECTS YOU
Near a quarry
The problem
Dust from gravel workings,
landfill sites and concrete
batching plants can be a
nuisance, although rarely a
health hazard.
Whenever sands, gravels
and rock are processed, there
is inevitably dust. While such
dust is ‘natural’ and present in
the air across the UK, there
can be noticeably raised
concentrations near the
facilities themselves. The
effect of such concentrations
are usually that of nuisance –
soiled washing, dirty window
sills and cars, and at worst
visual intrusion. But the
particles are usually so large
that they are intercepted by
18
special wheel washers, and if
the quarry processing plant
burns heavy fuels to dry the
sand or gravel, then emissions
from those processes are
controlled.
your lung defences long before
they cause a health problem.
What can
you do?
What can the
authorities do?
Mineral workings such as
gravel pits and sand quarries
are closely controlled by
authorities, and their operating
licences stipulate the type and
condition of access roads that
need to be used.
There are many ways of
keeping dust to a minimum.
The most popular is to ensure
that the materials themselves,
and haul roads, are kept moist
in times of dry weather so they
are not blown about. Trucks
leaving the facilities should be
sheeted and cleaned with
Unsightly
gravel
workings can
produce
unwanted
dust
Emissions from gravel
processes are more of a
nuisance than a health hazard,
but for anyone downwind of a
dusty facility, that nuisance can
be significant, especially in dry
weather.
When prolonged dry
periods are forecast and there
is wind, closing windows can
help reduce the nuisance. And
where operators neglect to
carry out procedures to
minimise dust, then authorities
must be informed to allow
them to act.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Bonfires
The problem
Domestic bonfires, and living
room fires, can have a far
larger effect on local air
quality than many might
imagine. One large bonfire on
a still, calm day can envelop
entire neighbourhoods in
smoke that can have
potentially serious adverse
health effects.
The pollutants that cause
most public concern tend to be
dioxins and complicated PAH
gases. Uncontrolled burning –
even of ‘natural’ garden waste,
can produce large amounts of
dangerous gases – creating far
more exposure than council
waste incinerators that we hear
so much about.
Burning of creosote-treated
timber, plastics and rubber can
have immediate and dangerous
health impacts for those
breathing the smoke.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
What can the
authorities do?
Businesses are generally aware
that burning rubbish and
emitting dark smoke is not
allowed – they risk heavy fines
for doing so.
Contrary to popular belief,
householders are allowed to
have a ‘reasonable’ size garden
bonfire.
But when householders
have too many bonfires, or a
bonfire is so smokey as to
constitute a nuisance, then
environmental health officers
are there to enforce nuisance
laws and can order a fire to be
put out by legal notice and
prosecution.
Domestic
bonfires have
far more
impact than
many
imagine
What can
you do?
It is always preferable to
compost rubbish rather than
burn it – or take it to the local
tip.
If you must have a bonfire,
there are codes of practice (see
page 35 for details) that outline
how you can minimise
impacts. Burning dry wood
reduces smoke – but burning
wet leaves, or grass cuttings
produces large amounts of
smoke and even dioxins, it is
much better to compost these
materials.
And choose the timing of
the bonfire carefully – perhaps
with reference to weather
forecasts or air quality
warnings in the media.
Never have bonfires in
times of poor air quality, which
typically occur on still summer
evenings or winter days. So
choose a breezy day,
preferably not at the weekend,
but ensure the wind is not
blowing smoke directly into
another house.
19
DOWN YOUR WAY
ELMBRIDGE
THE BOROUGH OF
Elmbridge brings together the
14 communities of Claygate,
Cobham, Long and Thames
Ditton, Esher, Hersham,
Hinchley Wood, East and West
Molesey, Oatlands, Oxshott,
Stoke D’Abernon, Walton-onThames and Weybridge,
together with extensive areas
of riverside, commons and
countryside between them.
The Borough is bordered by
the River Thames to the north,
the M25 to the south, the River
Wey to the west and Kingstonupon-Thames to the east.
There are few industrial
sources of pollution in the
Borough – just a few small
industrial units are located in
Molesey, Hersham, and
Weybridge with other small
retail/industrial units scattered
throughout the borough, with
an increasing number at
Brooklands. Generally these
are not significant sources of
Elmbridge has
very little
polluting
industry.
However,
areas with
greater
concentrations
of commercial
and retail
premises –
such as
Brooklands –
will show
higher than
average levels
of trafficrelated
pollution, due
to more
vehicle access
20
Cobham is
typical of the
many
suburban
communities
that can be
found in
Surrey.
Traffic can
build up at
times, but by
and large
pollution is
low
atmospheric pollution.
This leaves traffic
as the main sources of
air pollution,
particularly from the
M25, A3, Esher High
Street and Hampton
Court Way. While
some pollution might be high
at the roadside, levels quickly
subside moving away from the
road. The council has reviewed
any properties within 50m of
busy roads – and found
pollution to be within limits.
The Borough has an automatic
air quality monitoring station
located at Bell Farm Junior
School in Hersham – the
resulting data is available on
the Council’s free Air
Pollution Information Line,
0800 389 3185. Readings from
this station and numerous
smaller tube recorders confirm
Elmbridge’s air is generally
clean.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
EPSOM & EWELL IS THE
most built up borough in
Surrey, reflecting its position
on the periphery of Greater
London conurbation. Although
the borough contains areas of
dense suburbia, it also includes
huge open spaces such as
Epsom Downs, a well known
beauty spot.
While the borough is one of
the few in Surrey without a
busy motorway, the M25 still
makes its presence felt with
feeder traffic heading into
London on the A24 and A240,
where congestion is common
inevitably causing emissions.
With so many properties
EPSOM & EWELL
Epsom town
centre – the
focus for a
borough
sitting
between
sprawling
London and
Surrey’s rural
heartland.
Busy town
centres bring
with them
the usual
problems –
especially
juggling
traffic and
pedestrians
situated close to these busy
roads, these emissions deserve
closer scrutiny.
The borough has monitored
existing air pollution along
these roads, and modelled it
five years into the future to see
if it will improve or worsen.
Monitoring suggests that
current air quality is above
limits some distance away
from the main roads.
But modelling into the
future shows that improving
vehicle technology will reduce
this pollution leaving only the
land within five metres of busy
roads at risk. The worst
affected areas fall on the A240
between Beggars Roundabout
and The Organ Crossroads.
But luckily there are no
schools, hospitals or houses
within five metres of the
roadside, and thus nobody is
dangerously exposed.
A general lack of industry,
lack of proximity to airports
and other polluters mean there
are few other causes of
concern in the borough.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
21
DOWN YOUR WAY
The busy A3
trunk road
cuts right
through the
heart of
Guildford, and
passes just
yards from
many homes.
The council is
monitoring air
quality at
these sites
but subject to
continued
monitoring, it
appears
houses are
sufficiently far
away to avoid
the worst of
the fumes
GUILDFORD
TRAFFIC FUMES HAVE
traditionally been of most
concern to Guildford residents.
There is little industry in the
borough, airports are some
way away, leaving just the
busy A3, A331 and Guildford
Town Centre to cause concern,
although the very busy
junction 10 of the M25
dominates the northern
gateway.
Much of the city centre has
been pedestrianised – and
removal of heavy traffic has
improved air quality in the
narrow urban streets where
pollutants can so easily collect.
But it is perhaps the dual
carriageway A3, which takes
both commuter traffic and
longer distance traffic heading
for the South Coast, that has
been the focus of borough
Guildford is
Surrey’s
largest town,
and attracts
many
shoppers and
workers,
most of
whom come
in their car
causing some
congestion
council attention. There are
many houses near the road, in
some cases just 20-30m away
from the verge. With so many
heavy trucks and cars, hills
and congestion, surely
pollution must be dangerous?
Monitoring suggests not,
but results approach the
national air quality maximum.
The borough uses a portable
recording station, and pollution
levels do appear to tail off
relatively quickly across the
A3 verge.
More latterly, residents have
expressed concerns about the
proposed incinerator on the
Slyfield Road Industrial Estate.
Concern focuses on traffic and
emissions.
All industrial processes
create emissions, and the
incinerator will be no different,
but if the incinerator goes
ahead, emissions must be kept
to the barest minimum.
See incineration, page 13
22
SURREY: YOUR AIR
MOLE VALLEY
MOLE VALLEY TAKES ITS
name from the River Mole
which cuts through the North
Downs heading towards the
River Thames. Some of the
most beautiful parts of the
North Downs, including Box
Hill and Surrey’s highest point,
Leith Hill, lie within the
borough.
The rural nature of the
borough means that there are
no serious air quality problems
that will force the council to
declare a statutory air quality
management area. That said,
there are still places where air
quality is poorer than might be
preferred – motorways, and in
the congested streets of
Dorking and Leatherhead.
In terms of emissions, the
M25 motorway is the major
source of air pollution carrying
140,000 vehicles per day from
east to west on eight lanes of
tarmac. Undoubtedly this
traffic produces a considerable
amount of pollution, especially
nitrogen dioxide and particles,
SURREY: YOUR AIR
but there are very few
properties in Mole Valley close
enough to the motorway to be
affected.
There is of course less
traffic in the narrow streets of
the borough’s two largest
towns – Dorking and
Leatherhead. But what traffic
there is often sits in queues
that can create worse pollution
than free flowing traffic. This
pollution can be trapped in the
‘canyons’ created by the shop
fronts.
This pollution has been
monitored – for instance in
Dorking West Street – where
nitrogen dioxide has been
found at a concentration of 23
units. This is slightly above
what the Government would
prefer – but will drop over the
next few years to below the
stipulated 21 unit threshold.
Unusually for Surrey, Mole
Valley contains some industry.
Brickworks at Wallis Wood,
Beare Green and Capel have
tall chimneys. The processes
are regulated by the
Environment Agency, a
national body.
Over the horizon, plans for
an incinerator at Capel is
giving locals great cause for
concern on emissions grounds.
The latest thinking is that
emissions from a well-run
incinerator will not cause a
significant health hazard.
There is also future concern
over planned expansion of
Gatwick, if airport estimates
are correct, then air quality in
the Hookwood area could
suffer. The council is installing
a pollution monitor to check
this out.
Mole Valley
has three
brickworks –
this one is at
Wallis Wood.
Their tell-tale
chimneys
may look
ominous, but
emissions are
low, and
dispersed
high in the
air. Box Hill
typifies much
of Mole
Valley. But
larger
settlements
such as
Dorking (left)
attract
shoppers in
their cars –
concentrating
polluting
emissions in
the town’s
narrow
streets
23
DOWN YOUR WAY
REIGATE & BANSTEAD
THE BOROUGH IS centred
on the towns of Reigate and
Redhill. These attract heavy
traffic but not in sufficient
amounts to cause air quality
concerns. The M25 and M23
motorways slice through the
borough – and some 50 houses
have been found to be so close
as to prompt declaration of air
quality management areas.
The borough sits on rich
sand and chalk deposits, and
there are quarries such as that
at Merstham.
But while quarrying may be
a dusty activity, control
measures such as damping
down of sand mean that little
dust escapes into neighbouring
settlements to cause a health
hazard.
Like Guildford and
Dorking, there are plans to site
an incinerator in Redhill, and
there is inevitable concern that
emissions may worsen air
quality in an area already
saturated with motorway
traffic.
Government experts believe
that emissions from modern
incinerators are not likely to
cause any measureable health
effects downwind of the
facilities, but increased
monitoring will be necessary
to reassure the public.
The biggest air quality issue
for the borough is Gatwick
Airport. Horley is downwind
of the airport and there are
fears that future traffic growth
at Gatwick will worsen air
quality in parts of the town,
some of which is extremely
close to the airport. As a result
the area of Horley nearest to
the airport has been declared
an air quality management
area. This allows the
authorities to focus their
attention on reducing
emissions for the residents
through low emission airport
vehicles and management
measures on the aircraft stands
Quarrying
(left) may
appear dusty
– but not
enough to
cause a
health
problem
Homes in
Horley
(above) are
close – and
downwind –
of Gatwick,
and air
quality is a
cause for
concern
Like many
Surrey
boroughs,
the M25,
seen (left) at
Merstham,
creates great
opportunities
– but
potential air
quality
problems
where houses
are close
to reduce idling emissions.
24
SURREY: YOUR AIR
RUNNYMEDE
RUNNYMEDE STRADDLES
some of the busiest sections of
the M25 motorway, and it’s no
surprise that vehicle emissions
cause the greatest concern in
the borough. With over half a
million tonnes of nitrogen
oxides every year being
emitted within the borough’s
motorways, the houses closest
to the motorway are likely to
be declared an air quality
management area in a bid to
stimulate improvement.
Towns such as Addlestone,
Egham, Chertsey find
themselves busy during the
peak hours with much traffic
struggling to reach the M25,
but emissions here are not
above limits. Similarly the
A30 and A317 carry high
flows but do not cause
SURREY: YOUR AIR
exceedences. Monitoring
carried out by the borough
shows the worst site to be
Egham Sports Centre, but even
here the health based
environmental limits proposed
for 2005 are already being
achieved.
There are no large
industries of note in the
borough, although there are
many gravel pits extracting
minerals. Procedures are in
place to ensure that dust and
other pollutants do not cause a
nuisance beyond the site
boundary.
Heathrow Airport is
sufficiently far away to avoid
affecting air quality directly,
although of course any
expansion of the airport could
increase traffic congestion and
resulting pollution.
Emissions from the Central
Veterinary Incinerator at
Addlestone are tightly
controlled – and not thought to
have any significant air quality
impact in the borough.
Motorways
dominate
Runnymede,
giving plenty
of polluting
emissions.
Pollution dies
down quickly
but the
closest
houses can
be adversely
affected
(Bittams
Road, left)
25
DOWN YOUR WAY
SPELTHORNE
SPELTHORNE IS THE ONLY
borough in Surrey to declare
its entire area an air quality
management area. Significant
sources of pollution in the area
include aircraft and vehicles
using Heathrow, the M25, M3
and A30.
Spelthorne is working with
neighbouring authorities,
airport operator BAA and
British Airways to determine
the impact of aircraft
emissions and other airport
activities on ground level
pollution. Spelthorne has
assessed benzene levels – a
chemical found in fuels – and
found them to be no more than
2 units, comfortably below the
Government threshold of 5
units.
The airport dominates not
just emissions in the borough –
but also employment.
Proximity to Heathrow makes
Spelthorne an attractive
commercial setting for
26
business, and about 20% of all
commercial or industrial
property in Surrey is located in
the borough, including the
headquarters of many national
and international companies,
such as BP Amoco, Courage,
the Ian Allen Group,
McVitie’s, Del Monte,
Samsung Electronics and
Staines Bridge
(above) can
clog up with
traffic as one of
the few
Thames
crossings in the
borough
Shepperton Film Studios.
Unsurprisingly, there is
much traffic, and vehicles
accessing Heathrow and
Spelthorne’s many businesses
very quickly clog up the
borough’s main roads,
including the M25, and roads
around Staines.
Such congestion leaves
vehicles emitting at their
worst, and air quality can
suffer.
The local authority has
carried out monitoring across
the borough to find out exactly
where the problems will be –
Staines, Stanwell Village,
Stanwell Moor and areas
alongside the M3 and A316 in
the Sunbury and Sunbury
Cross area have been found to
be above prescribed limits. To
tackle this, the declaration of
an air quality management area
will ensure that work begins in
collaboration with other
neighbouring authorities to
produce an action plan with
the aim of delivering
improvements in air quality.
Those affected by poor air
quality can be assured that
something is being done about
it.
See Living next to an airport,
page 14
Heathrow
Airport’s
activities
impact on the
borough of
Spelthorne.
Emissions
from planes
and airport
vehicles have
contributed
to the
borough
declaring an
air quality
management
area
SURREY: YOUR AIR
SURREY
HEATH
SURREY HEATH SITS to the
west of the county straddling
the M3 motorway, which is the
borough’s ‘biggest’ polluter.
The motorway, and
congested feeder roads that run
through settlements such as
Camberley, Bagshot and
Windlesham are the most
obvious sources of pollution
with peak time congestion
causing vehicle engines to run
inefficiently. Shoppers heading
for busy centres such as
Camberley and the out-of-town
Meadows Centre also add to
the traffic burden. Chobham is
a cause for concern, where
Traffic affects
much of the
borough,
whether it be
commuters,
long distance
traffic, or
visitors to
Camberley’s
shopping
facilities
(top)
Surrey Heath
now has its
own gas
powered car
(above)
Traffic
pollution can
be trapped in
congested
high streets
such as
Chobham
SURREY: YOUR AIR
relatively small, narrow streets
and queuing traffic can trap
pollutants at ground level,
these can then build up to
undesirable levels.
The council has monitored
many of these hotspots. The
worst of these was beside the
M3 at Brickhill, and at the side
of the A322 at Bagshot, where
nitrogen dioxide levels
approach 60 units. By contrast,
in areas such as Bisley and
Windlesham, background
concentrations are about 20
units – clearly showing the
effect of the busy traffic. But
at Camberley, there is simply
too much doubt – and the
council has declared an area on
the borough boundary, adjacent
to the M3, as an air quality
management area in order to
ensure the health of those
affected residents.
To help decide exactly how
much pollution there is in the
borough, the council is using a
mobile air quality monitor to
record pollutants such as
nitrogen dioxide and particles.
At the moment this is located
alongside the busy A325
Portsmouth Road, opposite
Frimley Park Hospital. This
work is part of a joint venture
with neighbouring authorities
and data is being obtained by
computer work.
FC Browns factory is
Surrey’s largest industrial
employer and subject to close
scrutiny and monitoring by the
borough council.
27
DOWN YOUR WAY
TANDRIDGE
DESPITE BEING SO near to
London, the Tandridge District
is very rural and over 90% is
covered by Green Belt. The
area borders Reigate and
Redhill in the west, Croydon
in the north, Westerham and
Sevenoaks in the east and East
Grinstead in the south. It is a
district of contrasts with busy
commuter towns and leafy
villages, beautiful countryside,
conservation areas, nature
reserves and places of interest.
Lingfield is home to a
racecourse and Nutfield to
Redhill Aerodrome.
The lack of any single large
settlement to provide a focus
for traffic and its resulting
pollution means that there are
28
few areas of concern in terms
of urban traffic pollution.
Caterham can be busy, as can
Oxted and Warlingham, but
not sufficiently to prompt air
quality fears. Perhaps the
worst location is Whyteleafe,
where busy A22 traffic passes
within yards of peoples’ front
doors. But even here, pollution
levels will not breach air
quality standards.
Traffic levels on the M25
orbital are lower than on
western stretches of the
motorway near Heathrow, and
pollution levels in villages
close to the motorway, such as
Godstone, are within the
Government’s objectives for
2005. Similarly, no problems
are expected in the village of
Smallfield that borders the
M23 motorway.
With few industrial
polluters of note – only
activities in neighbouring
districts need mentioning. A
planned incinerator in Redhill
will cause concern to some –
but controls over emissions
should ensure that there will
not be a risk to health
downwind in Caterham.
The planned expansion of
Gatwick Airport could also
cause a rise in nitrogen dioxide
emissions, but it is unlikely
that these will rise sufficiently
for health effects to be
breached in settlements such as
Smallfield.
There are
few
properties in
Tandridge
that are
sufficiently
close to busy
traffic to
cause
concern.
Outwood
windmill
typifies the
rural nature
of Tandridge
SURREY: YOUR AIR
SURREY’S MOST RURAL
borough is the furthest away
from London – but does not
escape traffic problems.
Traffic heading for the coast
down the A3 frequently hits
congestion at the single
carriageway section at the
Devil’s Punchbowl, and
Hindhead traffic lights. Traffic
jams can stretch back for
miles, with consequent
increases in pollution.
There are plans to tunnel a
new road underneath the
protected Devil’s Punchbowl
site which will reduce
congestion, and take the
emissions further away from
sensitive properties – but until
then, fumes from congested
traffic can build up at
Hindhead streets particularly
near the Punchbowl Hotel and
the crossroads. Other towns in
the borough such as Farnham
and Haslemere also suffer
congestion as a result of
shoppers and commuters
converging on their centres.
At Farnham and Godalming
the council has installed
pollution monitors to find out
how far the pollution stretches.
In East Street, Farnham,
monitors show that nitrogen
dioxide levels are relatively
high – but these will drop to
below Government thresholds
before 2005 as vehicles
become steadily cleaner with
improved technology.
WAVERLEY
SURREY: YOUR AIR
Farnham and
Hindhead
streets are
often
congested,
and their
steep
canyon-like
sides can
trap the
pollution
which can
build up to
high levels
29
DOWN YOUR WAY
WOKING
THE MODERN TOWN of
Woking has succeeded in
becoming a bustling shopping
centre and prime office
location based on the town’s
excellent railway links. The
borough also includes main
local centres of Byfleet and
West Byfleet to the east, and
Knapshill to the west
surrounded by open
countryside containing a
number of villages.
The success in growing
Woking has not been without
its problems. Shopping and
commuter car trips to the
centre create congestion and
increased vehicle emissions.
Guildford Road in Woking
sees some 26,000 vehicles
passing every day. Traffic
30
emissions can get trapped by
neighbouring buildings, and
Woking Borough Council has
tested nitrogen dioxide here
and found it to be 24 units –
higher than desirable, but this
is expected to drop within the
next few years to more
acceptable levels as vehicles
become cleaner.
Predictably the highest
traffic flows – and hence
emissions – can be found on
the M25 motorway which clips
the north east of the borough
and carries 130,000 vehicles
per day. But few people live
very close to the motorway.
More worrying are routes
through the borough to the
M25 – such as Parvis Road
that carries 42,000 vehicles a
Woking town
centre has
become a
shopping
centre in its
own right,
attracting
many
shoppers by
car. Woking’s
excellent rail
service also
attracts car
commuters,
increasing
traffic,
congestion
and fumes
day – and are close to houses.
But even here monitoring
shows nitrogen dioxide levels
at 23 units, a figure again that
is predicted to drop as vehicles
get cleaner.
There is little industry in the
area that will affect air quality.
The Walker AEC plant in
Byfleet is used for plating
metals, but potential emissions
are tightly controlled. The
Woking Crematorium in
Brookwood and the James
Walker rubber and textile
coating works in Old Woking
are similarly authorised on the
basis of minimal emissions.
Woking residents are
however keeping a watchful
eye on a proposed incinerator
in nearby Guildford.
SURREY: YOUR AIR
HOW TO FIND OUT MORE: HEALTH EFFECTS
Air pollution:
what exactly is it?
The air that we breathe is a
complex mixture of gases and
dusts (particles). Some are
benign, for instance carbon
dioxide and nitrogen are
naturally present in air, while
others can have adverse health
effects – such as lead, benzene
and dioxins. The following
pages describe the pollutants
that affect Surrey – and finally
global warming, where the
world climate (rather than
local air quality) is being
damaged by human activity.
For those that are
susceptible to pollution, peaks
of air pollution can cause
breathing difficulties, coughing
and eye irritation. There are
various sources of information
predicting when this might
happen, pollution forecasts are
broadcast on TV, radio, the
internet and a freephone
hotline. These sources give a
one to ten index of pollution
levels that indicate when it is a
good idea to stay indoors.
Details on page 35.
It is worth saying that
current medical evidence
suggests that while asthma
may be worsened by air
pollution, it does not cause
asthma in the first instance.
Interestingly some of the
highest asthma incidence rates
in the UK are in the Scottish
Islands – where there is little
traffic pollution. This suggests
that other issues, such as
SURREY: YOUR AIR
indoor allergens, diet and
modern lifestyles might be a
more likely culprit.
There are also longer term
effects where constant
exposures to air pollutants can
shorten your life.
Particles (smoke)
Particles are the term used to
describe solid matter
suspended in the air, anything
from visible dust to very tiny
microscopic particles that
typically come from vehicle
engines.
Particles are perhaps the
most difficult pollutant to fully
understand, not least because
the particles that you can see –
dust, smoke, black diesel soot
– are not as serious as they
look. These particles are so
large that the throat filters
them out before they reach the
lung. Such particles lodge on
nose hairs and the throat, and
are expelled as sputum, which
is then swallowed.
More worrying is that
modern high technology diesel
and petrol engines produce
very, very fine particles which
are invisible to the naked eye.
These particles are very light
and form blankets that can
cover entire continents,
particularly in winter when the
air is stagnant. These particles
are so fine that they are not
intercepted by the upper lung,
and pass right into the deepest
lung cavities and become
absorbed in the lung wall.
Uncontrolled
fires causing
black smoke
are clearly
unhealthy
They then stay there long
enough to damage the body.
Experts are arguing exactly
how that damage is caused.
Some believe the particles can
enter the bloodstream and
cause heart problems. Others
believe that particles, which
are themselves made up of all
sorts of different chemicals
and substances, can confuse
the immune system and
inflame the lungs.
Estimates suggest that
particles could cause 12,00024,000 early deaths a year (out
of 500,000 deaths a year in
total in the UK), and shorten
the average life by weeks – or
years for the most susceptible.
They can also cause day-today breathing difficulties and
worsen (but not cause) asthma.
Particle emissions are
dropping dramatically as diesel
engines become cleaner, and
older vehicles are scrapped.
But new ideas will be needed
to prevent the very fine
particle emissions of both
petrol and diesel engines of the
future.
Sulphur dioxide
Sulphur dioxide is a gas of
reducing importance as
environmental clean-up
regulations begin to bite.
Sulphur dioxide, mostly
from coal burning, is a
corrosive and choking gas that
was the main ingredient of the
smogs of the industrial
revolution and the Great
31
HOW TO FIND OUT MORE: HEALTH EFFECTS
London smog of December
1952 that directly led to 4,000
deaths. That smog prompted
the setting up of Smoke
Control Areas where domestic
coal burning was banned, and
very quickly urban air was
cleaned up.
Today, in the UK, power
stations are the only major
source of sulphur dioxide, and
these are regulated so tightly
that health standards are rarely
breached. Surrey is particularly
lucky in this respect – the
nearest power stations are on
the South Coast, Thames
Estuary and Oxfordshire, too
distant to affect local residents.
Nitrogen dioxide
Any combustion – whether it
be crude bonfires, or the most
sophisticated burning in a
vehicle engine – produces
oxides of nitrogen, sometimes
called NOx. It is formed as the
nitrogen and oxygen in the air
join together when burnt. 45%
of NOx derives from road
vehicles – far more in city
centres.
For Surrey, town centres,
particularly ‘canyon’ streets
surrounded by tall shops, can
harbour high concentrations of
32
NOx. And motorways produce
large quantities, but these can
die down within 100m of the
verge.
Once emitted, the NOx does
not hang around long, it
quickly absorbs more oxygen
to form nitrogen dioxide
(NO2). It can also form
particles, nitric acid and in
sunny weather it can also form
ground level ozone
Nitrogen dioxide irritates
the lungs causing shortness of
breath, worsening of asthma
and other breathing difficulties.
It is difficult to control
concentrations of this pollutant
as NOx is still emitted in
modern, efficient engines than
older engines, be they car, bus,
lorry or airplane engines. Fuel
quality and engine technology
is therefore not producing the
dramatic emissions reductions
as has been seen with particles
or sulphur dioxide. Traffic
reductions are therefore the
key to reducing emissions.
Because of nitrogen
dioxide, four Surrey boroughs
– Runnymede, Spelthorne,
Surrey Heath and Reigate and
Banstead – are set to declare
all or part of their districts and
boroughs as air quality
management areas.
Ozone can
have a direct
effect on how
far you can
see. This can
spoil the
amenity of
beauty spots
such as Box
Hill and Leith
Hill which are
famous for
their views
Ozone
Ozone is a puzzling pollutant
for many. Most people have
heard of the gas because of
the issue of the depletion of
the ozone layer by aerosols.
Here’s the contradiction –
ozone can be good and bad.
Atmospheric ozone – high
in the sky – is beneficial to
the earth, as the ozone layer
filters out ultra violet rays that
can cause skin cancer. Ozone
depleting chemicals such as
CFCs found in aerosols have
caused a serious ‘hole’ in the
ozone layer. Regulations have
banned the production of
CFCs and they are to be
phased out.
But the same gas at ground
level is not beneficial to us –
too much ozone is poisonous
and can irritate the lungs.
At ground level, ozone is
formed chemically from
volatile organic compounds
and vehicle pollutants such as
nitrogen dioxide, especially in
strong sunlight, causing
summer smogs. Such smogs
can impact the whole
continent and can last weeks
if there is no strong wind to
blow them away.
Ozone damages the lungs
by oxidising lung tissue and
SURREY: YOUR AIR
can irritate the eyes.
Asthmatics and those with preexisting breathing difficulties
are most at risk, and it is wise
to avoid outdoor exercise – or
going outside altogether –
during summer smog alerts.
Surrey, being located in the
warmer part of Britain, is
particularly at risk from
summer smogs. Because the
pollution is of such a
widespread regional nature, it
is extremely difficult to tackle
on a local basis. Local
authorities are therefore not
required by law to produce
plans to reduce ozone – we
have to leave it to Europe.
Lead
Like sulphur dioxide, lead is
very much yesterday’s
problem. Lead finds its way
into the atmosphere as tiny
particles, which are breathed in
and then absorbed into the
bloodstream. The lead
accumulates in the body, and
causes learning difficulties,
particularly in children.
Lead is used in petrol to
improve combustion, and once
it was known that lead was
causing the health effects
alongside busy roads and in
SURREY: YOUR AIR
All burning
produces
dioxins,
regulators
ensure they
come in small
quantities
Leaded petrol
(below) is
now banned
from retail
sale in the UK
towns, legislators moved to
reduce lead in petrol. This was
carried out gradually, so that
by 2000, it was banned
altogether, and lead levels in
the atmosphere are now
negligible.
Toxics and
other pollutants
Carbon monoxide is emitted
by vehicle engines (and
domestic heaters if there isn’t
enough ventilation). The gas is
lethal at high concentrations,
particularly indoors. 75% of
outdoor UK emissions derive
from road vehicles – the vast
majority from petrol engines,
although total emissions are
reducing with the fitting of
catalytic converters.
Carbon monoxide, is
colourless and odourless, and
affects health by preventing
blood from absorbing oxygen.
Outdoors, dispersion is rapid
and there are no areas of
Surrey where carbon monoxide
levels are worrying.
There is a family of gases
that can be grouped together as
toxic by virtue of their
especially severe health
effects. But just as their effects
are acute, so their usual
concentrations in the air are
low. Substances include:
Benzene: found in petrol,
petrol vehicle exhaust and near
petrol filling stations, oil
refineries, and airports. It has
been known to cause
leukaemia among workers
exposed to high levels, but day
to day concentrations are low
across Surrey, even near higher
risk areas such as Heathrow
and Gatwick airports.
1,3 Butadiene: This gas is a
by-product of combustion of
petrol and diesel – road
vehicles produce 78% of UK
emissions. Like benzene, 1,3
butadiene can cause bone
marrow cancer and leukaemia,
and derives from fuel
processing, but is not a
particular problem in Surrey.
Dioxins: Dioxins are produced
in most combustion operations,
whether it be garden bonfires,
fireworks, vehicle engines or
municipal waste incinerators,
especially where there is low
temperature (less than 800 deg
C) or partial burning of plastic
and rubber. Dioxins are
especially toxic even at very
low levels, and can affect the
immune system. Controls on
incinerators are now such that
emissions are extremely low.
33
HOW TO FIND OUT MORE: GLOBAL WARMING
Carbon dioxide
and global
warming gases
Carbon dioxide is not a
pollutant, rather a global
warming gas. The distinction
is important – carbon dioxide
is all around us in large
quantities, and is not
poisonous.
There are very real effects
on the global environment,
however. Scientists can argue
who is to blame, but it is
certain that the world is
heating up and that carbon
dioxide levels are rising at an
alarming rate and are now
higher than at any other time
in the last 500,000 years.
Most human activity leads
to emissions of carbon dioxide,
whether it be through driving
cars, using domestic central
heating or even breathing! We
can’t stop breathing, but we
can reduce our consumption of
fossil fuels which directly
reduces carbon dioxide
emissions. Individuals can ‘do
their bit’ to reduce climate
change by cutting down on
energy use, which in many
cases will have knock-on
benefits for local air pollution.
34
Choice of more efficient cars
is fundamental in reducing
carbon dioxide emissions –
diesels are more efficient than
petrol, but diesel engines
produce more local pollutants
(see below).
There exist many other
global warming gases – gases
which linger in the atmosphere
having the effect of warming
up the planet. These include
methane found in natural gas,
and industrial chemicals.
Global warming
v pollution:
petrol v diesel
Global
warming is
blamed for
extreme
weather
conditions –
the price for
too much
traffic
pollution led the Government
to ramp up diesel duty forcing
a switch back to petrol.
The diesel engine, which
has been relatively
undeveloped compared to the
petrol engine, is only now
catching up and modern
diesels are frugal and much
cleaner. The latest cars, such as
the Peugeot 607 HDi are being
fitted with a particulate trap to
reduce emissions still further.
Growing climate change
fears and tough international
carbon dioxide emission
targets has prompted a
resurgence of diesel sales and
the choice between petrol and
diesel will be even more
difficult. As a rule of thumb, if
you have the choice, avoid
diesels if you regularly drive in
already polluted urban areas,
such as London.
In rural areas where
pollutants dissipate more
rapidly, the climate change
benefits of diesels outweigh
the pollution disadvantages.
This is particularly true for
short local runs – eg the school
run – where petrol car
emissions are high because the
catalyst is too cold to work
effectively.
Surrey has a huge car
ownership, and that is not
going to change overnight,
even if it were desirable. So
what should a green driver
choose as their fuel?
There is no easy answer to
this question, and as our
lifestyle changes, so does
official advice. In the early
1990s, global warming was
perceived to be a bigger issue
than local pollution, and diesel
duty was low to encourage use
of the more fuel efficient
diesel technology. But in the
late 1990s, fears about particle
SURREY: YOUR AIR
HOW TO FIND OUT MORE: USEFUL CONTACTS
Local government: Surrey’s boroughs and districts
ELMBRIDGE (page 20)
EPSOM AND EWELL (page 21)
GUILDFORD (page 22)
MOLE VALLEY (page 23)
REIGATE AND BANSTEAD (page 24)
RUNNYMEDE (page 25)
SPELTHORNE (page 26)
SURREY HEATH (page 27)
TANDRIDGE (page 28)
WAVERLEY (page 29)
WOKING (page 30)
01372 474753
01372 732404
01483 444374
01306 885001
01737 276401
01932 425710
01784 446259
01276 707359
01883 732841
01483 869486
01483 743653
www.elmbridge.gov.uk
www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk/
www.guildford.gov.uk
www.molevalley.gov.uk
www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/
www.runnymede.gov.uk
www.spelthorne.gov.uk
www.surreyheath.gov.uk
www.tandridge.gov.uk
www.waverley.gov.uk
www.woking.gov.uk
Central government
ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT (DEFRA) 020 7944 3000
www.defra.gov.uk
ENVIRONMENT AGENCY:
0845 9333111
(regulates the larger industrial processes and monitors pollution)
www.environment- agency.gov.uk
Useful websites
NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR CLEAN AIR 01273 878770
www.nsca.org.uk
(bonfire codes of practice, information on incinerators)
NETCEN (website provides searchable and detailed air quality data for your area)
www.aeat.co.uk/netcen/airqual
ARIC AIR QUALITY ENCYCLOPEDIA (very good information and factsheets on air quality)
www.doc.mmu.ac.uk/aric/eae/
SUSSEX AIR QUALITY NET (provides good air quality coverage to the south of Surrey)
www.sussex-air.net
DON’T CHOKE BRITAIN (information on cutting emissions)
www.dcb.org.uk
Pressure groups
FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
GREENPEACE
020 7490 1555
020 7865 8100
www.foe.co.uk
www.greenpeace.org.uk
Further information
Most borough air quality review and assessments contain detailed information about the pollutants found
in Surrey. The most comprehensive account is the Department of Health Handbook on Air Pollution and
Health available from The Stationery Office. A large number of helpful and detailed reports are available free
from the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/hef/airpol/airpolh.htm
Key stage 3 teaching pack
Surrey County Council Environmental Programme Unit 020 8541 9432 (available to schools only)
Pollution forecasts: official hourly air pollution information can be found on:
CEEFAX pages 410-417; TELETEXT page 155; freephone 0800 556677;
or www.aeat.co.uk/netcen/airqual/bulletin
SURREY: YOUR AIR
35
MILLENNIUM AIR REPORT
is produced by the
Surrey Chief Environmental Officers Group
and Surrey district and borough councils
Further copies
price £9.50, are available from:
Robert Muir
Tandridge District Council,
Directorate of Environmental Protection,
Council Offices, Station Road East,
Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0BT
Tel: 01883 732841
Printed by
Horsham Press, Mulberry Trading Estate,
Foundry Lane, Horsham,
West Sussex RH13 5PX
Copyright 2001
Surrey Chief Environmental Officers Group
Produced by Jack Pease. Design by Mark Alderson