“ULEZ expansion: Rollout could be hampered by online shopping boom, anti-pollution experts say” The I – “Today, ULEZ boundaries in London change to cover a larger area – and other cities are waiting and watching to see if it pays off… Dr Gary Fuller [School of Public Health], says “If we look at the data from this century, I can’t find anything that’s produced such a dramatic change in air pollution as the central London ULEZ,” he said. But despite the success of the scheme, Mr Fuller argues more radical measures are needed for the full spectrum of air pollution to be tackled as even vehicles that adhere to the ULEZ guidelines contribute to the fine particulate matter that pollutes our air.”
https://inews.co.uk/news/ulez-expansion-rollout-could-be-hampered-by-online-shopping-boom-anti-pollution-experts-say-1265688
“Are Wood-Burning Stoves The Environmental Equivalent Of A ‘Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing’?” Forbes – “Figures released by the UK government in February this year show that burning wood at home was responsible for more than a third (38%) of all the primary PM 2.5 pollution in 2019. Clean air expert Dr. Gary Fuller [School of Public Health] Imperial College London said previous studies have shown people burn wood in their own homes “because they feel that they are heating their homes in a natural way. In some cases, it takes them back to nature, because they think they're burning wood, rather than some sort of fossil fuel. In many ways, they think it is wholesome.” But he added that burning wood releases carbon dioxide that has been sequestered over many decades back into the atmosphere.””
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiehailstone/2021/10/15/are-wood-burning-stoves-the-environmental-equivalent-of-a-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing/?sh=28dc8ffdd0ef
Hammersmith MP visits White City Campus to see leading research on air quality https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/230213/hammersmith-mp-visits-white-city-campus/
"Exposure to air pollution linked to greater risk of Covid-19 hospitalisation, report finds" Independent - "A person’s previous exposure to air pollution may mean they are more likely to need hospital treatment if they catch Covid-19, a new report has found. Researchers from Imperial College London have found a link between people’s exposure to polluted air and how ill they will become if they contract Covid-19. The report, which was commissioned by the Mayor of London and led by Imperial’s Environmental Research Group, saw scientists evaluate studies from all over the world." https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-air-pollution-link-risk-b1914580.html
Pollution and Poverty Two interlinked challenges and how Imperial aims to address them https://www.imperial.ac.uk/stories/pollution-and-poverty/
"Not wearing a face mask on the Tube should be a criminal offence, says Sadiq Khan" The Independent - "London's mayor has said that not wearing a face mask on the Tube should become a criminal offence... Speaking about the spread of Covid-19, Mr Khan said that wearing a mask helped in "two big ways"... "The good news is we've asked Imperial College to come and regularly test public transport to see if there's Covid. And thankfully, there's been not one example of Covid being found on public transport - at the touch points, on the surface, on the escalators."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/london-transport-khan-face-mask-b1897543.html
A study sampling the environment at four major railway stations in England has found no traces of the virus which causes COVID-19. The research, commissioned by Network Rail through Imperial Projects, with laboratory analysis carried out at Imperial College London, collected surface samples from four of the busiest rail stations in England, swabbing major touch points – such as escalator handrails, ticket machines and benches – as well as taking air samples from station concourses.
London air pollution turned into art to raise awareness" BBC News - "Marina Vitaglione has used a traditional photographic technique to produce otherworldly images of samples of London's air pollution...Working alongside scientists from the London Air Quality Network, part of Imperial College London (ICL), Marina was given access to air samples from across the capital, including Brixton Road and Lewisham, south London.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-56986767
ERG mentioned on the Imperial College London Transition to Zero Pollution
"Ocado asked 'why are you building a depot in our school's backyard?' in pollution row" The Mirror - "Online supermarket Ocado asked for 'feedback' on plans to open a depot just three metres from Yerbury Primary School - where kids are protesting, declaring 'NOcado!'... Andrew Grieve [School of Public Health], a campaigning air pollution scientist at Imperial College London, says: "Children are susceptible to air pollution as their brains, immune system and lungs are still growing. "We have a duty to protect children who have no voice in the planning process.""
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ocado-asked-why-you-building-24152990
Some 28% microplastic pollutant in our oceans comes from an unexpected source - tyre dust. A single car produces around 2.08g of tyre dust each day, and the microplastics this dust contains make their way into our waterways, pollute the air we breathe and contaminate our food. It is estimated that we eat around a credit card’s worth of plastic per week. https://www.re-tv.org/reinvigorate/redesigning-the-wheel
Pollution from road, brake and tyre wear continues to have an affect on air quality, especially as increasingly heavy cars will mean more particle pollutionfrom road surfaces and tyres, Mr Will Hicks reports in The Guardian.
"Families protest over Ocado depot fumes near Islington school" The Times - "Dozens of primary school children and their parents gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice yesterday to object to a “polluting” Ocado depot...Andrew Grieve [School of Public Health], an air pollution scientist at Imperial College London and campaigner, said it was extraordinary that Ocado “thought it was OK to put hundreds of diesel vans and carcinogenic petrol pumps next to a primary school playground”.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/families-protest-over-ocado-depot-fumes-near-islington-school-n6n7rgm82#:~:text=Dozens%20of%20primary%20school%20children,a%20%E2%80%9Cpolluting%E2%80%9D%20Ocado%20depot.
"Pollutionwatch: how wheel misalignment can affect air quality" The Guardian - "Car exhaust pipes will become a thing of the past but, as Will Hicks [School of Public Health] from Imperial College London told me: "The air pollution from road, brake and tyre wear is here to stay." Increasingly heavy cars, partially due to there being more SUVs and more electric vehicles, will mean more particle pollution from road surfaces and tyres. Already these account for more pollution than the emissions from the engines and as much as 28% of the microplastics entering our oceans."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/23/pollutionwatch-wheel-misalignment-impact-air-quality
"Toxic air puts six million at risk of lung damage" BBC - "Around six million people aged over 65 in England are at high risk of lung damage and asthma attacks because of toxic air, according to a new report. It finds that older people and those with lung disease who are most vulnerable to the effects of pollution are often the most exposed. The new document is from the British Lung Foundation (BLF) and Asthma UK...Dr Heather Walton, an expert in air pollution from Imperial College London, also welcomed the findings. She told BBC News: "The summary of the health evidence is well balanced and the modelling used is a standard model used by Defra." She said that bringing levels down long-term would take a mixture of international, national and local policies."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-56013240
"Air pollution breaking WHO limits surrounds 25% of UK homes, analysis finds" The Guardian - "One in four UK homes are surrounded by air pollution exceeding safety limits set by the World Health Organization, an analysis has shown following research revealing that road pollution affects virtually every part of Britain...Researchers at Imperial College London used computer models to produce estimated concentrations of the levels of three toxic pollutants – PM (particulate matter) 2.5, PM10 and NO2 – at each address, accurate to 20 sq metres (24 sq yards)."
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/17/air-pollution-breaking-who-limits-surrounds-25-of-uk-homes-study-finds
“Dangerous air pollution levels outside quarter of homes” The Times – “A quarter of homes are in areas with dangerous levels of pollution, according to the first nationwide study of air quality that allows the public to check if their properties are affected… The group, which commissioned Imperial College London to carry out the study, said that it had obtained legal opinion that estate agents could be breaking the law if they failed to warn buyers that air outside a home breached WHO recommendations.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dangerous-air-pollution-levels-outside-quarter-of-homes-dblxg3r9g
"Polluted air proves deadliest for older residents on edge of London" The Times "Air pollution is killing more people in London’s outer boroughs than in the inner city as vulnerable older residents suffer heart and respiratory problems, a report suggests. The research from Imperial College London estimates that toxic air contributed to about 4,000 deaths in the capital in 2019...Heather Walton [School of Public Health] of Imperial College, said better controls of pollution levels in outer boroughs would save lives."
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/polluted-air-proves-deadliest-for-older-residents-on-edge-of-london-mxww3mz9b
"Man saved from deportation after pollution plea in French legal 'first'" The Guardian (12 January) - "A Bangladeshi man with asthma has avoided deportation from France after his lawyer argued that he risked a severe deterioration in his condition, and possibly premature death, due to the dangerous levels of pollution in his homeland...Dr Gary Fuller [School of Public Health], an air pollution scientist at Imperial College London, said this was the first case he was aware of in which the environment had been cited by a court in an extradition hearing."