Nitrogen Dioxide analyser installed at Oxford Street

Westminster City Council has added an instrument to measure nitrogen dioxide at their air measurement site on Oxford Street. The site has been measuring PM10 since June 2010, and the output from the new addition will be of considerable interest on Europe’s busiest shopping street.

The new data will also enable PM source apportionment on Oxford Street for the first time. Nitrogen dioxide emissions continue to cause problems for the Government in meeting European Air Quality Objectives. In December 2012, the London Assembly highlighted high percentage of deaths attributed to air pollution in London boroughs. The Health and Environment Committee’s paper showed that up to 9% of deaths in the capital’s most polluted areas are attributable to air pollution.

The percentage of deaths attributable to man-made airborne particles was highest in the City of London (9%), Westminster (8.3%), Kensington and Chelsea (8.3%) and Tower Hamlets (8.1%).  Bromley and Havering (both 6.3%) had the lowest proportion in London, though are still above the England average of 5.6%. A large number of diesel powered buses and taxis operate on Oxford Street, emitting a relatively high proportion of primary nitrogen dioxide compared to petrol vehicles, increasing concerns about poor air quality in addition to the already high volume of traffic. The Greater London Authority reported in 2010 that 100,000 pedestrians pass by the busiest part of Oxford Street every day.

Courtesy of Taxicabnews