The UK Government ‘should be ashamed of admitting it cannot meet targets to improve air quality which were already too lenient,’ says a fuel technology specialist in reaction to Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey’s statement that a target of limiting fine particulate matter from an annual average of 20 micrograms per cubic metre of air to a new limit of 10mg could not be achieved everywhere by the end of the decade, especially in London.
Critics pointed at research by King’s College London and Imperial College London that they say shows that the Government could achieve its targets if it took stronger action on the sources of pollution, which include diesel-powered vehicles and the use of wood-burning fires.
Nawaz Haq of fuel technology specialist SulNOx Group says that the technology is already in place to help the Government in its aims, and that it should be going further still. “The technology already exists to significantly reduce air pollution which costs the UK economy over £20 billion every year,” said Nawaz. “It is shameful that the Government is rowing back on its promises, which were already too lenient. The limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre of air was recommended by the World Health Organization back in 2005, and that was reduced to five after evidence that particles harm human health at much lower concentrations than previously thought.
“Analysis shows that over seven years, half a million people have died from causes including asthma attacks, exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. Hospital admissions for lung conditions have doubled in England and Wales from 1,535 per 100,000 in 1999 to 3,143 per 100,000 in 2019. This is a public health crisis and needs a robust response.”
Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is able to enter the bloodstream due to its size, and be transported around the body, reaching the lungs, heart, brain and other organs. Exposure can result in serious health impacts, especially in vulnerable groups of people such as the young, elderly, and those with respiratory problems. London-based SulNOx Group specialises in providing solutions towards decarbonisation of liquid hydrocarbon fuels, and offers fuel additives to reduce the production of harmful emissions including particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5. “We have the technology to help tackle air pollution today, not in another generation,” added Nawaz. “In fact, it was recently reported that our unique technology can mitigate emissions and pollution equivalent to five million cars in the UK alone. This degree of impact cannot be ignored in our time of health crisis or climate emergency for that matter.
“We are in talks with numerous organisations at local, national and international level, about how we can help them reduce their environmental impact and their impact on air quality. We already partner with a number of organisations which have provided us with evidence of reduced particulate matter emissions both in tests and in the real world.”
