High Vehicle Air Pollution Afflicts 40 Million Britons

Nearly 40 million people in the UK are living in areas where high air pollution from diesel vehicles risks damaging their health, according to analysis commissioned by the Labor party.

The extent of the air pollution crisis nationally is exposed in the data, which shows 59% of the population are living in towns and cities where nitrogen dioxide pollution breaches the lawful level of 40 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

The Labor party says the air pollution crisis is a “national scandal”. Sue Hayman, shadow secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, said a Labor government would bring in a new clean air act to tackle what was a public health emergency.

 “Labor will not allow the Tories to use the snap general election or Brexit to kick this issue into the long grass or water down standards that would put millions of UK adults and children at risk,” said Hayman.

She said the party was committed to putting in place a network of clean air zones across the UK where there are high emissions and would act at an international level to close loopholes in emissions testing of vehicles, The Guardian reports.

The analysis published by Labor shows more than 38 million people, representing 59.3% of the UK population, are living in areas where levels of nitrogen dioxide pollution are above legal limits.

Local authorities, including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Burnley, Derby, Chelmsford, Leeds, Northampton, Richmond and Sheffield–among many others–have nitrogen dioxide levels above the legal limit.

The new figures were revealed, as the government made a last-minute application to the high court to delay the publication of a new tougher air quality plan to tackle the pollution crisis.