'It's time to act now', say researchers who found pollution at six times world safety limit in Deptford and New Cross

Polluted: Parts of London have been shown to have sky-high levels of particulate matter
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Ben Morgan14 November 2017

The level of toxic particles in parts of south-east London is six times higher than world limits, research revealed today.

Dozens of volunteers, directed by Goldsmiths University’s Citizen Sense group, were given Dustbox devices to measure levels of Particulate Matter 2.5 in the air in New Cross and Deptford.

The microscopic particle has been linked to a rise in asthma and heart disease.

Research found that the level was up to six times higher than World Health Organisation guidelines on multiple occasions.

Professor Jennifer Gabrys, who led the project, believes that urban design and reducing emissions from idling vehicles is the way to combat the capital’s toxic air.

She said: “There has been enough talk — people are aware of the problem but it’s time to act now.

“We need joined-up thinking to tackle the problem and are trying to show better urban design is the way to make a change.”

North Deptford is home to four regeneration schemes that could provide more than half of Lewisham’s new housing by 2026. The busy A200 runs through it.

According to the guidelines, a concentration of 25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air is an acceptable level. Multiple readings in Deptford and New Cross recorded a density of 150mg per cubic metre of air — six times the recommended limit.

Monitoring boxes set up 200 metres from the Thames also found four times the safe levels, which could be due to diesel-powered freight vessels.

Professor Gabrys called for construction firms to deal more effectively with dust particles at building sites and prioritise air quality around schools.

She added: “The results suggest that rapid urban regeneration, ever-growing volumes of vehicles and traffic idling is becoming increasingly harmful to London’s atmosphere and its population.

“We were also drawn to findings that suggested pollution could be coming from River Thames traffic, which raises questions about how we manage that as a city.”

Citizen Sense — a research group within the university’s sociology department — was established in 2013 to collect data from volunteers to measure air quality.

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