Hidden air pollutants on the rise in India and UK
Levels of air pollutants in cities in India and the UK are on the rise, according to a new study led by UCL and the University of Birmingham. Published today in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, researchers analysed satellite data to estimate trends in a range of air pollutants for 2005 to 2018. They targeted four cities at distinct development stages and at various stages of implementing air quality policy: London and Birmingham in the UK and Delhi and Kanpur in India. The international team of scientists from Belgium, India, Jamaica and the UK found increases in PM2.5, fine particles that are the leading contributor to premature death from exposure to air pollution, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in Kanpur and Delhi. The increases in PM2.5 in Kanpur, identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the most polluted city in the world in 2018, were both significant and substantial, at 3.1% per year. The researchers speculate that these increases are due to increasing vehicle ownership and industrialisation. The researchers also found increases in the air pollutant formaldehyde.
