Sadiq Khan has just claimed on BBC Radio London that the London Underground’s air quality is “safe” and “not toxic“, despite recent studies showing high levels of potentially toxic iron particles in the air across the Tube network. Guido’s own investigation found the air quality was significantly worse across multiple stations. The Committee for Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP) said a one hour tube ride was as harmful to health as a full day standing by roads in Central London…

Apparently this is irrelevant and the Underground’s air is fine because it’s “not illegal“:

“It is not toxic… I use the Tube to get here, right? Would I use the Tube if I thought it was dangerous? The point is this. Because our Underground is the oldest in the world, you know, we’ve got to clean up the air on the Underground. So there’s issues in relation to… just dust and longevity… so we’re cleaning it up. And we’re doing research…”

The World Health Organisation’s recommended safe limit for PM 2.5 is 10 micrograms per cubic metre. At one point in Guido’s own investigation, the platform at Seven Sisters station registered a PM 2.5 reading of 145 micrograms per cubic metre. Above ground, where Sadiq claims it is vital to cut down on emissions to reduce toxic air, it never reached above 2 micrograms. In 2019, a study by King’s College found pollution on the London Underground was around 15 times greater than at street level…