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… 

From August 29, drivers of the most polluting vehicles will be forced to pay a £12.50 charge when driving in outer London. The plans have sparked major backlash over the impact this will have on charities, small businesses, cancer patients, carers, elderly and disabled people, who may not be able to use public transport or afford to upgrade their cars to ULEZ compliant models. According to the Mayor, it’s a “matter of life and death”…

Given the ULEZ expansion will inevitably push more people to use the tube, Guido’s Adam Cherry took a trip underground to see what that means for Londoners’ health using a industry standard Temtop Air Quality Monitor. The device measures PM 2.5 fine particles. High levels of PM 2.5 have been shown to cause asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological problems…

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended annual average for PM 2.5 is 10 micrograms per cubic metre. When Guido wrote about this previously, Sadiq Khan’s spokesperson claimed “tube dust is predominantly made up of iron oxide” which doesn’t have “significant health impacts“. New research from the University of Cambridge shows those iron oxide particles are small enough to enter the bloodstream, and the overall pollution levels on the Tube are significantly higher than the WHO limits. Find out just how much higher those pollution levels are in the video above…

Last week Guido reported the irony of the air on the London Underground being more polluted than the air on the streets of ULEZ London. After going to pixel Sadiq’s office have got back to us:

“A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said “For too long not enough was done to tackle Tube dust. But since 2016 under the Mayor’s direction, TfL has enhanced tunnel cleaning practices to reduce Tube dust, increasing the amount spent by over 30%. By doing this Tube dust has already been reduced by around 20% when measured at the platform and nearly 40% when measured from the driver’s cab. TfL monitoring has shown that dust levels on the Tube remain well below the limits set by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).”

The Mayor’s office also claims that

•    Tube travel provides a reduction in exposure to harmful surface traffic pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide and diesel exhaust emissions, which are not produced inside the Underground network but are found on London’s roads
•    Tube dust is predominantly made up of iron oxide. Iron oxide is not currently known to be a carcinogen or have other significant health impacts.

However in 2019, King’s College found pollution on the London Underground was around 15 times greater than at street level. 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.

The Mayor has pledged to address this, yet many tube lines including the Northern and Victoria are currently exposing commuters to 8 times above the UK safe limit for toxic particles (PM2.5). Tanya Beri, founder of CAIR London- a mobile app showing the most polluting tube routes- says: “Above ground pollution is a serious problem but we cannot ignore the high levels of PM 2.5 Underground”. CAIR measured the platform at Walthamstow Central on the Victoria Line this January, finding it was a shocking 232 mg per cubic metres – over 9 times the UK legal limit of 25 mg per cubic metre, and over 23 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended safe limit for PM 2.5 which is 10 mg per cubic metre. Not good for the lungs of Londoners…

Former environment secretary Theresa Villiers is accusing Sadiq Khan of ignoring key data about the tube system’s pollution in his proposed extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) across London. Sadiq Khan’s only defence for the money-grabbing move is that clean air will save lives. However, Theresa Villiers, the MP for the London suburb of Chipping Barnet, told Guido there is little evidence ULEZ will have health benefits. Villiers says Khan is “refusing to answer important questions about particulate pollution levels on our public transport”.

In 2019, a study by King’s College found pollution on the London Underground was around 15 times greater than at street level. 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.

While TFL pledged to address this, many tube lines including the Northern and Victoria are currently exposing commuters to 8 times above the UK safe limit for toxic particles (PM2.5).Tanya Beri, founder of CAIR London- a mobile app showing the most polluting tube routes- said: “Above ground pollution is a serious problem but we cannot ignore the high levels of PM 2.5 Underground”. CAIR measured the platform at Walthamstow Central on the Victoria Line this January, finding it was a shocking 232 mg per cubic metres – over 9 times the UK legal limit of 25 mg per cubic metre, and over 23 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended safe limit for PM 2.5 which is 10 mg per cubic metre.

Fine particles are usually thrown into the air as wheels, brakes and tracks grind against each other. And the reason why they are so dangerous is because they are small enough to enter the lungs and human bloodstream. PM 2.5 has been shown to cause Asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological problems.

From August 29, drivers of the most polluting vehicles will be forced to pay a £12.50 charge when driving in outer London. The plans have sparked major backlash over the impact this will have on charities, small businesses, cancer patients, carers, elderly and disabled people, who may not be able to use public transport or afford to upgrade their cars to ULEZ compliant models. Villiers, the former Environment Secretary, is urging MPs to back a new law which would grant Westminster powers to overturn ULEZ.

“The Mayor’s approach to ULEZ and air quality has many inconsistencies… He tries to grandstand on these issues but there is no convincing evidence that his proposed ULEZ extension will have any significant health benefits. At the same time as pushing that unpopular measure, he is refusing to answer important questions about particulate pollution levels on our public transport.”

The Mayor’s office has given Guido no answer as to why they are driving people off the open roads into the even more polluted air of the London Underground. London’s Underground has been measured to be polluted at 9 times the UK’s safe legal limit…

The message is that “All TfL services are now solely focused on ensuring critical workers can move around as needed. You should not be using public transport or travelling for anything other than essential journeys.” Guido hears that Sadiq wants London to go into full lock down.