Exeter pollution lower than before pandemic

Nitrogen dioxide below national average

Air pollution in Exeter remains lower than before the pandemic, despite an increase in 2021 as the city emerged from lockdown.

The annual Local Air Quality Management Report shows that levels of nitrogen dioxide in the city went up last year following a sharp drop in 2020, but not back to the amounts recorded in 2019.

The figures roughly match the amount of traffic recorded in the city, with the report saying it is “too early to say” whether the number of vehicle journeys and air pollution levels will return to pre-pandemic levels in future.

The impact of newer vehicles with reduced emissions will also be studied in future reports.

Only one area of the city – East Wonford Hill – is now above the objective level for nitrogen dioxide (40 micrograms per cubic meter of air), scoring narrowly higher at 42.2 but well below the figure of 61.9 in 2018.

The city council’s monitoring network identifies areas with the highest levels of pollution. Most are around residential properties near Exeter’s busiest roads and junctions.

The report says the results of monitoring are “not generally representative of typical or average conditions across the city. Instead, it is indicative of the worst-case locations.”

Alphington Street, Salutary Mount and Honiton Road now have nitrogen dioxide levels between 35 and 40 after previously being above the pre-pandemic target. All other monitoring sites have levels below 35.

Most locations along busy routes into and around the city had nitrogen dioxide concentrations of  between 25 and 35 last year, and below 25 away from busy roads.

“The majority of the population of Exeter therefore live in locations with concentrations of nitrogen dioxide well below the objective,” the report says, “but a small number are still exposed at home to levels above the objective. No schools in Exeter experience levels above the objective.”

Air pollution is a contributing factor in the onset of heart disease and cancer. Public Health England estimates long-term exposure to man-made air pollution in the UK leads to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths every year.

It is also often linked to equality issues because areas with poor air quality are often less affluent areas.

According to government data, the percentage of premature deaths linked to air pollution in Exeter in 2020 was 5.2 per cent, equal to the regional figure for the south west and slightly below the national level of 5.6 per cent.

The air quality report will be presented to the council’s ruling executive on Tuesday [6 September].