Toxic air sensors for up to 1,000 sites in London as part of new pollution trial

Air pollution: The findings come as four cross-party parliamentary committees reopened a joint inquiry into the problem
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Pippa Crerar5 December 2017

London is to trial a monitoring system which will analyse toxic air at up to 1,000 hotspots, including near schools, hospitals and construction projects.

Hundreds of sensors will be installed on the capital’s busiest roads to measure traffic pollution. At present, 100 sites are monitored for air quality.

Data from hundreds of thousands more locations could also be collected by new mobile devices to give a fuller picture of the problem from next year.

The project will focus on London’s 438 worst polluted schools - all in areas that breach legal air pollution limits.

Mayor: Sadiq Khan posed in front of the Akshardham temple on a trip to Delhi
PA

Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the £750,000 scheme on a trip to Delhi, which the World Health Organisation regards as having the worst air quality of any global city.

Mr Khan, who has asthma, braved the pollution at a photocall today in front of the Akshardham Hindu temple, which was wreathed in smog.

Khan: He will lead a network of cities fighting pollution
PA

He has admitted that he has used his inhaler more often during his six-day trade mission. At the weekend, a cricket Test match in Delhi, between India and Sri Lanka, was halted due to toxic air.

The Mayor will work with his Indian counterparts to lead a new network of 20 cities fighting pollution. London will share data from its trial with the network, to be managed by the C40 group of cities working to tackle climate change.

Pollution in London

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He said: “Air pollution is a global problem that harms the lives of millions of people. Only by working together will we help beat this international health crisis. I’m doing everything in my power to clean up London’s lethal air and am pleased my ambitious work will be boosted by new state-of-the-art air quality sensor monitoring technology that will help deliver the most comprehensive data on toxic pollution ever.”

City Hall today launched a procurement project to see which sensor technologies and mobile monitoring techniques will be used for the pilot.

The Mayor also met children at the Maharaja Agrasain Public School, taking part in a science experiment to measure air pollution.

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