On Saturday 10 December the Doctors Against Diesel campaign was launched in Euston Square Gardens. Hundreds of doctors, health professionals and medical students gathered wearing white coats and face masks to make clear that diesel is a health issue and must be phased out in order to protect health and save lives.
Doctors Against Diesel are calling for the use of diesel fuels to be phased out as a priority in urban areas. We want to see a future in which personal exposure to soot and gases from vehicles is dramatically reduced, and that a choice to travel actively (walking, cycling, with public transport) does not result in increased personal exposure.
Recent modelling found that nearly 40 per cent of all NOx emissions and PM10 pollution within London comes from diesel vehicles. There is now overwhelming evidence that both long-term and short-term exposure to small particles and gases from fossil-fuel derived air pollution have major adverse consequences on health. The fact that this is an invisible and odourless killer – unlike the great smogs of the 1950s – has meant that we have been sleepwalking into a health crisis that has already claimed thousands of lives.
Jonathan Grigg, Professor of Paediatric and Respiratory Medicine at Queen Mary University, said: “Air pollution levels in London exceed legal limits and affect people’s health at every stage of life. Effects begin with changes to fetal growth before birth affecting lung development. In childhood pollution reduces lung capacity and increases the risk of asthma. In adulthood it increases the risk of death from heart and lung disease and stroke”.
This is an essential step towards preventing thousands of lives lost prematurely due to air pollution in London each year, as well as many avoidable cases of cardiovascular, respiratory and other diseases.
As a first call to action from our group, we are calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to work with the Government to phase out diesel from London by 2025, matching the commitment to tackle deadly air pollution recently demonstrated by the Mayors of Athens, Madrid, Mexico City and Paris.
This campaign is based on clinical and epidemiological evidence that diesel harms health.
To find out more, key references include:
- Every breath we take: the lifelong impact of air pollution, The Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Paediatric and Child health (2016), available at: http://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/lethal-and-illegal-solving-londons-air-pollution-crisis_summary_Nov2016.pdf?noredirect=1
- Understanding the Health Impacts of Air Pollution in London, Kings College London (2015) available at: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/lsm/research/divisions/aes/research/ERG/research-projects/HIAinLondonKingsReport14072015final.pdf
- Lethal and Illegal: Solving London’s Air Pollution Crisis, Institute of Public Policy Research (2016) Available at: http://www.ippr.org/files/publications/pdf/lethal-and-illegal-solving-londons-air-pollution-crisis_summary_Nov2016.pdf?noredirect=
Other links:
- photos from the launch action
- press release
- links to coverage
- Links to Doctors Against Diesel website and Facebook.
DOCTORS AGAINST DIESEL
MISSION STATEMENT
There is now overwhelming evidence that both long – term and short – term exposure to small particles and gases from fossil-fuel derived air pollution have major adverse consequences on health. The fact that this is an invisible and odourless killer, unlike the great smogs of the 1950s, has meant that we have been sleepwalking into a health crisis that has already claimed thousands of lives.
Fumes from diesel engines were categorised as carcinogenic by the WHO in 2012. We know that the current fleet of diesel cars, taxis and light vans are major contributors to locally – generated air pollution in our cities, especially London. Indeed the majority of brand new diesel vehicles are still not meeting the standards – as tests by independent agencies have shown.
To call attention to this public health emergency, we, professionals from across the medical and scientific community, have come together to form the Doctors Against Diesel group to voice our concerns regarding the continued use of diesel.
We feel that the use of diesel vehicles should be phased out from our urban areas. We want to see a future in which personal exposure to soot and gases from vehicles is dramatically reduced, and that a choice to travel actively (walking, cycling, with public transport) does not result in increased personal exposure.
This is an essential step towards preventing thousands of lives lost prematurely due to air pollution in London each year, as well as many avoidable cases of cardiovascular, respiratory and other diseases.
As a first call to action from our group, we are calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to work with the Government to phase out diesel from London by 2025, matching the commitment to tackle deadly air pollution recently demonstrated by the Mayors of Athens, Madrid, Mexico City and Paris.
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Hi Alice, Doctors Against Diesel,
I massively support all your efforts to reduce the deadly levels of air pollution in London. The smog that was visible in London two weeks ago was disgusting as well as dangerous.
Have you read “New insights from comprehensive on-road measurements of NOx, NO2 and NH3 from vehicle emission remote sensing in London, UK”
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231013007140
It’s a bit long, but worth the read, using proper road-side data, not manufacturers controlled tests. And importantly, it contradicts some of Sadiq Kahn’s ideas to improve the situation for London. He’s looking to ban all cars older than 2005, whereas the data shows the newer diesels are even worse than the old ones, so it won’t solve anything. Counterintuitive, but true – I understand that to squeeze the maximum efficiency from diesel engines it results in more NO2 and particulate by-products. To quote the paper:
“The main finding from this work is that there is little evidence of NOx emissions reduction from all types of diesel vehicles over the past 15–20 years. It is only petrol passenger cars (including hybrids) where strong evidence exists for effective NOx control. ”
Also, although unfashionable at the moment, petrol engines are far far less polluting than diesel:
“emissions of NOx from modern (Euro 5) petrol passenger cars are on average a factor of 10 less than equivalent diesel cars. Furthermore, in agreement with previous work the NO2/NOx ratio for petrol vehicle NOx is also very low as shown in Fig. 2 and Table 2 — typically <5%"
Switching the the whole diesel fleet to shiny new plug-in eclectic vehicles will be very expensive so will likely meet with stiff resistance. But this paper shows that a more modest policy that encourages for example, diesel black cabs to be retrofitted with petrol engines would solve around 90% of the cab problem straight away. Relatively cheap with no new infrastructure needed, and the c10,000 deaths in London should drop to perhaps 1,000.
So how about Doctor Against Diesel suggest replacing the Congestion Charge with a £40 a day 'Toxic-Charge' for all diesel vehicles (especially cabs). And petrol or petrol hybrids are free? That would get the ball rolling to convert the fleet away from the deadly diesels. Doctor Against Diesel, Doctors Pro Petrol ?
Disclosure: I cycle 10km to work every day so I'm motivated to solve this as soon as possible.
You say about cars. What about HGVS and 90% of vans. Just travel on any motorway. What you going to do about HGVS with engine size more than 4 times bigger than a family car and spewing out 4 times the emissions?
It’s a fair point, but looking at TfL traffic counts by vehicle type for London, (2014):
71% Car/Taxi/PHV
7% Bus/Coach
17% LGV
5% HGV
So I think looking at the 71% portion initially is OK. When that’s done, then yes, let’s move on to HGVs etc. But as you say it’s a tougher nut to crack. HGVs might be delivering flowers from Netherlands, so electric motors just don’t have the range. Petrol hybrid could be practical, but you need to convince international haulage firms to change. A long haul !
Also, I read that HGVs, despite being heavy, have surprisingly good emission capture systems:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/21/diesel-cars-emissions-toxic-pollution-than-a-bus-data-reveals
“A modern diesel car pumps out more toxic pollution than a bus or heavy truck, according to new data, a situation described as a “disgrace” by one MEP”
This is an excellent project – so many GPs have no idea of the harmful nature of PM2.5 emissions. However the DEFRA emissions statistics show that domestic woodsmoke is the biggest contributor to the UK’s PM2.5 & PM10 air pollution. We can’t succeed unless woodsmoke is addressed. Homes with wood stoves record 300-500 x more PM2.5 and new stoves are far more polluting than the newest diesel engines – by a factor of 25. Please read:
http://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2757/rr-1
How do these figures compare with the emissions from London’s airports?
Well done. Do please keep this going. I live in Nottingham, where the council’s idea of reducing emissions was moving the monitor further away from the road in one area.
My interest is personal, in that i am unable to travel by car as my breathing is affected quite badly. I usually have to travel with a small canister of oxygen – i can tell how bad the pollution is by how bad my breathing is.
You might be interested to know that the newer HGVs are less polluting due to the make-up of their engines – sorry, don’t know how the engineering works, but my husband calls them ‘euro engines’.
For more than 20 years I have been daily researching the Epidemiological Research Data from around the World concerning Nano Particles of Nitrogen Dioxide Particles.
My solitary campaigning has brought me in direct contact for the past 15 years with Prime Ministers, Directors of Public Health, numerous Cabinet Ministers ,and other Politicians. Public Inquiry Cross Examinations, Public Health England, European Environmental Ministers and European High Court evidence compiled. Local Politicians in Greater Manchester, World Health Organisation and UN Officials, UK Chief Medical Officers House of Commons Select Committees, Kings College Professors, Client Earth Principles, Friends of the Earth, Highly respected
Epidemiological World Wide Researchers, Leading UK Media sources, all of which were provided with substantiated dossiers evidence and data which could not be disputed whatsoever that ingesting Nano Particles of Nitrogen Dioxide which have been rapidly increasing throughout the world for at least 25 years end explaining that once ingested into Lung Tissue they cannot be expelled but then are transmitted into blood supplies and then create Free Radicals which CAUSE HUMAN ORGAN DEGENERATION pre birth and throughout human life spans.
The resultant serious diseases and suffering have created the massive surge in Health problems in all ages involving Heart Diseases, Strokes, Cancers, Lung Diseases, Dementia, Autism, Kidney and Liver problems and Foetus
damage because these ultra fine highly toxic Nitrogen Dioxide Particles breach the Placenta in expectant mothers.
Now we learn than Traffic related Air Pollution is the number one threat to human health with over 7.5 million deaths each year stated by the WHO. and the proven TRUTH is that the UK has knowingly and deliberately flaunted and ignored all European Directives concerning its massive Air Pollution problems for 15 years yes 15 years regardless of high financial penalties imposed if action is continually ignored.
UK Politicians and its Departments ie DEFRA ,DofH, DofT ,HA ,Chief Medical Officers etc have been burying the facts for more than 15 years and the Media has chosen to produce doctored statistics offered as facts.
With a multitude of substantiated evidence collated over 20 years which has always been available and knowing the methods utilised by Governments to restrict Public knowledge I am beyond being disgusted at such a massive dereliction of conscience and protection towards the UK population by those who administrate UK lives
My perpetual objectives have always been to protect the future generations the yet unborn foetus, the babies, and young children throughout the UK whilst knowing the conclusive health effects which they now face.
One final example of duplicity and avoidances I can relate concerns Greater Manchester and its huge but covered up
air pollution reality which is definitely comparable with London or other major Uk cities but its data is being deliberately
hidden by Councils and Media sources which includes the BBC, yet sitting here offering not a rant but years of objective and conclusive evidence how is it that Real Time Air Pollution Monitoring has been refused for many thousands of Manchester who like myself live within metres of 400,000 daily traffic volumes which are funnelled into
a major motorway interchange where traffic congestion and its stop start facilities create knowingly unrecorded
and offered details of the huge amounts of daily ingested Nano Particles of Nitrogen Dioxide directly into human lung tissue and become serious diseases leading to deaths.
Yes Diesel toxins produced by rapidly increasing HGV`s and Vehicles constantly have become enemies of all future generations and still all those who administrate UK lives prefer to disguise the reality and do nothing.
I offer these comments with total sincerity because although over 80 years old I care so much for future innocent generations.
John D Hall
Manchester
Karen is correct – we also need to do something, urgently, about particle pollution coming from wood stoves. People are not in their cars all day but they inhale smoke continuously if their neighbours are pumping it out. Smoke usually drops down rather than wafts away upwards. It does not somehow magically disappear. It puts out black soot and tiny sharp black particles that damage lungs and induce respiratory illness. Wood smoke is a Class A carcinogen (WHO). DEFRA’s own emission statistics 2016 show that 79% of UK’s fine particle pollution actually comes from WOOD SMOKE, far more than from diesel exhaust (bad as that is). AND, very worryingly, wood pellet/chips stoves and biomass burners are being installed, right now, in our hospitals, nursing homes, places of work and recreation, council & government offices, and even SCHOOLS. The proliferation of toxic wood stoves is disturbing. This kind of combustion is being promoted as “clean” and “pure”. A lie, a myth. Yes, the new modern hi-tech wood stoves ought to be better (less polluting) than the old ones but who is going to swap old-for-new? Who is going to check that these new, and ADDITIONAL, wood stoves are running properly once installed? Let alone the old ones. No one is checking those emissions now and Defra has no plans to in the near future. The upcoming UK Clean(er) Air Inquiry/Plan will ONLY deal with N02 – NOT fine particle pollution (whether from diesel or from stoves) – PM2.5 and PM10 emission statistics are going to have to wait until 2020 or even 2030. As a lung disease sufferer (brought on by living next-door to an ardent hi-tech wood burner for several years) I shall be dead by then. And so shall many more. Yes, sort out the horrible diesel problem but do something about the wood smoke too, please. At least make people put filters on the stoves (is that possible? and on diesel vehicles?) AND have health warning labels on the stoves too – just as we now have on packets of cigarettes. It’s a similar situation – wood smoke is a form of PASSIVE SMOKING. I have never smoked cigarettes and I do not want to inhale noxious chimney smoke. As Karen says, look at the article by Dr. Robinson in the British Medical Journal. And all the other peer reviewed scientific studies out there – fine particle pollution KILLS, over time it ruins then linings of your lungs – and possibly your heart too – and more. it induces asthma. It prevents babies lungs from developing properly. The resultant illnesses, and medications needed, will cost our already overburdened NHS far too much. And the C02 argument that burning more wood is the way forward is FLAWED. See the Chatham Report. Most of the fuel for the stoves is being imported, with forests cut down overseas. This is altogether a very DIRTY BUSINESS – we need to listen to our doctors far more!
Great post, very informative. Also public transport should be made cheaper so passengers and freight are moved from road to rail. More electrification of railways and electric trolley buses with back up batteries for off wire sections would help in our city centres