Fact-check: Does Air Pollution Kill 40,000 Brits Every Year?
Tower Bridge and Canary Wharf, are just visible through the haze and smog in London, Friday, April 10, 2015. (AP/Alastair Grant)
(ANALYSIS) — Does air pollution kill people?
NO2
London Breaks Annual Air Pollution Limit In Five Days
In this general view of London looking towards Canary Wharf which is just visible through the haze and smog in London, Friday, April 10, 2015. (AP/Alastair Grant)
(REPORT) — London has broken legal air pollution limits for 2017 within five days, according to King’s College London.
The annual limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was breached on Brixton Road in south London at around 9pm on Thursday.
Could Air Pollution Be Causing More Traffic Accidents?
Poor weather, cell phones, radios, alcohol, and jerks: we think of these as some of the most common causes of car accidents. However, scientists at the London School of Economics say that air pollution, of all things, should be added to that list.
Researchers say they looked at 5 years’ worth of data and found that when levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) rose just a microgram per cubic meter, the number of car crashes increased by 2%. [1]