Air pollution in the UK fell to its lowest levels in decades last year due to the coronavirus pandemic鈥檚 unprecedented restrictions curbing traffic.
Past research has detected deep but brief drops in pollution during the country鈥檚 lockdowns, but today have revealed the scale of the impact in 2020 for the first time.
Average levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic gas produced largely by diesel vehicles, fell to their lowest point since records started in 1997. Many UK cities have been in breach of legal limits on NO2 for more than a decade. The ONS said covid-19 restrictions were probably a 鈥渓arge contributing factor鈥� to the decline.
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The average roadside concentration of NO2 per cubic metre was 23 micrograms in 2020, down from 30 碌g/m鲁 in 2019 and 60 碌g/m鲁 in 1997. The annual legal limit is 40 碌g/m鲁.
Other pollutants saw similar dramatic reductions as lockdowns meant people stayed at home and road traffic .
Levels of PM2.5, a type of particulate matter that is produced by vehicles, wood-burning stoves and fossil fuel power stations, declined to their lowest point since 2009, when records began. A larger type of particulate pollution, PM10, dropped to a low unseen since records began in 1992.
However, the respite is expected to be short-lived as traffic levels return to normal in 2021. Campaigners are pressing the UK government to adopt tougher air pollution limits after a coroner recently said they are needed to avoid future deaths. Up to because of long-term exposure to dirty air.
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