§ Mr. Neil Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Short) Official Report, 12 February, column 86, if he will quantify the substantial reduction in concentrations of lead in the air to which he referred.
§ Mr. WaldegraveMost of the lead in urban air is derived from lead in petrol. It is self-evident that a substantial reduction in the lead content of petrol will have a substantial effect on the concentrations of lead in urban air. However, there are many uncertainties in quantifying this relationship, and I prefer to await the results of the monitoring programme now under way than to speculate536W on the actual size of the reductions. Improvements in air quality as a result of the proposed stricter emission controls on lead works will be local and will vary with the local circumstances.
§ Mr. Neil Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what evidence he has about the effect of reductions in the lead content of petrol in other countries on the concentrations of lead in the air.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe evidence on the reductions found in other countries is limited and its relevance to the United Kingdom is uncertain because of differing local conditions. Probably the most relevant information is that from Germany. In Frankfurt, after the lead content of petrol was reduced from 0.4 to 0.15 grammes per litre, lead in air concentrations at a typical city centre site fell by about 75 per cent. at street level. The reported reduction in an outer suburb was 35 per cent.