§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many times carbon monoxide levels in Nottingham's air have exceeded World Health Organisation guidelines(a) since records were kept and (b) in the last three years.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyI am not aware of any consistent series of carbon monoxide measurements having been made in Nottingham. The Department's programme of urban monitoring includes a site in central London. Concentrations of carbon monoxide at that site just reached the guidelines values of the World Health Organisation during the month of November due to the cold, anti-cyclonic weather conditions. Analysis of results for the whole of the previous year show that at no other time were the WHO guideline levels approached. Traffic is the dominant source of urban carbon monoxide. It is unlikely that conditions in Nottingham approach those in London.