Lord Stoddard of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the levels of the carcinogen benzopyrene in (i) the homes and offices of smokers; (ii) in general urban air; and (iii) in streets with a high density of traffic, particularly at peak periods when vehicles are slow moving.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment (Lord Strathclyde)There are many different forms of benzopyrene. The type which has raised most concern and, as a consequence, for which most measurements have been made is benzo(a)pyrene.
We do not routinely measure levels of benzopyrenes in homes and offices. Monitoring of benzo(a)pyrene in urban areas in the UK has been undertaken on behalf of the Department of the Environment as part of the Toxic Organic Micropollutants in Urban Air Monitoring Programme. This research has shown that in 1991 annual averages of benzo(a)pyrene in general urban areas ranged between 0.6 and 2.5 ng/m3. The annual average at the most heavily trafficked site, situated in central London, was 1.1 ng/m3. The data are given in 7WA summary in the first report of the Quality of Urban Air Review Group, published in January 1993, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House.