HC Deb 10 April 2002 vol 383 cc418-9W
Mr. Clifton-Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has collated on the threat to human health from emissions of(a)benzene and (b)1,3 butadiene, (c)particulates (i) PM10 and (ii) PM2.5, (d)carbon monoxide, (e)sulphur dioxide and (f)oxides of nitrogen from road transport; and if he will make a statement. [45947]

Yvette Cooper

The Department of Health's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) and its predecessor the Advisory Group on the Medical Aspects of Air Pollution has collated information and written subsequent reports on

  • Oxides of Nitrogen
  • Sulphur Dioxide, Acid Aerosols and Particulates
  • Health Effects of Exposures to Mixtures of Air Pollutants Non-Biological Particles and Health
  • Asthma and Outdoor Air Pollution
  • Quantification of the Effects of Air Pollution on Health in the United Kingdom (this report covers particles, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and carbon monoxide)
  • Long-term Effects of Particles on Mortality.
  • COMEAP has also written Handbook on Air Pollution and Health. Details of these publications are available from the Department's website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/hef/airpol/airpolh.htm.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' (DEFRA) Committee, the Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards (EPAQS), which has a joint DH/DEFRA Secretariat, has also written reports on:
  • Benzene
  • 1, 3-Butadiene Particulates (2 reports, the latest including PM2.5, as well as PM10)
  • Carbon Monoxide
  • Sulphur Dioxide
  • Nitrogen Dioxide.

These reports cover the effects of health of each of the substances and further details about each report can be found on DEFRA's website at http://www.defra.gov.uld env i ronment/airquality/index.htm.

These reports provide support for the objectives in The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. These objectives aim to reduce levels of these pollutants from all sources, including road transport.