Academics add expertise to debate over polluted city air

Senior councillors have admitted that pollution caused by emissions from traffic is becoming an increasing problem after research revealed that up to 158 premature deaths a year are linked to the city's air quality.

Dr Jacqueline Hamilton and Sarah Moller from York University's Department of Chemistry will now give a public lecture to highlight the problems posed by nitrogen oxides that are emitted by thousands of vehicles snaking through the city's historic roads every day.

The lecture will also focus on a second area of concern for local authorities – the concentration and chemical characteristics of small particles, also known as aerosols, in urban atmospheres which can be inhaled by people and find their way into the bloodstream.

Dr Hamilton said: "Particles can affect the climate, have large impacts on human health and can form in high numbers in the atmosphere during periods of sunny weather.

"Particles can be emitted directly to the atmosphere, from sources including fires or diesel engines, or they can be formed in the atmosphere but not very much is known about the chemistry of this."

The Yorkshire Post revealed last week that a strategy is being developed to combat pollution caused by the notorious traffic tailbacks in York and prevent the scores of premature deaths every year which are linked to poor air quality in the city.

Wide-ranging efforts are already underway to drive down the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in York, but the problem of air pollution has continued to worsen in the last four years.

Proposals should be considered today by York Council's executive to draw up a low emission strategy to focus on getting the oldest and most polluting vehicles off the city's streets.

Those behind the strategy hope it will help promote existing environmentally-friendly schemes – including York's successful Cycling City project and the park-and-ride sites.

The free public lecture, the latest in the University's Science in the City series, is on Thursday from 7pm in the department of chemistry.