Air campaigners call for less car use after pollution study

AIR quality campaigners who have been monitoring pollution at a busy junction for the last six months have called for action from council leaders to help reduce health risks caused by traffic fumes.

People living in the Carter Knowle and Millhouses area of Sheffield have measured air pollution at the junction of Archer Road and Abbeydale Road, to the south-west of the city centre, since June last year.

Their study has revealed that on average, the air contains 49 micrograms per cubic metre of harmful nitrogen dioxide, when the law states levels should rise no higher than 40 micrograms per cubic metre.

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Members of the Carter Knowle and Millhouses Community Group have been assisted by the East End Quality of Life Initiative, which campaigns on air quality on the other side of the city, close to the M1.

Ted Gunby, who lives in the Millhouses area, said: “People don’t realise that this invisible killer is also in the residential suburbs. The council is going to have to show strong leadership to encourage people to change the way they use their cars.”

A project has also been undertaken in the Handsworth area of Sheffield, where pollution levels were also found to be high.