The most polluted street in the world is in LONDON: Oxford Street has highest levels of nitrogen dioxide, claims expert

Shopping on London’s bustling Oxford Street may be bad for your bank balance.

But now there is evidence that it is detrimental to your health too, as it has been shown to have the highest levels of toxic air in the world.

A scientist has revealed that the busy stretch of shops has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which is produced by diesel fumes and can trigger asthma and heart attacks.

Gasp! Oxford Street (pictured) has the highest levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the world, which is produced by diesel fumes from buses and taxis and can trigger asthma and heart attacks

WHY ARE NITROGEN DIOXIDE LEVELS SO HIGH ON OXFORD ST?

• The street is at the centre of a city that is a large source of NO2, experts at Kings College said.
• It is dominated by diesel vehicles such as buses and taxis and has among the highest flow of buses anywhere in the UK.
• A large number of the buses use technology that deliberately produce increased emissions of NO2
• Scientists describe Oxford Street as ‘a street canyon’ which maximises the concentration of the gas because is its enclosed and poorly ventilated.

The chemical irritates the lining of the lungs and leaves healthy people more susceptible to lung infections. Noticeable symptoms include wheezing, coughing, colds, flu, and bronchitis.

David Carslaw, of King’s College London, told The Sunday Times that he has recorded peak levels of 463 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air, which is over three times higher than the average amount of the pollutant since the start of the year.

He told the newspaper: 'To my knowledge, this [level] is the highest in the world in terms of both hourly and annual mean. NO2 concentrations [in Oxford Street] are as high as they ever have been in the long history of air pollution.'

Even at the average, 135 milligrams per cubic metre, the nitrogen dioxide levels are three times higher than the EU’s safety limit.

The street broke hourly limits of 200 milligrams per cubic metre more than 1,500 times during the year.

Dr Carslaw told MailOnline 'This [Oxford Street] is easily the highest annual mean NO2 concentration in Europe.'

Delhi and Mumbai, which are frequently pictured with smoggy skies, have average levels of NO2 at 62 micrograms per cubic metre in comparison.

In February, figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs claimed that traffic travelling along the A302 - known as Grosvenor Place - which runs adjacent to Buckingham Palace, produced the highest levels of the toxic gas at an average of 152 micrograms per cubic metre of air in 2012.

The study also found that Oxford Street was highly polluted, registering at an average of 150 micrograms near Marble Arch, while Trafalgar Square has an average of 138 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre of air.

London's Oxford Street is most polluted street in the world

Video provided courtesy of International Business Times

Not amused: In February, figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs claimed that traffic travelling along the A302 - known as Grosvenor Place - which runs adjacent to Buckingham Palace (pictured) produced the highest levels of toxic gas nitrogen dioxide at 152 micrograms per cubic metre of air

Park Lane, Knightsbridge and Covent Garden were all found to have seriously high levels of the pollutant.

Bosses from the collection of shops down London’s most famous high street are calling on Mayor Boris Johnson to reduce the number of buses that crawl down Oxford Street.

Richard Dickinson, chief executive of New West End Company which represents traders in Oxford Street, told The Independent: ‘We are working closely with the relevant London authorities to look at longer term traffic reduction initiatives and we are keen to see ideas rapidly put in place. Businesses in the West End want action.’

City Hall said that it has already reduced the number of buses by a fifth, while hybrid engines on London’s famous double decker’s are set to cut the pollution problem.

Almost 30,000 people die every year due to respiratory problems caused by air pollution and nitrogen dioxide in particular has been linked to breathing issues.

Pollutant mapped: The study, which was released in February, measured the average nitrogen dioxide levels in different parts of the capital in 2012, and found that Oxford Street, Park Lane and Buckingham Palace were among the polluted hotspots in London

Environmental groups criticised the state of affairs in February.

Simon Birkett, Founder and Director of Clean Air in London, said: 'These levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are nothing short of staggering.

'The World Health Organisation guideline is no human exposure in a single hour over 200 micrograms per cubic metre (with an annual average guideline of 40).

'The thought that hundreds of thousands or millions of tourists and Londoners in a year may be exposed to air pollution this high is deeply troubling.

'In London, we need the Mayor to: ban the oldest cars emitting carcinogenic diesel exhaust as Berlin did more than four years ago, remove the turning circle requirement that still forces cabbies to choose between two large diesel taxis if they want a new vehicle and reinstate Phase 5 of the low emission zone that was a key commitment in the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy until scrapped early last year.

'He also needs to ensure his ultra-low emission zone for 2020 includes the roads with the highest NO2 rather than excluding them which will force the most-polluting vehicles to join those avoiding the congestion charging zone and issue smog warnings to save lives, avoid hospitalisations and build public understanding of air pollution.

AND THE NITROGEN DIOXIDE PROBLEM COULD PROVE COSTLY

The UK faces fines of up to £300m from the European commission after they launched legal action due to a failure to reduce high levels of NO2 air pollution from traffic.
The commission said this was despite over a decade of warnings and several extensions and postponements given to the British government.
Other European countries have also failed to meet the air quality directive, the commission said.
A Defra spokesman said: 'Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades. Just like for other Member States, meeting the NO2 limit values alongside busy roads has been a challenge.
'That is why we are investing heavily in transport measures to improve air quality around busy roads and we are working with the Commission to ensure this happens as soon as possible.'
The agency highlighted that the UK meets the EU air quality limit values for all other air pollutants.
Responding to the figures in February, a spokesman for Boris Johnson said: ‘London’s air quality is steadily improving, meeting legal limits for eight out of nine EU regulated pollutants.
'Since the Mayor was elected NO2 emissions have reduced by 20 per cent and the number of people living in areas exceeding NO2 limits has halved but he fully recognises the need to take further action.
'This includes the introduction of the world's first Ultra-Low Emission Zone in central London from 2020, tougher requirements for taxis from 2018 and a £20million fund to tackle local problem areas.
'These most ambitious measures will deliver enormous economic and environmental benefits for central London and will make this global city an even better place to live, work and visit.'

DM