Issue - meetings

          The Board considered a report of the Director of Public Health which presented an overview of air quality in Halton. It also presented a summary of national and local air quality monitoring, progress against National and European Air Quality legislation and provided a response to a petition for Air Monitors received by the Council in March 2015.

          It was noted that on the 6^th March 2015, the Council had received a petition entitled “Request for the Council to Monitor the Air Quality for PM2.5 and other toxins” which contained 5,632 signatures.  In response to the petition, the report identified the facts around air quality and air quality monitoring in Halton within the national and international frameworks and identified the following recommendations to address the issues raised in the report and ensure that air quality in Halton remained good and ultimately to improve health and wellbeing in Halton:-

i)        Undertake a series of public engagement events to build a greater understanding of the concerns local people had regarding air quality in Halton and identify opportunities to build improved transparent relationships to ensure a clear way forward in all concerns;

ii)        Develop an active multi-agency Air Quality Forum (including lay representation) to enable issues and concerns could be raised and discussed in an open, engaged forum and facilitate agreement on actions and outcomes.

iii)       Investigate further opportunities to limit emissions and reduce NO₂ in areas of potential high traffic activity around built up areas and achieve compliance with NO₂ Air Quality Objectives.

iv)       Develop a full Air Quality Strategy, based on available local and national data and evidence to ensure that Halton was able to sustain recent improvements in Air Quality across the Borough and proactively seek to remove the declaration of Air Quality Management Areas within the Borough.

          In accordance with Standing Order No.34 (9), the following public questions were submitted to the Board by email:

QUESTION 1 - ANNE-MARIE ATHERTON

Halton Borough Council, as quoted in an article in Liverpool Echo,states that the only air quality measure that the Borough fails is the level of Nitrous Oxide/nitrogen dioxide and that this comes from road traffic. I would like to draw your attention to an article produced by the United States Environmental Protection Agency http://www.epa.gov/asthma/no2.html

This article shows a clear link between severe asthmatic attacks and high levels of Nitrous Oxide/nitrogen dioxide. 

I would also like to draw your attention to a published scientific paper which prove nitrous oxide/nitrogen dioxide is produced by waste incinerators of which there is one in Runcorn and one (at least) in Widnes. http://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/gp/bgp/5_3_Waste_Incineration.pdf

Therefore I would like to question how does Halton Borough Council air quality investigations distinguish between road traffic nitrogen dioxide and that produced by incinerators?

The medical/treatment cost of the high incidence of asthma and COPD in the borough could be drastically reduced if the air quality was improved - so why does the local council want to do nothing about improving health and quality of life  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4