Description:
Postponed due to guest speaker having Covid
Air pollution from the Green Quarter is causing a health emergency in Southall

At the beginning of November/December 2021 independent air quality monitoring commenced in the vicinity of the Green Quarter, formerly Southall Gasworks.

An air quality monitoring station, two additional sensors and diffusion tubes have been installed. Concern was expressed about the discounting of a high PM10 reading on one of the sensors on 19th December which was removed from the data record.

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In response to a query, Ricardo AEA informed the enquirer that moisture caused by foggy conditions could have interfered with the sensor. Data for EGQ North and South sensors and the AQ monitoring station can be viewed here.

Concern has also been expressed that no diffusion tubes have been located along the boundary of the Green Quarter by the Grand Union canal. At the beginning of sampling for individual VOCs in the summer of 2018, 104 were sampled. Currently considerably less are being sampled on a two weekly basis:

• Benzene • Toluene • Ethylbenzene • m&p-Xylene • o-Xylene • Napthalene • 1,2,4 Trimethylbenzene • 1,3,5 Trimethylbenzene • Styrene • Trichloroethene • chlorobenzene, • Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether • Isopropylbenzene • Bromobenzene • 2-Chlorotoluene, • M n-Propylbenzene • 4-Chlorotoluene • tert-Butylbenzene • 1,3-Dichlorobenzene • sec-Butylbenzene • 1,4-Dichlorobenzene • M 4-Isopropyltoluene • 1,2-Dichlorobenzene • n-Butylbenzene • 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, • 1,2,3-Trichlorobenzene

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Residents have detected strong odours in this area whilst walking along the towpath. In order to evaluate and express the measurement of VOC data as annual mean concentration level, this data will be available in early 2023 according to a response to an EIR request. However, CASH will challenge this, as Cllr Peter Mason informed CASH that a timely update report based on the period of analysis to be completed after every 6 months of collected data will be made public by the council, so the expectation is that the first report will be available Summer 2022.

Guest speaker Tim Webb, citizen scientist will explain, what air pollution is, the risk to human health and why it must be universally viewed as a health crisis and what the data actually means. CASH hopes that attendees will be motivated after the webinar to check the data for themselves and to ask Cllr Peter Mason, leader of Ealing Council searching questions regarding the robustness of the air quality monitoring.

The Zoom link for the webinar will be emailed to attendees, closer to the date.

Register on Eventbrite for the Air Pollution in Southall is a Health Emergency ONLINE public meeting on Zoom, 01 March 2022 at 7pm.