Air quality information and campaigns

Kingston's air pollution problem

Air pollution in the UK causes between 28,000 and 36,000 premature deaths every year. Roughly 9,500 of these are in London. Air pollution is also known to cause a variety of chronic illnesses such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer and alzheimer's. 

Pollution disproportionately affects the most vulnerable in our society, such as the very young, the very old and those with preexisting health issues. Ultimately though, every Londoner is exposed to dangerous levels of air pollution.

Much of our borough is compliant with the Government's National Air Quality Objectives but around 4,000 people in Kingston live in areas that exceed the legal exposure limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Additionally, three of our schools are located in areas with illegally high levels of NO2. Data from the Council's state of the art air quality monitoring network also reveals exceedances of the National Air Quality Objectives for particulate matter. We have produced a few pie charts to show you where air pollution in Kingston comes from.

For the reasons above, the entire borough has been designated as an Air Quality Management Area in accordance with Part IV of the Environment Act (1995). This means that the Council is required to draw up an Air Quality Action Plan and report progress annually to the Greater London Authority. You can find these documents on our Action Plan and Reports page. 

See Gov.UK for further information and guidance on air pollution.