In a previous blog post I wrote about how Shazad Sheikh had measured air quality in London. He purchased an ELITech Temtop Air Monitoring device and used it on the streets of central London and in underground and train stations. The device measures particulates (PM 2.5 and PM10) which are known to be the most hazardous to health and the results were most interesting – see his article here: https://browncarguy.com/2023/07/03/ulez-air-quality-test-pt-1-2/

I have now purchased such a device (see photo above) and tested it out in and near my home in Chislehurst (in the London Borough of Bromley. The results were most interesting and not what one might expect. In my home office I got readings of 4.9 for PM2.5 (small particulates) and 5.7 in our living room. Outside in our back garden the reading was 1.4. Overall AQI was 18, 24 and 5 respectively.

On Chislehurst High Street, normally a congested road, and near the bus stop next to the Hornbrook House Car Park the PM2.5 reading was 1.4.

The AQI results were all under 30 which suggests there is no significant health hazard in the open air of Chislehurst’s roads.

It’s possible that the high indoor readings are from house dust, cooking and laser printer emissions – they were much less when I tested them again later. But the national standards are for PM2.5 particulates of less than 20 µg/m3 so there is no concern whatsoever about living in the suburbs of Bromley and the need to expand the ULEZ to cover the Londoin suburbs is simply not justified.

Roger Lawson Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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