Dr Chris Stenton FRCP FFOM
Dr Stenton is a Consultant Physician at the RVI Newcastle. His main interest is in work-related lung disease, particularly asthma, COPD and asbestosis.
Here he looks at some of the history, causes and effects of atmospheric air pollution. He also considers some of the emerging evidence on several insidious consequences air pollution is connected with.
In my work as a chest physician I see patients with many different types of lung conditions. Almost all lung Read more [...]
This is SPACE for Gosforth's seventh annual pollution blog covering official air quality monitoring in Newcastle upon Tyne. In all seven years, air pollution in Newcastle has exceeded legal limits. In 2022, the highest reading was 92μg/m3, over double the limit. Read more [...] 
This is our sixth annual pollution blog covering official air quality monitoring in Newcastle upon Tyne. In all six years, air pollution in Newcastle has exceeded legal limits. In 2021, the highest reading was 98μg/m3, over double the limit. 
It should be no surprise to anybody that air quality improved in 2020. In March 2020, the Guardian reported that that the Coronavirus pandemic had led to a huge drop in air pollution right around the world. Newcastle was no different. 
Air quality in Newcastle and Gosforth remains poor and, despite a 2018 court order requiring government to ensure legal limits are met as soon as possible, the Government has still not confirmed that Newcastle can implement its Air Pollution Plan to rid Newcastle of illegal air pollution. Since 2010, when current regulations took effect, thousands of people have died and many more made ill because of the failure to address air pollution in Newcastle.
This blog summarises the official NO2 air 
The new plan has a smaller Clean Air Zone and no financial disincentive for private cars no matter how polluting they are. In this blog we describe the Council's final (watered-down) plan and why we think it unlikely that the relevant legal tests will be met in full without further measures in addition to those proposed. 
Newcastle City Council have released the Air Quality Feasibility Study that will be used for its forthcoming consultation. Whatever the final plan that is chosen, it must by law meet air quality limits within the shortest possible timescale. The question for the consultation therefore is how should that be achieved. 
The Council has just released its Air Quality Annual Status Report 2018 and it is not looking good for Gosforth High Street. We had expected that the 2016 reading of 51μg/m3 for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) was a one-off due to the roadworks at the junction with Salters Road, but in 2017 the figure had increased again to 59μg/m3.. Both are substantially higher than the legal maximum of 40μg/m3. 
SPACE for Gosforth submitted evidence and feedback to several consultations in 2017. Here is the response to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Transport (DfT) joint consultation on 'Improving air quality: reducing nitrogen dioxide in our towns and cities.