The Mayor of London issued air pollution warnings at bus stops, tube stations and roadsides on Wednesday night to alert millions of Londoners that they are in danger of breathing in toxic fumes.
It is the first time that the alerts have been made since Sadiq Khan pledged to tell people in the capital when pollution was harmfully high.
Anyone experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, a cough or sore throat was advised to consider reducing their activity, particularly outdoors.
Mr Khan said: “Londoners need to know when the city is suffering from high pollution levels so they can take any necessary appropriate measures to protect themselves from poor air quality.
“This is particularly crucial for Londoners who are vulnerable, such as asthma sufferers.”
The alerts were being displayed at 2,500 bus stops and river piers, the entrances of all 270 Tube stations and on 140 signs next to the busiest main roads into London with instructions to switch engines off when stationary to reduce emissions.
Parents were also advised to ‘take care’ when taking their baby outside because of toxic levels of air pollution. It is though that children are more vulnerable because they are closer to exhaust level.
Romain Lacombe, the chief executive of Plume Labs, which monitors pollution said said: “We are not saying that you should not go out with your baby. We are advising to avoid major roads and high traffic areas.”
Martin Williams, professor of Air Quality at Kings College, who has been working with FLIR Systems to produce video technology which allows people to see air pollution, said any people do not realise how bad conditions are because they cannot see the fumes.
“If parents could see what it looks like pushing their child through a band of raw pollution, they’d take preventive action,” he said.
“Seeing is believing, and with so many deaths caused each year by air pollution, awareness could be vastly improved by modern technologies.”
High air pollution triggered the first citywide warning for residents of London on Thursday
On Thursday the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) issued draft guidelines calling on local authorities to do more to cut air pollution, including getting rid of speed bumps to prevent motorists from accelerating and decelerating.
They are also advising that the living rooms of homes be built at the back of houses and rules to ban drivers leaving their engines running outside of schools and retirement homes.
A spokeswoman for the mayor said the high pollution warning was expected to remain in place throughout Thursday night and come to an end on Friday, although this will be kept “under close review”.
Particulate matter can worsen lung and heart conditions in pollution episodes and with long term exposure raise the risk of dying early.
Official advice warns that adults and children with lung problems and adults with heart problems should reduce strenuous physical activity when air pollution levels are high.
People with asthma may need to use their reliever inhaler more often and older people should reduce physical exertion.
UK-Air said no areas of the UK were suffering from very high air pollution and all other regions had low or moderate levels of pollution.
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