If you’re referring to the type of pollution that kills people, then the most polluting vehicles are diesels. Specifically, any diesel more than a couple of years old as particulate output increases with age, as well as any diesel that’s just started up and is running with a cold catalyser. Particulates and NOX are lethal to humans and at about the same level of human damage in Brentford as smoking a half a pack of fags a day; babies, children and the infirm included. Buses, lorries and taxi’s are perhaps the very worst offenders, as well as those white vans you often see billowing sooty exhaust as they cut you up. Since jet fuel is very close to diesel in its composition and jets don’t have catalisers or particulate filters, there’s also a fine rain of background toxicity falling on us from the heathrow flight paths.However, if your referring to the type of pollution that causes global warming, then petrol engines are more offending because then generate more CO2. Not much more, but still a greater output than diesel.Living in Brentford, my concern is that we almost constantly exceed the legal pollution limits that are allowed to be inflicted on a population. I’m sure there’s a duty of care somewhere within the Councils obligations that means it should be prioritising not killing its citizens and getting the toxic sewer that is the A4/M4/Heathrow expansion/excessive building under control. Perhaps now that the development, regeneration & environment department appears to have been split up (nice pay off to the former director by the way), some proper environmental control will be exercised.
Lorne Gifford ● 2725d