Petition Air pollution by vehicles - the hidden killer of children

The World Health Organisation has declared that outdoor air pollution, and also diesel exhaust, cause cancer. EU legal limits are set to protect people's health and cite the two main pollutants of concern:

Particulate air pollution are tiny particles up to 100 times thinner than a human hair and which penetrate deep into your lungs. Official estimates are that these cause 29,000 premature deaths a year in the UK.

Nitrogen Dioxide(NO2) is a toxic gas. The European Commission has launched legal action against the UK for failing to cut excessive levels of NO2.

The most vulnerable to these toxic fumes include young children, particularly those in prams, and elderly people

Children living near busy roads have been shown to grow up with under-developed lungs - and in the SE Region (excluding London) over 27,900 children attend primary schools within 150m of heavy traffic.

We call on the UK government to implement the EU legislation on vehicle emissions.