Elmbridge man warns against health dangers – noise and air pollution – of Heathrow expansion
An Elmbridge man has warned residents of health dangers from the proposed expansion of Heathrow. It’s claimed that a third runway would see the airport provide up to 720,000 flights per year, from the current cap of 480,000. He said: “Having an extra 200,000 flights and a vague promise to actually reduce traffic and air pollution, which is currently breaching all legal limits, it’s just not credible, the idea that there will be less pollution, less noise. … In Elmbridge, in all the high streets, it’s breaching European limits at the moment, and around Heathrow of course it breaches limits. So, the combination of noise and air pollution certainly does affect the health of the people of Elmbridge. If you put the tobacco industry in charge of tobacco regulation, if you put the car industry in charge of diesel emissions, and if you put the airline industry and an airport in charge of air pollution, it’s just not credible. … The truth is we really can’t trust these people to take our health into account”. By contrast, Heathrow PR claims there will be less noise (quite implausible) with the extra 200,000+ flights, and there will be no problems with air pollution levels. Both claims are entirely without justification.
.
Tweet
Elmbridge man warns against health dangers of Heathrow expansion
An Elmbridge man has warned residents of health dangers from the proposed expansion of Heathrow airport.
It’s claimed that a third runway would see the airport provide up to 740,000 flights per year.
Jan Coebergh lives in Hinchley Wood and is part of the group RAGE (Residents Action Group Elmbridge).
He tells Eagle: “Having an extra 200,000 flights and a vague promise to actually reduce traffic and air pollution, which is currently breaching all legal limits, it’s just not credible, the idea that there will be less pollution, less noise.
“There was a study done in 2013 of the areas around Heathrow, that showed the areas with more pollution had 30% more strokes and heart attacks, so there’s a clear, well done study showing that it actually kills and causes permanent disability”.
“In Elmbridge, in all the high streets, it’s breaching European limits at the moment, and around Heathrow of course it breaches limits. So, the combination of noise and air pollution certainly does affect the health of the people of Elmbridge.
“If you put the tobacco industry in charge of tobacco regulation, if you put the car industry in charge of diesel emissions, and if you put the airline industry and an airport in charge of air pollution, it’s just not credible.”
“The truth is we really can’t trust these people to take our health into account”.
However, a report on Heathrow’s website states that a third runway would:
• Result in less people being exposed to aircraft noise than today;
• Result in less night-time noise exposure than today; and
• Could provide significant decreases in noise exposure for more people than significant increases in noise exposure, compared to today. [All of that is written using very careful wording indeed, that conceals far more than it reveals. It all depends on dividing up the noise in different ways, and manipulating noise contours. The total amount of plane noise, obviously with 200,000 more planes per year, is very, very much greater. AW comment]
Another report says that “by 2030, with a third runway in operation at Heathrow, there will be no infringements of the legal limit for annual, average NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide) at locations outside the airport perimeter where members of the public may be exposed, that is, at residential and other places of relevant exposure.” [That largely depends on changes made by society, like uptake of electric cars, increased use of rail rather that road vehicles, and altered driver behaviour – none of which Heathrow has any control over. AW comment]
The government is carrying out an extended consultation, to see if Heathrow can fulfil its obligations in terms of noise and air pollution, with the expansion.
.
.
.
.