Key points from article :
Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, highlights health risks from vehicle tyre wear, as pollutants from car exhausts reduce.
Electric vehicles essentially eliminate exhaust pollutants, but would not address particulates from tyre and brake wear.
Many electric vehicles feature regenerative braking, which greatly reduces brake friction.
However, greater weight of electric vehicles may slightly increase tyre-based particles “and we will need to deal with that”.
Whitty said indoor pollution was a significant problem, citing air fresheners as a hazard.
On outdoor pollution, he highlighted the problems from sources including wood-burning stoves and diesel trains.
Health benefits of active travel by people who walk and cycle in urban areas greatly outstripped any risks of pollutants.
“Fairly obviously, the more we move people … into active transport, the less [pollution] there will be.”
“We urgently need more research in this area, especially laboratory-based studies using cultures of human airway cells,” said Jonathan Grigg, professor at Queen Mary University of London.
