112. Air quality in the Tunnel

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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT BY DEPUTY M. TADIER OF ST. BRELADE

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 14TH FEBRUARY 2017

Question

Will the Minister advise –

1. what internationally recognized benchmarks are known to his Department to assess pollution levels in road tunnels, especially those which are used by both pedestrians and road traffic;
2. whether Jersey is signed up, either directly or indirectly, to E.U. air quality standards; if so, what those standards are and, if not, why Jersey is not signed up;
3. what the Department considers to be the maximum safe level in the Tunnel of harmful gases and fine particles with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres (i.e. PM 2.5);
4. when the last test of air quality in the Tunnel was done, if ever, and what the levels recorded were; and
5. when the warning sign about air quality for pedestrians was removed, why, and when it will be replaced?

Answer

1. my department is aware of several internationally recognised benchmarks used to assess pollution levels in Road Tunnels including:

• World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines
• Tunnel construction guidelines UK 1999
• Air Quality in and Around Traffic Tunnels – Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council 2008
• New South Wales TP11: Criteria for In-Tunnel and ambient air quality

2. Jersey is signed up to specific oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compound (VOC) protocols, which come under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), and therefore emission inventories for these two pollutants have been generated and are included in the UK emission estimates submitted to the UNECE. However, the emissions are expressed as the UK and "other territories", and therefore emissions arising from Jersey are not quoted individually. This also means that targets are associated with the UK and other territories, hence there are no targets applied specifically to Jersey alone.

Currently the States of Jersey have obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and include the reduction targets for greenhouse gases in their international commitments.

The States of Jersey have committed through the Air Quality Strategy to achieving standards that are as good as or in excess of those applying in the European Union which includes meeting air quality standards. In addition, the States of Jersey have international obligations under the Climate Change Convention to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

The relevant standards are as set out in the EU air quality directive (2008/50/EC).

3. This question must be looked at from several angles.

• In determining a "safe" level we must also look at those people exposed and the nature and time of that exposure.
• There is no internationally agreed exposure limit for Carbon Monoxide.
• The data taken from the New South Wales criteria for in-tunnel and ambient air quality suggest a Maximum exposure level of 0.1ppm for an exposure of an hour – most people spend far less time than that in the tunnel. The same study suggests a maximum daily exposure of 25 µgm-3 for PM
  5. and 50 µgm-3 for PM10.
• It should be noted that these standards apply to general population exposure rather than hot spots' or the control of individual point sources.

4. We have anecdotal evidence of the pollution in the tunnel being tested last century but no data.
5. The signs outside the Tunnel are managed by the Department for Infrastructure. I have been informed that the signs were taken down as part of a recent refurbishment and replacement signs will be placed outside the Tunnel soon.