vicswift

I have fond memories of Bonfire Night growing up in the 1980s. Treacle toffee, black peas, jacket potatoes cooked in the bonfire, fireworks lighting up the sky and the occasional rocket going somewhere it shouldn’t! I don’t want to lose those traditions. But we need to lead with our heads, not just our hearts. What happened across #Lancashire this weekend was unacceptable. Something needs to change. On Saturday 7 November, a PurpleAir monitor I installed opposite Chorley and South Ribble Hospital recorded an hourly PM2.5 average of 168.8 µg/m³ (US EPA corrected), with brief peaks above 350 µg/m³. PM2.5 particles can penetrate deep into our lungs, with some entering the bloodstream and increasing the risk of heart and lung disease. The attached illustration shows their size. Official Defra monitors also recorded high hourly levels: 150 µg/m³ in Wigan, 149 in Blackburn and 119 in Preston. This was widespread pollution, not an isolated sensor reading. Pollution was elevated before Saturday evening. Fireworks, bonfires and potentially wood burning were likely contributors, while calm, foggy conditions allowed smoke to accumulate. Consider the hospital opposite my monitor. Were staff warned? Were precautions taken? How well did its ventilation and filtration protect vulnerable patients? The British Heart Foundation estimates 17,000 people in Chorley have heart and circulatory disease, including 1,900 diagnosed with heart failure. PM2.5 exposure is linked to heart attacks, heart failure admissions and premature death. So where were the public health warnings? Defra’s Friday forecast reportedly predicted LOW pollution, with locally MODERATE levels near bonfires. Actual readings were far worse. Why weren’t prominent warnings issued when monitors revealed the danger? The government launched an opt in air quality alert service in August. But how many people know about it? I’ve monitored pollution for years and hadn’t heard of it. Forecast based alerts can also miss unexpected spikes. This isn’t new. On Bonfire Night 2022, Wigan Centre recorded the highest hourly PM2.5 reading in Defra’s national monitoring network: 255 µg/m³. Yet the highest daily PM2.5 pollution index was only Moderate. Daily averages can conceal severe hourly spikes. We need warnings based on what is actually happening. At home, Saturday’s outdoor PM2.5 average was 89.3 µg/m³, far above the World Health Organization’s daily guideline. My automated home ventilation has been off since Thursday evening. Despite this, I’ve had to turn up my air purifiers to counter rising indoor PM2.5. Most households don’t have pollution monitors, ventilation controls or air purifiers. Nor should they need them to breathe reasonably clean air. We cannot know how many people this episode harmed, but air pollution damages health. The Royal College of Physicians estimates it costs the UK upwards of £27 billion a year. I’m calling for five changes: ① Prominent pollution warnings, like severe weather alerts, triggered by actual measurements as well as forecasts, with advice to reduce exposure and avoid adding to pollution. ② Specific warnings for vulnerable people, including hospital patients, care home residents and those with heart or lung conditions. ③ Clear reporting of dangerous hourly PM2.5 readings, not just daily averages. ④ A gradual shift from private fireworks to organised displays that can be postponed when weather traps pollution, plus stronger action on domestic wood burning. ⑤ Indoor air quality monitoring in public buildings, starting with hospitals, care homes and schools, with a simple public rating. We have the technology and evidence to do better. What we need is the political will. This can’t happen again. Traditions matter. But people’s health matters more. #BonfireNight #AirPollution #PM25 #PublicHealth #Chorley aurnhub.defra.gov.uk/sites/d…