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Lead Pollution

Volume 892: debated on Wednesday 21 May 1975

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asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he is satisfied that the existing facilities for measuring atmospheric lead content in urban areas are adequate;(2) what are the latest measures of atmospheric lead content for the 10 largest towns in the United Kingdom.

Airborne lead is being measured at the roadside in London, Cardiff, Birmingham, Glasgow and Cambridge. Average values for the first three sites are 1.4, 1.8 and 2.3 microgrammes per cubic metre respectively; data for the two remaining sites are not yet available. A further site in the centre of London away from the influence of traffic records an average of about I microgramme per cubic metre. Twenty sites in urban areas are now being established at which a range of elements, including lead, will be determined. When complete this network will provide adequate information on the atmospheric burden of lead in the general environment.