Dear Sir/Madam, Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), I would like to request you provide data of the 25 stations on the Underground network with the highest concentrations of 1) NOx, 2) PM10 and 3) PM5 on average in the last 12 month period which you have figures for.

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TfL Ref: FOI-0082-1920

Thank you for your email received by Transport for London (TfL) on 8 April 2019.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) and our information access policy.  You asked:

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act (2000), I would like to request you provide data of the 25 stations on the Underground network with the highest concentrations of 1) NOx, 2) PM10 and 3) PM5 on average in the last 12 month period which you have figures for.

Unfortunately we do not hold the information you have requested. We do not routinely measure dusts in the PM 2.5 or PM 10 fraction on the London Underground network. We measure dusts in stations in the Respirable fraction (PM 4.3) which is broadly comparable to PM 5.

The most recent air quality reports examining staff dust exposures are published on the TfL website in the section  ‘Air quality on the Underground’ at the following link;

https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/environment-reports

It is important to note that TfL carries over a billion passengers each year on the Underground. The movement of trains over the rails, engineering works and customer use all contribute dust to the system. We manage the dust levels by regular cleaning of London Underground stations and tunnels. This ensures that the train service runs smoothly, a safe environment for staff and customers and a more pleasant travelling experience for customers. The safety of staff and passengers is our top priority and as part of this we ensure that dust levels remain as low as reasonably practical. Our ongoing monitoring shows that the levels and content of dust in the underground sections of London Underground’s infrastructure do not pose a significant risk to the health of our customers or employees.

Whilst we do not routinely measure Nitrogen Dioxide or Nitrogen Oxides on the London Underground Network as this gas is not produced by London Underground operations, we have conducted one off exercise in 2018 to assess staff exposures at stations. Please find the report attached.

Please note that in accordance with TfL’s obligations under the Data Protection legislation some personal data has been removed, as required by Regulation 13 of the Environmental Information Regulations. This is because disclosure of this personal data would be a breach of the legislation, specifically the first principle of the legislation, which requires all processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. It would not be fair to disclose this personal information when the individuals have no expectation it would be disclosed and TfL has not satisfied one of the conditions of Schedule 2 which would make the processing ‘fair’.

A more recent monitoring report is currently being worked on and we expect it to be finalised in June this year. In accordance with the EIR, we are not obliged to supply you with a copy as it’s subject to a statutory exception to the right of access to information under Regulation 12(4)(d) , which provides that a public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that a request for it relates to material which is in the course of completion, to unfinished documents or to incomplete data. In this instance the exception has been applied as the report is still being drafted.

This exception is subject to a public interest test, which requires us to assess whether the public interest in applying the exception outweighs the public interest in disclosure. In this instance, it is considered that the public interest favours the finalisation of the report, once all relevant factors can be taken into account, rather than the disclosure of information which does not accurately reflect any amendments that might still be made.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.

Yours sincerely

Eva Hextall

FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team

General Counsel

Transport for London

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