Urban air pollution
Nina Notman meets the chemists breathing fresh air into urban air pollution research
80% of urban areas have levels of air pollution higher than WHO limits. The problem is bad in poorer countries, but rich countries are often no better. In London, for example, some streets breached their annual limit for pollution levels in just a few days. The Volkswagen diesel scandal has brought the matter into sharper focus. What can chemists to identify – and fix – the problem?