High Speed 2 Railway Line: Air Pollution
(asked on 23rd March 2021) - View Source
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of (a) respiratory problems and (b) deaths that may be caused by the air pollution created by the use of fossil diesel in the construction of HS2.
The Environmental Statements produced for each phase of HS2 include an assessment of any significant air quality effects associated with building the railway.
No health problems are anticipated as a result of emissions from the use of fossil diesel in the construction of HS2. As stated at para 4.7 of HS2 Phase One Information Paper E31 (air quality):
“Where an effect on air quality [in the relevant Environmental Statement] is described as significant at a particular location, this is with respect to the air quality legislation, and does not denote a significant effect on human health. Much larger changes in air quality than are predicted as a consequence of the scheme would be needed to cause significant impacts on health at the level of an individual person.”