Plastics: Pollution

(asked on 26th May 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of particulate and plastic pollution from (a) brakes, (b) tyres and (c) road wear on human health; and what steps the Government is taking to tackle that matter.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 7th June 2021

The Department for Transport has not conducted an assessment of the potential effect of particulate and plastic pollution from brake, tyre and road wear (collectively referred to as ‘non-exhaust emissions’) on human health. However, in 2020 the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) reviewed and published a statement on the existing evidence on the subject.

In February, the Department for Transport commenced a significant research project to understand better the measurement techniques, materials properties and control parameters of brake and tyre wear emissions from road vehicles. The project will report in 2023 and will be used to inform policy decisions and any potential legislation that may be required to control and reduce these emissions. The Department is also taking a leading role within the UNECE Particle Measurement Programme (PMP), which is developing an internationally recognised test procedure for measuring non-exhaust particle emissions from vehicles.

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