Environmental Protection

Questions and Answers

Are you monitoring the air quality in Barking and Dagenham?

Yes. We regularly monitor the air quality in the borough and the results are fed into the London-wide air-quality network. You can see the results for Barking and Dagenham and the rest of London at the London Air website.

Away from the major roads, the air quality in the borough falls well within the levels recommended by the National Air Quality Strategy.

Our Environmental and Enforcement Services team has been leading the review of local air quality that all councils must carry out. This review involves monitoring air quality around the borough and estimating where it will fall below the national standards.

The areas where air quality is likely to fall below the national standards are all along major roads (where air pollution is highest).

In June 2004 we discussed an Air Quality Action Plan and identified the action that we plan to take to improve air quality in the borough.

How can I safely get rid of dangerous chemicals?

If you have chemicals in your home that you want to get rid of, call the hazardous waste collection service on 020 7332 3433. Hazardous chemicals (such as pesticides) are collected and removed free of charge from people's homes.

Pollution control - hazardous substances

Every year exposure to hazardous substances at work effects the health of many thousands of people.

Common examples include lung disease (like dusty conditions), skin irritation, dermatitis or skin cancer (like frequent contact with oils, contact with corrosive liquids), occupational asthma (like sensitisation to isocyanates in paints or adhesives), toxic fumes and occupational cancer.

The high costs of ill-health arise from loss of earnings, loss of productivity, prosecution and civil action amongst others.

Hazardous substances definition, regulation and assessment|

I have asbestos in my house - what should I do?

Ask yourself the following questions.

Is the asbestos in good condition?
Is it somewhere where it is likely to be damaged?
Does it need to be removed?

If the answer to each of these questions is no, leave the asbestos where it is as removing it would release more fibres than leaving it alone would do.

If the material containing asbestos needs to be removed for building or decorating work, or because it is damaged, you should do it very carefully. To remove asbestos-cement products (such as roofs or bath panels) you need to dismantle, unscrew or unbolt them rather than break them.

Keep the area damp to prevent fibres getting into the air and wear an asbestos-proof face mask (available from DIY stores). For anything more complicated or any other materials containing asbestos, you should use a licensed contractor. Look in Yellow Pages or Thomson Local under 'Asbestos removal'.

Small quantities of asbestos from houses can be collected and removed free of charge through the hazardous waste collection service, operated on behalf of the London boroughs by the Corporation of London. Please telephone 020 7332 3433 to use this service.

Or, you can take suitably wrapped asbestos sheeting to Frizlands Civic Amenity Site. Please telephone 020 8227 2617 beforehand to check that there is room at the site.

What are the restrictions on making noise by digging up the road?

As with all noisy work, workers should make sure that they cause as little noise as they can. Where possible, they should only work on weekdays during the day.

Equipment should be well maintained and meet the relevant approvals. Items such as generators and pumps should be kept away from anything sensitive to vibrations.

If weekend or night-time work is unavoidable, the workers should keep noise to a minimum and give affected residents notice in writing beforehand. This notice should include:

Details of the work to be done
How long it will take
What steps the workers have taken to keep the noise to a minimum; and
A contact telephone number so that affected residents can to speak to someone about their concerns

The workers should send a copy of the letter to Barking and Dagenham Direct at the address shown.

What is air pollution?

Air pollution is made up of a mixture of gases and particles (called pollutants) that have been released into the atmosphere by man-made processes such as burning coal, oil, petrol or diesel.

The sources, health effects and chemical behaviour of each separate pollutant are different, making it difficult to understand and control air pollution.

What is asbestos and why should I be worried?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is mined in various parts of the world including Canada, South Africa and Russia. It is resistant to heat, fire and chemicals, and it can easily be used in a wide range of products including building materials and fire-resistant materials.

Asbestos was widely used throughout most of the 20th century, particularly in the 1970s, and only stopped being widely used in the early 1980s when scientists realised how dangerous it could be. Because it has been so widely used, most homes in the UK built before the 1980s will probably have some asbestos in the building materials.

Asbestos is made up of lots of strands or fibres. These fibres easily break apart when they are damaged and are so light they will float in the air. Some of those fibres can become so small that people breathe them in and they can get stuck in the lungs. This causes scarring (asbestosis) or some types of cancer.

The people most at risk of developing asbestos-related illness are those who have worked with the asbestos over a long time. It is very rare for asbestos-related diseases to be developed by people who have only occasionally come into contact with asbestos.

What pollution-control permit do I need to start up a business?

The only types of industry that need a pollution-control permit as well as normal planning controls are those that are very complicated or could cause serious harm to the local area.

The largest, most complicated or dangerous industries are controlled by the Environment Agency. You can get more details by visiting the Environment Agency website or by calling the local office on 01707 632300.

Industries likely to cause local nuisance are monitored and controlled by us. These include:

Car re-sprayers using more than 0.5 tonnes of solvent a year
Concrete crushing processes
Concrete manufacturers
Road resurfacing (like tarmac); and
Timber manufacturing

For more information and an application form, please contact Barking and Dagenham Direct.

Where can I find out if there is any contaminated land in Barking and Dagenham?

Because of the number of industries in Barking and Dagenham (for example, heavy engineering and chemical manufacture), a lot of the land in the borough could be contaminated with a range of chemicals depending on the previous use of the land.

We have a programme of ongoing inspection at high-priority sites where we have identified that a risk, either to people or the environment, may be present. You can get information about individual sites if you ask us. If we need to do any research to get the information you want, we may charge a fee.

Please contact Barking and Dagenham Direct at the address shown.