Transport for London say it is carrying out “extensive cleaning and monitoring” to tackle the issue
Transport for London says it needs to reduce one thing on the London Underground to keep “staff and customers safe.” The Transport body is working ensure that the substance doesn’t exceed “dangerous” levels on the Tube.
The Health and Safety Executive has occupational limits for dust levels on the London Underground. Keeping dust below these levels ensures that both staff and customers remain safe while travelling on the TfL network.
Dust on the Tube is made up of a mixture of metal particles, organic matter like skin and hair and mineral dusts. Transport for London says that current levels show that dust levels are below limits set by the HSE but that they cannot become “complacent.”
Is dust on the Tube dangerous?
There’s still a lot of debate about whether or not dust on the London Underground is dangerous or not. A review by the Government’s Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants in 2018 found that there was not enough evidence at the time to determine the health impact of underground particulate matter.
However, a study led by Imperial College London found that staff who worked in areas with higher level of fine dust, or particulate matter, tended to report more episodes of sickness absence. While this does not provide enough evidence to establish a link between the two, researches say more evidence should be done to explore this.
The 2024 study carried out by researchers at Imperial’s School of Public Health and National Heart & Lung Institute, is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind ever conducted to link air quality and health effects in a subway system.
Dr David Green, from Imperial’s School of Public Health, and who led the work, said: “We found that exposure to dust varied widely among staff, even among those doing the same job role, and depended largely on where they were working across the Tube network.
“For example, drivers who worked on older trains and on lines with deeper tunnels were exposed to more PM2.5 – as were customer service staff at stations with interchanges for multiple lines. There was some evidence to suggest that staff exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 took more days off sick, but this link wasn’t clear cut.”
What is being done to tackle dust on the Tube?
Transport for London say it is carrying out “extensive cleaning and monitoring” to tackle dust on the Tube network. It carries out specific cleaning in areas which have higher levels of dust.
It has also increased its annual cleaning budget by £2 million, as well as introducing new methods like backpack vacuum cleaners. These measures have reduced dust levels by 30 percent on the Tube and 27 percent in the driver’s cab, say TfL.
Another key component of TfL’s work is monitoring dust levels on the Tube. TfL uses an independent company to carry out annual air quality monitoring across the Tube network by using specialised calibrated equipment which is more likely to achieve accurate and detailed results than personal portable devices.
TfL has also said its long-term plan involves investing in new trains and track infrastructure to reduce dust levels. For instance, the modern braking systems on the new Piccadilly line trains being introduced from 2025 will create less dust. It is also exploring the idea of introducing new air filtration systems and low-cost quality air sensors.
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