A young entrepreneur from Harrow has been awarded Innovate UK’s Young Innovators awards for developing an app for mobiles that helps Londoners map out their tube routes with the cleanest air.
Tanya Beri, from Pinner, is one of the 94 high-potential Young Innovators who Innovate UK will give a £5,000 grant, one-on-one business coaching and an allowance to cover living costs to help progress her business idea.
The app, called CAIR London, is set to launch later this year and will help people find their way across London with the cleanest possible air.
Tanya Beri, Founder of CAIR London, said: “We’re often told taking public transport is better for the environment, but the reality is that many travel routes on the London Underground have high levels of air pollution. Sadly, the vast majority of tube passengers are breathing in air pollution (PM2.5) that far exceeds the safe limit,”
She added, “The London Underground is the heartbeat of London, allowing millions of people every day to travel at ease and speed. However, we should also be aware of how polluted it is, and so I created CAIR London to help people have a choice in how they travel by choosing the cleanest route.”
The UK’s safe limit for healthy air is less than 25 small particles in a cubic meter of air. However, in some places on the underground, it can top 200 per cubic meter. Numerous scientific studies have shown that these particles in the air can get deep into people’s lungs when breathed in and affect people’s organs, including the lungs and heart. Long-term exposure to poor air quality can lead to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and reduce life expectancy.
“I am a born and bred Londoner, and I think it’s important that air quality in the city is improved and that we each take steps to educate ourselves about the quality of the air we breathe. With CAIR London, people will be able to quickly and easily map out their tube routes and know they are minimizing how much pollution they encounter,” concluded Beri.