According to the Greater London Authority, an estimated 9,500 annual deaths in London are attributable to particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emitted into the air. According to the most recent London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI 2022) site activities combined with the machinery used by the construction industry contributes 4% of the total NOx, 32% of the PM10 and 8% of the PM2.5 emissions in London. These figures do not include emissions generated by the construction supply chain.

Source: "https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/london-atmospheric-emissions-inventor..."

Fugitive or nuisance dust, mainly from demolition and earthworks, also adds to local levels of particle pollution. In September 2015 the London Mayor introduced a low emission zone (LEZ) for construction machinery to reduce pollution emissions from the industry, with increasingly more stringent standards every 5 years to support the London Ultra Low Emission Zone.