28/01/2013 Inside Out East Midlands

Hello and tonight Inside Out is in a very snowy Peak District. Coming

up - The invisible pollution in our cities - and the children who may

be paying the price. I wouldn't be surprised if some of this fumes are

making his asthma worse, and bringing the condition on. Also

tonight: We're in the Peak District villages where life goes on when

the snow comes down. We've got the clothing, we've got the vehicles,

stockpiles the fuel, and that way it's something that be enjoyed

rather than endured. And how new research into Tourette's syndrome

is changing lives. I'm Marie Ashby and this is Inside Out for the East

Air quality isn't a problem here in the Peak District, but it's

estimated it may contribute to as many as 50,000 deaths a year in

Britain, and one pollutant in particular, is of big concern here

in the East Midlands. Nitrogen dioxide levels in Nottingham and

Leicester are some of the highest in Europe - so high they could be

damaging our health. Luke Hanrahan has been finding out why, and

whether anyone is doing anything about it.

Good morning, it's 7 o'clock on Monday 28th January, you're

listening to BBC Radio Leicester. If you're struggling to get in and

out of Leicester on the roads, then let us know. Every morning the East

Midlands wakes up under a cloud. From 15 years to go with the

increase of cars, we are seeing for patients who are having problems

with their breathing. This map shows just how quickly levels build

up during the East Midlands rush hour - and right bang in the centre

of all that red are two of our big cities, breathing in record

quantities of one particular noxious gas. It's called nitrogen

dioxide - it's invisible, but according to the latest figures

Leicester has the highest levels in England, and Nottingham the second

highest. In fact they have some of the highest levels in Europe -

putting them 9th and 11th in a table of European cities. So what's

the problem with nitrogen dioxide? Well the health risks still aren't

fully understood - but we do know that even in healthy people just 30

minutes of exposure irritates the lungs and throat. And it can cause

real problems for people with respiratory conditions such as

asthma. I'm asthmatic so I'd like to find out more. Nine-year-old

Aadam has asthma too - it's so severe his family needs to keep a

close eye on his breathing. I think when he first started having them

we panicked a bit, but now we know what to do. We knew what to resort

to. Normally after that he was fine anyway, there's more or less

someone with him all the time. doors down is Aadam's best friend,

and asthma buddy, Uzir. Both are now so used to their condition that

they'd never leave home without their inhalers. I wouldn't be

surprised if some of these fumes are making his asthma worse, and

bringing the condition on. Each morning the two friends walk 800

yards to Shenton Primary School - which is close to the busy

Humberstone Road. Normally I just take my inhaler four times a day,

and that will keep my asthma under control. What I'll do is take it

morning and night, but if it's real bad I'll take it every two hours.

We'd like to establish what the pollution levels are directly

outside this school, and along with the university of Leicester -

that's what we're going to try and find out. So this is something we

call a NOxBOX, it measures NO and NO2. I'll use it along with other

instruments to help me measure the exact chemistry going on in the

atmosphere. Over the next week Kate will be observing what's in the air

they breathe. We have over 450 children in the school, and many of

them live nearby. So in terms of the long term effects, very

concerned. In 2011 - here, on St Matthew's Way, which is just around

the corner from Shenton primary school, the nitrogen dioxide level

exceeded the hourly European limit on 209 separate occasions. The

question is why - after so many years of trying to lower it - is it

still so high? The answer could lie at the heart of the diesel engine.

Since 2000, levels of other harmful pollutants have dropped, while

nitrogen dioxide levels have not. So what's different? Well the

number of diesel cars sold today makes up half of the total, from

just 14% in 2000. Now I'm one of the millions of people in the UK

who bought diesel car in the last ten years. Diesel engines give out

less carbon dioxide than petrol cars and they're more fuel

efficient. But unlike petrol cars the release nitrogen dioxide - at a

level that has barely changed in 15 years. Doctor James Tate is an

expert who's been looking at the nitrogen dioxide conundrum - trying

to work out why the levels haven't come down. Despite the millions of

pounds spent by the car manufacturers to meet EU emission

standards. OK, modern diesel engines are fitted with a particle

filter, to strip out most of the particles coming out of the engine,

and it's been doing a good job at that, but a by-product of this

whole emission control system is that the levels of nitrogen dioxide

at the tailpipe have been actually increasing. It's quite a tricky

balancing act, cutting fuel, reducing particle emissions, but

also reducing nitrogen dioxide. And if you improve one, it might be at

the detriment of the others, and that has been the case with

nitrogen dioxide in recent years. Modern diesel cars are very

efficient and good at driving up and down the motorway, but in city

driving their emission controls are But Here at the Glenfield Hospital

- they've certainly seen an increase of patients at their

weekly asthma clinic. Jan Chanterelle has worked here in

Leicester as an asthma nurse for 20 years. 50 years ago you had very

few patients with asthma, or you'd go to class room and there'd be one,

perhaps two patients who had asthma. Now there's one or two who haven't.

Back at Shenton Primary School it's time to pick up the results of our

experiment. There were a couple of days where we've had some quite

high levels. The sort of levels where we really wouldn't it to stay

that high all day. You are getting spikes when there's a lot more

traffic - the mornings and the evening at rush hour - so these

days we are seeing high pollution, sometimes twice as high as other

days, so it does vary from day to day. So on some days every breath

people take here is putting harmful pollutants into their lungs, levels

so high the World Health Organization specifically lists

that amount of nitrogen dioxide as damaging to humans. This map shows

a snapshot of Leicester - and Shenton Primary lies on the

Humberstone Road, right on the edge of this red area. It is certainly a

Europe wide problem, but what is it that makes Leicester and Nottingham

such hot-spots? Many of the cities in the midlands expanded in the

Victorian era, with the suburbs around the edges, the businesses

and shops in the middle of the cities. That means at certain times

of day they are funneling large volumes of traffic down into the

centre of these cities, which leads you to pollution hot-spots with

respect to NO2. So there is a problem, and the city council here

is aware of it. But what is it doing to fix it? There's different

ways of looking at the data, and I think if you look at some of the

data we capture, it may challenge some of the data we see from other

sources, but as I said, we don't deny there's a challenge here, but

it's one we are determined to address. By challenge, do you mean

"you have a high level of nitrogen dioxide? Well, that's what the data

would suggest that's the case. Once we reduce NO2 we have to reduce the

emission or the traffic on our roads, and that's something we're

working on. Air pollution costs the UK an estimated 20 billion pounds a

year. It's recognized by the government as the second biggest

public health threat after smoking. But the uncomfortable fact is that

most of us are addicted to our cars. And unless new technology comes

along - children Aadam and Uzir Luke Hanrahan reporting there. Well

the winter weather's been up to its usual tricks closing schools,

causing accidents and traffic jams and piling the pressure on

businesses. But here in the Peak district they seem to cope with

snow much better than the rest of us and that's probably because they

get so much of it. We've been spending some time in the villages

of Parwich and Tissington where, for the most part, it's been

business as usual. It's Sunday - the busiest day of

the week for vicar Andy Larkin. He's got three church services to

get to in one morning and 15cm of snow isn't going to stop him or his

congregation. We're coming now to the small hamlet of Alsop. A small

stable congregation of half a dozen or so folk who come. People don't

really stop coming to church because of the weather. And

although we get small congregations they're very stable and committed.

Eight years ago Andy was an IT consultant in Leamington Spa. Now

his commute to work goes over hill and down dale. I love it,

absolutely love. A great place. Who wouldn't enjoy this wonderful

countryside this morning? A wonderful place to be a vicar.

Friends, welcome. We come to worship Jesus Christ, and we start

In the congregation at Alsop is Sir Richard Fitzherbert. His family

have owned the nearby Tissington $:/STARTFEED. But the days when Sir

Richard could rely on an army of servants are long gone. Keeping

this place going costs a fortune. Last year the heating bill alone

was more than �20,000. We have to keep the heating on so that he

pipes do not burst. We're thinking about the animals' first and then

the properties. It doesn't put you off being so remote? I don't think

we're report. This is the centre of the universe! Well, I'm not sure

about the centre of the universe, but the centre of the village is

the vintage sweet shop in what used to be the post office. I love the

shop. You still get people out in weather like this every day.

many people stop in? Yes. We get a lot of children at the weekends. We

are used to this weather. It is about keeping the local customers

going. All the walkers and tourists make the peak district the UK's

most popular national park. But first and foremost it's a place of

work. The Gosling family run a dairy farm above Parwich where the

animals need feeding and the cows need milking no matter what the

weather. Getting the milk tanker up this country lane in the snow can

be a challenge. And the tanker's not the only one that's had

problems. We have had a bit of a problem getting up here without a

four-wheel-drive vehicle. haven't used our car for over a

week because of the ice. You are remote here. Anything you want to

come in or out of your form has to go on this road. It certainly does.

It is not looking too good. Phyllis says her secret is preparation.

grow a lot of vegetables. After all she can't just pop down to the

shops. I have never seen a freezer so well stocked! Even the animals

have to wear coats. They were born three weeks ago. They will wear

these until they grow out of them. Then they will be passed on to some

new animals. What are your top tips for staying cheerful? It is

challenging. Wrap up warm. Eat good food. Think positive. Focus on

better times ahead. The snow will not be here forever. Village pubs

have been having a really hard time recently but as we're about to find

out, this isn't just a pub. Inside the Sycamore Inn you'll find a

roaring fire, a decent pint and the village shop, run by the Gosling's

daughter Janet. People were coming in to the bar and saying that the

shop was closing. That gave me the inspiration to open this shop here.

What difference would it make to villages like this if there was no

shop? The elderly might rely on the bus to get them out of the village,

so this is very important. Church services finished, Andy Larkin's

off to see Irene and Clarke Lomas in Thorpe. They've just retired and

now want to train a team of pastoral visitors to reach some of

the more isolated parts of the community. We need to get a list of

people who want to be the visitors. Then it is a case of matching up

the people who will do the visiting with the people who want to be

visited. How important is community in rural villages like this in this

weather? Very important. We're very fortunate here that we have a good

community where people care for each other. For instance, or for

this last week, people have cleared the snow for the elderly. Parents

got together last Friday to fetch the children back from the schools.

We literally know everyone. And they know us. We can look after

each other and be aware of our needs. Why do you think people in

the Peak District Court so much better than people in the city's?

We are just ready for it. Clothing, vehicles, fuel is stockpiled. Then

it is something that can be enjoyed and not endure. It is just one of

the seasons, a gift from God. It is very beautiful.

Sol, next time there is a few millimetres of snow for you to

scrape off in the windscreen, just remember that someone else and a

region has it worse than you and they don't complain about it. I

wish I had brought my Wellington boots!

Tourette's Syndrome affects one in 100 children, so the chances are

you've already met someone with it. Most will grow out of their tics by

the time they're adults. But what if you don't? The most chronic

cases are life-changing. Anthony Bartram has been investigating how

science being developed here in the East Midlands is helping to find

answers. Try to hold your breath as long as

you can. This girl has Tourettes Syndrome. Her text had been with

her since she was nine years old. used to only come here when no one

else was here. The neurological disorder affects one in 100

children, causing involuntary text. Hannah has had a rough and at times

dangerous ride. When I was 11, I went on the swings and I had one of

my text. I was threatened with a knife. After the knife incident,

invitations to play out disappeared. She has had nobody to come in and

play at home. The main thing for me is it is the sad part of not being

able to have a slipover. Midnight feasts somethings like that.

chronic texts are difficult to control. -- ticks. I didn't know

what was happening. This isn't me. They is a treatment which can help.

Some children grow out of it. We're trying to use brain imaging to help

us better diagnose this disorder and help predict outcomes. They are

beginning to chart and compare neurological development in this

laboratory. They're looking for patterns to help them predict what

will happen in years to come. A charity has commissioned the

research. Hannah is in good hands. The technology was invented in

Nottingham. How long will the research continue? We have been

studying Tourettes Syndrome for seven years. Now we will follow

people every year and look at how the brain is changing each year. We

will hopefully look at how the brain changes are predicting

changes in your text and whether drugs work. -- ticks. They hope to

use the data from the scams to work out which treatment will work best

for which children. If Hannah is one of the 30% that do not grow out

of the syndrome, at least she can prepare a plan. The brain study is

supported by various bodies. Another part up of the research

concentrates on physical behaviour. Kick-boxing has helped Hannah. The

academics are married. We collected our data. It was a difficult

control task. The literature was saying that they should be poor at

this. Surprisingly, they were much better than-expected. While the

brain study looks to the future, this work is very current. It also

helps raise awareness. We have come to meet someone scoring positive

points for Tourettes Syndrome. Only one in 10 people swear

uncontrollably. This PE teacher is one of them. Meeting her gives

Hannah a glimpse of a positive future, even if her syndrome

remains. Proof that it does not have to hold her back. The spasms

are random. They pick them up from each other and react to what is

around them. The way I explain it to my students is it is like a

bubble in my chest that rises up. My neck contracts when I have the

spasms. Sometimes I can predict what is coming but I can't stop it.

I can hold them in for a little while, but not long. You have to

let it go. Some colourful language is not that out of place on the

football field. I have heard you students are very supportive?

difficult in lessons. If it is in context, they will last. So when

your friends. They are laughing at what is said, not the person.

easier for kids to understand than adults. It is another welcome

connection for Hannah. Bringing reassurance about the future and

friendships. Some people couldn't see past the Tourettes Syndrome.

You're better off without them. I have met people that except me.

Some of their marriage work. Some through football. Now I have a

secure a set of friends that C D Tourettes Syndrome as they -- as a

bonus. Hannah has a lot to take away from this meeting. She said

that nothing should stop you and hold you back. Looking forward,

Hannah has a 5050 chance of passing Tourettes Syndrome on to her

children. Making the research even more important to her. If I have

children of my own, I hope the research will help and I know that

they want have to go through what I went through. That's it from the

Peak District. Huge thanks to everyone who helped us get around.

Don't forget if you've got a story you can email me at

[email protected] or find me on twitter @MarieAshby. Goodbye.