Free air quality masks to be given away to cyclists

Whilst cycling through London might be an environmentally-friendly way to get around, it isn’t entirely a health-friendly one. Toxic air, caused by carbon emissions from the capital’s traffic, poses a health risk to Londoners and cyclists should make sure they take measures to protect themselves.

This is why today, Clean Air Day, delivery service Deliveroo has announced they are partnering with British start-up Cambridge Mask Company to offer free branded masks to riders and members of the public, across major cities in the UK, in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow.

An estimated 50% of Deliveroo’s 25,000 self-employed UK riders use bicycles, and the delivery service say they are determined to tackle the pollution which could affect them. These masks will be available to riders – on demand – from July 2019, and to members of the cycling community later in the summer.

Each Cambridge mask features filter technology which has been specially designed by British military personnel to protect against chemical, nuclear and even biological warfare. This means virtually all particulate, gas and pathogen pollutants can be filtered out with their use, the company say.

“98 out of every 100,000 deaths are a result of polluted air so we are incredibly excited to be part of a new custom-branded mask being distributed with Deliveroo,” Christopher Dobbing, founder and CEO of Cambridge Mask Co. says.

“Research by Imperial University shows that air pollution will be costing the UK up to £5.3bn by 2035, so Deliveroo helping to protect people from pollution is great to see. Hopefully other companies will follow suit.”

Emma Simmonds, Director of Policy for Deliveroo, adds: “Deliveroo riders are at the heart of everything we do and we want to support them however we can.

“Riders are out in the community and on the roads every day bringing people their favourite meals. We know our riders love riding but that also means, just like other cyclists, they face the challenge of poor air quality in some parts of the UK.

“We are delighted to be supporting another exciting British start-up. Cambridge Mask Company have come up with an innovative solution to tackling this problem and we think everyone, especially our riders, should be able try out these masks. Deliveroo is determined to support efforts that make our cities cleaner and safer to ride in.”