Clean Air Activists Bottle Lake District Fresh Air for Victoria Line Commuters

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19 June 2025

To promote Clean Air Day, environmental activists have offered commuters on London Underground’s Victoria Line access to bottled air from the Lake District via oxygen masks.

University of the Arts London graduates Jay and Vini staged the publicity stunt to highlight the toxic air pollutants in the London Underground and spark conversations with commuters about Clean Air Day on 19 June 2025.

 

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Jay travelled to the Lake District to bag up clean air using air packs and connect them to aeroplane oxygen masks. The duo then installed this clean air supply onto the most polluted London Underground line: the Victoria Line.

 

Picture: a photograph showing the oxygen masks hanging from hand railings on a Victoria Line Train, connected to jars of fresh air which have been placed on the seats. Seated passengers can be seen in the background. Image Credit: Jay and Vini

 

Research shows that part of the Victoria Line has small particle pollution levels up to ten times higher than the World Health Organisation's safe limits, which is worse than any metro system in New York, Beijing, Taipei, or Seoul. 

Commuters were also invited to scan QR codes on the air packs to sign up for a campaign by Global Action Plan, the charity behind Clean Air Day, that urges MPs to prioritise improving air quality. 

One passenger commented that “This could actually work (to get people’s attention on air pollution issues)” whilst a commuter who has spent two hours every day on the Tube for fifteen years told "I know the air is harmful, but there just isn't a practical alternative.”

Almost nine million premature deaths are caused by air pollution worldwide every year, including 43,000 in the UK, according to the World Health Organisation.

Jay and Vini said: “Every time we blow our noses after taking the tube, we see black dust. We worry about how much of it has already settled in our lungs after all these years of commuting."

“Building this installation has made us realise a lot of people are concerned about this health issue. Some people even resort to wearing masks when travelling. Unfortunately, unless you’re wearing a PM2.5 mask, it doesn’t really filter out the small, harmful particles.”

Picture: a photograph of someone using their smartphone to take a picture of the "Mind the Air" campaign poster. The person is wearing the oxygen mask. Image Credit: Jay and Vini

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 19 June 2025

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