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Low Concentrations Of Air Pollution Can Still Impact Health, Study Finds
HOBOKEN, NJ - JULY 20: The sun rises on the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in ... More New York City as a man walks through a park on July 20, 2023, in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Photo by)
Exposure to air pollution air even at low concentrations can still have significant air impacts, according to a new analysis.
The report by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) highlights the growing evidence about the health impacts linked to air pollution and calls on the U.K. government to treat it as a serious and preventable health risk.
It emphasises that poor ventilation, damp and mould, and emissions from domestic heating, gas cooking and household products all contribute significantly to poor health.
The study, which has been published to mark Clean Air Day (19 June), also warns air pollution could contribute towards 30,000 deaths in the U.K. this year and cost the NHS and the economy billions.
It urges the U.K. government to recognise air pollution as a public health issue, rather than a solely environmental one and tackle emissions from various sources, including wood burning, agriculture, transport and indoor pollutants.
And it also calls for targeted support to protect the most vulnerable and affected communities and a nationwide public health campaign on air pollution.
The RCP's special adviser on air quality, Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, from the University of Southampton, said up to 700 diseases have now been linked with air pollution in an interview.
Professor Holgate added air pollution itself has changed and there is growing evidence to show how smaller pollution particles can penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
'Air quality is also interacting with many other factors,' he told me.
'It only very rarely causes a single disease, but can interact with other health issues, like diet, lifestyle, inequalities, and stress to act like a catalyst and force them to accelerate disease processes than in the absence of pollution.'
Professor Holgate added air pollution is traditionally regarded as an environmental issue, but now needs to be seen much more as a public health concern.
'We need to get more public health messaging out there, and better champions in local authorities, GP surgeries and hospitals to tell the story about why air pollution is bad for you, and what can be done about it.
'And we have got to integrate air pollution policies with climate change policies, because some of these air pollutants like black carbon, are up to 1,500 times more potent than carbon dioxide at global warming and therefore cleaning up our urban environment will have a big impact towards achieving net zero,' he added.
Clean Air Day is a national event organised by the non-profit Global Action Plan.
As part of this year's event, more than 100 healthcare professionals will meet today at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) in London and march to Parliament Square to demand action on air pollution.
When they arrive, they will deliver a letter to the U.K government, which calls on it to meet World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines.
Global Action Plan's director of policy and campaigns, Larissa Lockwood said air pollution levels in urban areas across the country currently exceed the recommended limits set by the WHO, in a statement.
This Clean Air Day healthcare workers and organisations have sent a clear message to the U.K. government
that it's time to bring our air quality targets in line with the overwhelming medical consensus,' added Lockwood.
The charity Asthma + Lung UK has also released the details of a new poll for Clean Air Day, which highlights the impact air pollution can have on people's health.
Almost one in five of people with lung conditions surveyed said air pollution had caused an asthma attack or serious flare-up, while more than half said it left them feeling breathless.
The poll also found nearly one in six respondents said they avoid leaving home when air pollution levels are high, and one in 10 reported feeling low or depressed because of it.
Even among those who believe they're not affected by air pollution, a third of those surveyed were unaware of the risks, suggesting a significant gap in awareness.5
Asthma + Lung UK chief executive Sarah Sleet said the U.K. urgently needs tougher air quality laws, aligned with WHO guidelines, in a statement.
