26-01-2025
'Most doctors don't know about it, but it affects children in so many ways'
Most days at Hawthorn Medical Centre in south Manchester, someone will come to the surgery with asthma symptoms.
But Dr Sinead Millwood, who is a GP at the practice, says most doctors don't realise what may be behind it. She tells the Manchester Evening News of one family with 10 children, four of which suffer with severe asthma - and she believes it's caused by air pollution.
"They are constantly in and out of hospital," she says. "The impact this has on school attendance and ultimately their life chances is very concerning."
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Some children are genetically predisposed to asthma, she explains, so even if they were in the countryside, they would still have it. But what concerns her is how often their asthma is 'exacerbated', causing wheezing and in the worst cases, threatening their lives.
"They're coming in again and again despite having good treatment," she says. For Dr Millwood, there is an obvious answer - clean up the air.
On Thursday (January 23), the government effectively announced the end of the Clean Air Zone. No motorists will be charged under the new plan and instead an 'investment-led' approach will put funding towards zero emission and cleaner diesel buses and taxis.
It comes after a three-year row over the previous scheme which would have hit vans, taxis, buses and lorries that don't meet emission standards with a fee of up to £60 a day. The Clean Air Zone was put on hold at the start of 2022 following a huge public backlash.
Local leaders now argue that they can clean up the air, bringing nitrogen dioxide (NO2) below legal limits, without introducing any charges. The government has now approved the plans which claim the new approach will cut pollution quicker than a charging zone.
But clean air campaigners have expressed their disappointment over the decision, arguing that the new plan does not go far enough. Among them is Dr Millwood who fears the move will lead to more asthma exacerbations and other illnesses associated with pollution.
According to Asthma + Lung UK, Manchester and Salford have some of the highest levels of emergency admissions and deaths linked to lung conditions in the UK. Campaign group Mums for Lungs claim that the delays to the Clean Air Zone have cost hundred of lives.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News about the decision, Dr Millwood explains that asthma exacerbations can cause children's bodies not to develop properly, stunting growth and affecting brain development. It can also limit the size their lungs can grow to.
"This affects children in so many different ways. It means they might not be able to go to school that day and if they do, they might not be able to concentrate or participate in physical education," she says.
"For children who are constantly affected by this, it has other implications for their health and longer lasting effects.
"Once your lungs are damaged, that's it for the rest of your life. They won't grow back again."
Pollution can also have a detrimental impact to adults' health and the elderly in particular. Among the illnesses linked to pollution are heart disease, COPD, lung cancer and diabetes, according to Dr Millwood, who says it can also cause pre-term births and miscarriages.
"Most doctors don't know about it," she says. "I didn't, even when I was a doctor. It's not in your training at medical school.
"People don't know how serious it is to their children's health. They're worried about the cost to the family for their cars, but they don't know about the costs to their children's health."
Greater Manchester's transport bosses say that NO2 levels are falling in the city-region, arguing that this is being driven by investment in the Bee Network - the new London-style public transport network. The latest figures show that 64 places in Greater Manchester still have illegal levels of NO2 with the pollution rising in some areas, but this is down from 129 locations in exceedance five years ago.
A Clean Air GM spokesperson said: 'Cleaning up the air that people breathe is a priority for Greater Manchester, and we are pleased that Government is backing our investment-led, non-charging Clean Air Plan that will improve air quality without harming livelihoods, jobs and businesses, while meeting legal limits in the shortest possible time.
'The latest data shows that air pollution is falling in Greater Manchester, and this is being driven by investment in the Bee Network and the transition to cleaner vehicles across the region, which will be further supported by the measures set out in our plan.'
