![]() ![]() ![]() Currently, there is no clear evidence of a safe level of exposure below which there is no risk of adverse health effects. Particulate matter ( PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) are both major components of urban air pollution. The key air pollutantsĪir pollution is a complex mix of particles and gases of both natural and human origin. The draft Clean Air Strategy, published in May 2018, sets out the case for action and demonstrates the government’s determination to improve our air quality. The government recognises that protective health - and tackling air pollution - requires action, and is committed to improving the UK’s air quality and reducing harmful emissions. There are legal requirements and aspirational targets for levels of different air pollutants. The UK Health Forum and Imperial College London, in collaboration with and funded by Public Health England ( PHE), developed a modelling framework and estimated that a 1 µg/m3 reduction in fine particulate air pollution in England could prevent around 50,900 cases of coronary heart disease, 16,500 strokes, 9,300 cases of asthma and 4,200 lung cancers over an 18 year period. Many everyday activities such as transport, industrial processes, farming, energy generation and domestic heating can have a detrimental effect on air quality. Short-term exposure (over hours or days) to elevated levels of air pollution can also cause a range of health impacts, including effects on lung function, exacerbation of asthma, increases in respiratory and cardiovascular hospital admissions and mortality.Īir pollutants are emitted from a range of both man-made and natural sources. In 2010, the Environment Audit Committee considered that the cost of health impacts of air pollution was likely to exceed estimates of £8 to 20 billion.Įpidemiological studies have shown that long-term exposure to air pollution (over years or lifetimes) reduces life expectancy, mainly due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer. Scale of the problemĪir pollution has a significant effect on public health, and poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. It includes calls to action on reducing air pollution and exposure for the health service and healthcare professionals, local government, and the public. This edition of Health matters focuses on the health impacts that air pollution can have across a person’s lifetime, the associated health inequalities, and the current and future outlook both in terms of new cases of disease and NHS and social care costs attributable to air pollution. Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK, as long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer, leading to reduced life expectancy. ![]()
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