Britain's 'shameful' air pollution scandal

Britain now has the dubious title of highest death rate for lung conditions in western Europe, according to research carried out by the charity Asthma and Lung UK.

Over 100,000 people every year in Britain now die from asthma attacks, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia - across Europe only Turkey has a higher death rate. In France, the death rate is half that in the UK.

Chief executive of Asthma and Lung UK, Sarah Woolnough, said: "The state of lung health in the UK is shameful, with more than 100,000 people dying every year from lung conditions, the numbers of hospital admissions increasing, and air pollution causing people to develop lung conditions or making existing ones worse."

Air pollution: From cradle to grave

Air pollution in British cities can damage our health from before we are born, dog us throughout our lives, and for over 30,000 of us every year, kill us.

Our polluted air affects all of us, no matter our age and recent studies highlights the damage extending far beyond the lungs. For example, research revealed that air pollution causes a significant reduction in intelligence - equivalent to missing an entire year of education.

It now appears that air pollution may be damage our health before we are even born.

| “It is always good if possible to take less polluted routes if you are pregnant – or indeed if you are not pregnant"

Scientists at Queen Mary University of London have found evidence that nanoparticles of airborne soot make their way via a pregnant women’s lungs to lodge in the placentas - researchers say it is quite possible the particles entered the foetuses too.

“It is a worrying problem – there is a massive association between air pollution a mother breathes in and the effect it has on the foetus,” says Dr Lisa Miyashita, one of the researchers. “It is always good if possible to take less polluted routes if you are pregnant – or indeed if you are not pregnant. I avoid busy roads when I walk to the station.”

A study of over half a million births in London confirmed a link between air pollution during pregnancy and low birth weight (and the resulting health complications throughout life) leading doctors to say the implications for many millions of women are “something approaching a public health catastrophe”.

As part of our film about road danger, Stop Killing our Children, we spoke to Professor Stephen Holgate who is Medical Research Council Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology and Honorary Consultant Physician within Medicine at the University of Southampton:

“We know that here in the United Kingdom, for example, we have the highest prevalence of asthma in Europe and one of the major drivers of that of course is exposure to air pollution. The other thing that we understand more recently especially is that some of the pollutants get into the circulation and start increasing the risk of diabetes for example, which we know is going up in this country at the moment, and also impaired cognition – learning and the ability to acquire knowledge from schooling and teaching.”

https://vimeo.com/361286029

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