Tackling air quality must be our next urgent national effort
Despite the current ebbs and flows in UK vaccine supply, the overall success of the vaccination programme gives a reason to hope for lighter restrictions this summer. However, there remains another invisible threat to the long-term health of our nation that will not go away. As we take our children to school, commute to work or head out on a run – normal, everyday activities – we’re all threatened by air pollution.
A new study in the Environmental Research publication recently found that air pollution from fossil fuels is responsible for nearly one in five deaths worldwide [1]. Look more closely at home and The British Heart Foundation has suggested that deaths attributable to toxic air over the next decade could exceed 160,000 unless immediate action is taken [2]. These findings should serve as a big wakeup call as without acting now, this statistic will only slide out of our control.
While I’m encouraged to see HM Government’s recent announcement that local authorities will receive an additional ￡5 million to deliver innovative projects to improve air quality, much more needs to be done to tackle this growing challenge. As a parent, I am tremendously concerned that unless we act with urgency, we’ll leave our children and their children with such toxic air that their quality of life and health will be significantly impacted. This is not a fair inheritance and the very prospect of that possibility should motivate us to reverse current concerning trends.
Clean Air for Schools programme gaining traction
Investment in air quality interventions can make a tangible difference to our future. And it is only right to start with interventions that help young people live cleaner, healthier lives. As an example, the Philips Foundation’s breakthrough Clean Air for Schools programme – alongside Global Action Plan and the University of Manchester – revealed maintaining lower air pollution levels by 20% could improve the development of a child’s working memory by 6.1%. [3]
Through the creation of the Clean Air for Schools Framework, which sets out interventions that will reduce air pollution in and around schools, we can begin to make a significant difference to children’s health and attainment. It’s also a framework that can be used on a global basis, through the Philips Foundation, and our colleagues around the world are considering how to pilot the programme this year.
The framework is ever more crucial considering the impact of COVID-19 on children and young people missing vital learning hours, particularly for those from disadvantaged backgrounds. To put this in context, in a survey of more than 3,000 school leaders in September 2020, pupils were already judged to be three months behind in their curriculum learning [4]. Asking children to attend school in polluted areas, when they may be already behind in their learning, is similar to removing all books and learning materials from their classrooms and still expecting them to get strong marks.
Healthcare inequalities and the environment
Wider society also needs to tackle this threat. At the end of 2020, Philips UKI released a research paper with Imperial College London, Reducing Healthcare Inequalities and Enhancing the NHS, detailing the dramatic impact that air quality has had on vulnerable communities in the UK.
This research confirms that on average, air pollution is worse in areas of higher deprivation in the UK. In parts of London, which has the worst air quality in the UK, nearly half of the most deprived areas have concentrations above the EU (and now UK) advised limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2). In comparison, only two percent of the least deprived areas were above the limit.
Worse still, this unsolved issue is continuing to place an unnecessary burden on the NHS in deprived areas. For example, it is estimated that living near a busy road in London increases a person’s risk of hospitalisation for stroke by 6.6%. In Birmingham, the effect of reducing air pollution by one fifth would result in 50 fewer lung cancer cases per year [5]. This increases the burden on our NHS of treating respiratory, heart and circulatory and other diseases associated with air pollution.
Now is the time for intervention
As an ambassador for the Philips Foundation, I have become more aware of the challenges we face in achieving meaningful change on air quality. I have also become more convinced of three critical ingredients which could make all the difference on this journey.
There needs to be a cost to inaction. To address the social determinants of health, the UK Parliament should legislate to adopt World Health Organisation guidelines for air quality, creating the ability to sanction organisations and local authorities that do not adhere to the law.
There needs to be a focus on prevention. Preventative healthcare and early intervention are vital in the air quality fight. We must remove the opportunities to create air pollution and put practical measures in place which pare back the impact on people. The Clean Air for Schools coalition is a fantastic example of preventative action.
There needs to be collaboration. Stakeholders from the public, private and third sectors must work together to deliver better outcomes for the people they serve. Initiatives such as Islington Borough Council’s partnership with the local CCG to train GPs as Air Quality Champions to deliver air quality improvement messages in surgeries are vital. Locally led solutions work and are hugely important in educating people about the risks of air pollution.
Philips UKI and the Philips Foundation are passionate about winning the air quality fight. For us it is personal. We care deeply about the communities our children grow up in. We have the technical expertise and scale to make a difference and are willing to work collaboratively to make a difference.
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[1] https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2021/feb/fossil-fuel-air-pollution-responsible-1-5-deaths-worldwide
[2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/13/air-pollution-kill-160000-next-decade-report
[3] https://www.philips-foundation.com/a-w/articles/clean-air-for-schools-2.html