Cleaning up our toxic air

Air pollution affects your health from before your first breath until your last. Even though we often can’t see it, it’s linked to a range of health problems at every stage of our lives – impacting life expectancy and cutting up to 43,000 lives short a year across the UK. 

But while the impacts of air pollution are felt by everyone, they’re not felt equally. Where you live can make a big difference; if you’re in a more deprived area, for example, you might be exposed to higher levels of pollution. And people from ethnic minority communities are much more likely to be exposed to dangerous levels of toxic air. 

Certain groups are also hit harder when it comes to health. Children, older adults, and those with existing health conditions are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of air pollution: 

• Childhood: Even before you’re born, air pollution can start having an impact. If you’re exposed in the womb, it can lead to being born too early or underweight. As you grow, it can affect how your lungs and brain develop, increase your chances of getting asthma, and make it more likely that you’ll end up in hospital because of breathing problems. 
• Adulthood: As you get older, the effects of air pollution don’t go away – they build up. It can damage pretty much every organ in your body. These include serious conditions like heart and lung disease, strokes, diabetes, even dementia, and mental health issues. It also raises your risk of heart attacks and certain types of cancer. 
• End of life: Over time, all these health problems can add up. Air pollution doesn’t just make you sick – it can actually shorten your life. In the UK alone, it’s linked to between 29,000 and 43,000 deaths every year. 

Ways you can take action this Clean Air Day

It doesn’t have to be like this. With our support, our member Global Action Plan’s Clean Air Day on 19 June is shining a light on the harmful health effects of the toxic air we all breathe and the bold action the government can take to clean up our air. 

Our environment is an important building block of health and wellbeing: when we have clean air to breathe, as well as access to nature, green spaces and healthy waterways, our health is improved. 

By cleaning up our air, we can all benefit from immediate and lasting health improvements, and help ensure that future generations can live happier, healthier lives. The UK government has committed to reviewing its air quality targets, and we can all play a part in making sure these targets are ambitious enough to ensure we can all breathe cleaner air. 

If you want to support Global Action Plan in their call for the government to introduce World Health Organization air quality targets in UK law, write to your MP below.