CR5 Issue 169 June 2019

Clean Air Day, an annual event
coordinated by Global Action
Plan, takes place on Thursday
20th June. The campaign’s
message for this year is that we
all need to work together to
reduce pollution, and that small
steps make a difference.
“Air pollution affects you from
your first breath to your last,
as the damage to our health
can start when we’re a baby
and carry on through into old
age,” says this year’s mission
statement – although experts
now know pollution can damage
our children’s health before their
first breath.
In the UK, 40,000 deaths a year
are attributed to outdoor air
pollution, and the illnesses it
causes costs around £20 billion
every year. There are also more
deaths and costs attributed to
indoor pollutants like badlyventilated
open fires and stoves,
radon and second-hand cigarette
smoke.
The health effects of pollution:
On adults
• Air pollution causes coughs
and increased phlegm and
increases your risk of getting
lung cancer, contributing to
around 1 in 13 cases. It also
reduces lung function, which
in turn increases risk for
Clean Air Day
COPD (chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease).
• Long-term exposure to
pollution is linked to a number
of cardiovascular diseases,
such as coronary heart
disease and furring of the
arteries. It increases the risk
of death from cardiac and
respiratory causes, especially
among people with preexisting
cardiac or respiratory
conditions.
Air pollution can
affect lung function
and development in
unborn babies.
• Researchers found that people
living in areas experiencing
levels of nitrogen dioxide
pollution in the top 20% were
40% more likely to have been
diagnosed with dementia than
those in areas with levels in
the lowest 20%. They seem
to be at increased risk of
‘silent stroke’ – small areas
of damage caused by lack of
oxygen to the brain tissue, but
not severe enough to cause
obvious symptoms. These
silent strokes may be a sign of
blood vessel disease, linked
to increased risk of vascular
dementia.
Whilst more specific research
needs to be done, experts
inside and outside the NHS
acknowledge an association
between pollution and the
neurological changes and
decline linked to dementia.
• Pollution increases the risk
of bladder cancer and Type 2
diabetes.
On children
The effects of pollution on
children are more serious,
because their organs and
immune system are still
developing. This, and their
smaller mass, makes them
particularly vulnerable.
• Air pollution can damage
your baby in the womb,
affecting their lung function
and development. High air
pollution is linked to low birth
weight and premature births.
• Exposure to air pollution
can cause more coughs and
bronchitis, and also increases
your child’s risk of getting
bacterial pneumonia.
• Pollution may play a part
in causing asthma in some
children and evidence
shows it can worsen asthma
symptoms. Long-term effects,
severity and mortality rates
increase with the length of
exposure and higher pollution
levels.
Reducing pollution indoors
• Open your window when
cleaning, cooking, burning
candles or decorating.
• Only burn smokeless fuels
or dry, well-seasoned wood
on your barbecue or stove.
The smoke from wood is
carcinogenic (cancer-causing).
Make sure chimneys and flues
are clean and ventilate rooms.
Buy a Defra-approved stove,
use authorised fuel, and only
light it when really necessary.
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