Brits have been handed a major warning about the 'most important threat to health' in the UK, which could see 30,000 people lose their lives this year alone.
Sir Chris Whitty, a man used to delivering bad news in his conferences during the coronavirus pandemic, has now urged us to wake up to the threat of air pollution in the UK.
Air pollution is a serious public health threat, leading to various illnesses and even premature death on some occasions.
The pollution, which has often been discussed as a threat to the planet, is now proving to be a significant threat to our health as well, as harmful gases linger in the air thanks to the burning of fossil fuels for energy, transportation and industrial processes.
How dangerous is air pollution?
It can wreak havoc on nearly every organ in the body and has been seriously affecting those with lung issues, with several reporting feeling breathless due to the high levels of air pollution.
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Even low levels of pollution can adversely affect unborn babies and contribute to diseases ranging from cancer, strokes and heart disease to mental health conditions and dementia.
Short-term exposure alone has been linked to serious respiratory problems.
What has the new study on air pollution found?
Research has been done over the past 10 years into air pollution and now the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) reckon that it affects 99 percent of Brits, suggesting that it may already be too late to remedy.
They suggest that the invisible killer could take off an average of 1.8 years from a person’s life.
This is far from a new problem for humanity, but the research suggests that it could be linked to around 30,000 deaths in the UK in 2025 alone, which will perhaps make more people take notice and do more to reduce their own carbon footprint.
What have the experts said about air pollution?
England’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Chris Whitty said in the report's foreword: "Air pollution remains the most important environmental threat to health, with impacts throughout the lifecourse.
“It is an area of health where the UK has made substantial progress in the last three decades with concentrations of many of the main pollutants falling rapidly, but it remains a major cause of chronic ill health as well as premature mortality.
"Further progress in outdoor air pollution will occur if we decide to make it, but will not happen without practical and achievable changes to heating, transport and industry in particular.
“Air pollution affects everybody, and is everybody’s business.”
Dr Mumtaz Patel, president of the Royal College of Physicians, added: “Air pollution can no longer be seen as just an environmental issue – it’s a public health crisis.
“We are losing tens of thousands of lives every year to something that is mostly preventable and the financial cost is a price we simply cannot afford to keep paying.
“We wouldn’t accept 30,000 preventable deaths from any other cause. We need to treat clean air with the same seriousness we treat clean water or safe food. It is a basic human right – and a vital investment in our economic future.”
Topics: UK News
James Moorhouse