Centre Co-Director Professor Chris Griffiths has published an opinion piece today on the Guardian website commenting on the impact of air pollution on public health in the UK. The article responds to findings in The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, published last week, which identified air pollution as the largest environmental cause of disease and death in the world today.
Professor Griffiths provides insights from a UK primary care perspective gained working as a GP for over 20 years in East London; the article focuses on the impact of air pollution on public health through the lifespan and the resulting effects on quality of life.
Professor Griffiths states:
"The illnesses linked to air-pollution exposure in adults span other respiratory and non-respiratory conditions, including pneumonia, angina, heart attacks, strokes and even cognitive decline. Sooty particles and nitrogen dioxide inhaled by pregnant women increase the risk of pre-term birth, and low birth weight at term.
Overall, therefore, air pollution adversely affects our health across our entire lifespan. These illnesses can have far-reaching effects on a person’s quality of life, that of their families, their livelihoods, and their finances. One patient I remember well lost her job due to recurrent severe asthma attacks."
Read the full article on the Guardian website: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/23/pollution-toxic-air-london-vehicle-charge-gp
Links
Link to The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health
Link to the Guardian article covering The Lancet Commission report