TRESA has not received a response yet to our enquiry about the City Council’s plans to tackle air pollution. A recent report into the health effects of air pollution in Bristol concluded that around 300 premature deaths each year in the City of Bristol can be attributed to exposure to NO2 and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), with roughly an equal number attributable to both pollutants. This represents about 8.5% of deaths in the administrative area of Bristol being attributable to air pollution.
Other reasons why we should care about air pollution are outlined in this report by the Royal College of Physicians.
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The annual mortality burden in the UK from exposure to outdoor air pollution is equivalent to around 40,000 deaths. To this can be added further impacts from exposure to indoor air pollutants such as radon and second-hand smoke.
The health problems resulting from exposure to air pollution also have a high cost to society and business, our health services, and people who suffer from illness and premature death. In the UK, these costs add up to more than £20 billion every year.
Vulnerable people are prisoners of air pollution, having to stay indoors and limit their activity when pollution levels are high. This is not only unjust; it carries a cost to these individuals and the community from missed work and school, from more health problems due to lack of exercise, and from social isolation.
Taking action will reduce pain, suffering and demands on the NHS, while getting people back to work, learning, and an active life. The value of these benefits far exceeds the cost of reducing emissions.
Air pollution plays a key role in the process of climate change, which places our food, air and water supplies at risk, and poses a major threat to our health. Several pollutants that cause this environmental damage are also toxic to our bodies. Therefore, many of the changes that would decrease air pollution to protect our health – especially using energy more efficiently and burning less solid fuel and oil – would also help to slow down the overheating of our planet.