Government must take air pollution more seriously, says England’s chief medical officer in annual report

Stronger and concerted action is required across all areas of public policy to reduce air pollution and its impacts, England’s chief medical officer has urged.In his annual report Chris Whitty said that while outdoor air pollution in England has reduced significantly since the 1980s it still poses significant health threats including increasing heart disease, stroke, lung disease, cancer, child lung development, and asthma, and kills an estimated 26 000 to 38 000 people a year in England.The report said that indoor air pollution is becoming an increasing proportion of the overall problem as outdoor air pollution improves, and called for more focus on tackling it.It said that some pollutants may enter buildings from outdoors, but there are also indoor sources of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. Volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide are emitted indoors while damp is another source of indoor pollution. But the report acknowledged that less was…
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