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| UK air pollution 'linked to 40,000 early deaths a year' | UK air pollution 'linked to 40,000 early deaths a year' |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Air pollution is contributing to about 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK, say the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health. | |
| While the pollutants have changed over time - from coal soot to diesel vehicle emissions - the health risks remain. | While the pollutants have changed over time - from coal soot to diesel vehicle emissions - the health risks remain. |
| Tobacco still poses the biggest indoor threat, but wood-burning stoves, spray deodorants, cleaning products, air fresheners and fly spray contribute. | Tobacco still poses the biggest indoor threat, but wood-burning stoves, spray deodorants, cleaning products, air fresheners and fly spray contribute. |
| Mould and mildew in poorly ventilated rooms can also cause illness. | Mould and mildew in poorly ventilated rooms can also cause illness. |
| "Being indoors can offer some protection against outdoor air pollution, but it can also expose us to other air pollution sources," the report says. | "Being indoors can offer some protection against outdoor air pollution, but it can also expose us to other air pollution sources," the report says. |
| "There is now good awareness of the risks from badly maintained gas appliances, radioactive radon gas and second-hand tobacco smoke, but indoors we can also be exposed to NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] from gas cooking and solvents that slowly seep from plastics, paints and furnishings. | "There is now good awareness of the risks from badly maintained gas appliances, radioactive radon gas and second-hand tobacco smoke, but indoors we can also be exposed to NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] from gas cooking and solvents that slowly seep from plastics, paints and furnishings. |
| "The lemon-and-pine scents that we use to make our homes smell fresh can react chemically to generate air pollutants, and ozone-based air fresheners can also cause indoor air pollution." | "The lemon-and-pine scents that we use to make our homes smell fresh can react chemically to generate air pollutants, and ozone-based air fresheners can also cause indoor air pollution." |
| Co-author Prof Jonathan Grigg said there was now clear evidence that air pollution - largely from factories and traffic - was linked to heart disease and lung problems, including asthma. | |
| "As NHS costs continue to escalate due to poor public health - asthma alone costs the NHS an estimated £1bn a year - it is essential that policy makers consider the effects of long-term exposure on our children and the public purse," he said. | "As NHS costs continue to escalate due to poor public health - asthma alone costs the NHS an estimated £1bn a year - it is essential that policy makers consider the effects of long-term exposure on our children and the public purse," he said. |
| Prof Grigg said the public could also help by: | Prof Grigg said the public could also help by: |
| Prof Stephen Holgate, who chaired the reporting group, warned against complacency. | Prof Stephen Holgate, who chaired the reporting group, warned against complacency. |
| "We all have a part to play to cut environmental pollution," he said. | "We all have a part to play to cut environmental pollution," he said. |
| "We can't see it, smell it or taste it, which is why people do not necessarily think we have a problem. | "We can't see it, smell it or taste it, which is why people do not necessarily think we have a problem. |
| "But we do have a serious problem still, even though emissions for some pollutants have gone down. | "But we do have a serious problem still, even though emissions for some pollutants have gone down. |
| "It's a big public health issue and, as doctors, we have a duty to speak out about it." | "It's a big public health issue and, as doctors, we have a duty to speak out about it." |