Air pollution is the silent killer of 24,000 British people each year (Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats)

Wantage and Didcot Liberal Democrats <info@wantagelibdems.org.uk>

Air pollution is the silent killer of 24,000 British people each year

May 25, 2009 7:54 PM

Simon Hughes MP, Lib Dem shadow spokesman for Energy and Climate Change

At least 24,000 people in Britain are dying prematurely due to air pollution every year, research by the Liberal Democrats based on official EU reports has revealed. Analysis of an EU case study, released by the Liberal Democrats, shows that at least 4,400 Londoners are dying prematurely each year from air pollution - four times greater than previously admitted by the Mayor of London.

With the UK expected to be in breach of European air quality targets for years to come, tens of thousands will die prematurely each year or have their health seriously affected. Liberal Democrats want the UK to comply with air quality laws in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes MP said: "Air pollution is a silent killer. Every year, thousands of people across Britain are having their lives cut short because our Government is dragging its heels on cleaning up the air we breathe. Meeting European targets on air pollution is not optional - it's a matter of life or death. It is high time Britain cleaned up its act."

One of many positive benefits of membership of the European Union has been agreements on environmental improvements, particularly those which directly affect the health of British citizens, such as the quality of the air we breathe. The EU sets strict legal limits on pollutants in the air that can aggravate asthma, lung disease and heart conditions.

Pollutants known as PM10, caused mainly by transport, cause up to 24,000 premature deaths in the UK each year according to the European Environment Agency with an equivalent health cost of up to £20 billion annually. Some estimates put the figure for premature deaths as high as 50,000.

These numbers compare with some 617 premature deaths per annum from workplace-related passive smoking before recent legislation came into force and up to 22,000 premature deaths per year from alcohol consumption.

Since the legal limits on PM10 pollution came into force in 2005, Britain has breached set levels in many parts of the country including Brighton, Birmingham, and central Oxford. The Greater London Urban Area consistently breaches both daily and annual levels.

The European Commission has been forced to begin legal action against the UK for persistent breaches because the Labour Government has failed to come up with a coherent plan to bring UK pollution levels down.

According to the Department for Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the UK is set to substantially exceed targets for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions in many parts of the country. Exposure to dangerous levels of NO2 causes serious problems for people, particularly children, who suffer from breathing illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis.

Simon Birkett, founder of the campaign, said: "The Liberal Democrats are to be commended for their policy commitment to ensure the United Kingdom complies fully with air quality laws for dangerous airborne particles and nitrogen dioxide by the time of the 2012 Olympics. After 10 years of unchanged or worsening air pollution, new thinking and bold action are needed urgently to tackle a problem that kills thousands of people up to 10 years early each year in London. Such action will create green jobs, reduce health costs and give confidence that the UK's ambitious climate change and sustainability targets will be met. The Campaign for Clean Air in London calls on the other political parties to make the same unambiguous commitment and back it with meaningful action."