We recently experienced the latest warning of extreme air pollution. This time with older people and children being warned to avoid strenuous activity, asthma sufferers to stay indoors and even healthy people urged to change their behaviour such as to reduce physical exertion. That is the effect; nothing on trying to helping mitigate the cause – try not to drive today, work at home if possible, get the bus, share your car journey and other such mitigating options.
Political reaction to this cause of roughly one in eight UK deaths has been lamentable on what is truly a public health scandal. Would we accept poisoned food that would result in the death of one in eight of us? Feed it to our children, friends, family and neighbours? Of course not, but this curse is mostly invisible and uniformly shared, often bringing future rather than immediate health issues, and so can apparently be ignored.
Stunted lungs in children, enhanced propensity to asthma, memory and cognitive problems, an emerging link to cancer and strokes, plus more. All this in a research field that is only in its formative years; so expect more to come.
Try and find a response to this cause of death and other related health issues in the political build up to the General Election on May 7. But don’t hold your breath, even if that would be the healthiest option.
K Brown
Old Park Road, Palmers Green
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