08\ POLLUTION!

Every move you make, every breath you take, is killing you. Instead of hiding away, the smallest recalibration of your daily routine can help you breathe easy

The Fear Your lungs shouldn’t just fear the smoke you choose to suck down. The fresh stuff is now so full of toxins that breathing is ‘ the new smoking’, with air pollution to blame for 40,000 deaths annually. Worse still, 59% of us are at risk from smog, with rapidly spiralling levels of nitrogen dioxide meaning each breath could be ushering you more swiftly toward your last.

The Truth The ‘new smoking’ tag was coined because, like actual cigarettes in the ’60s, air pollution is an unrecognised crisis. “It kills huge numbers,” says Laurie LaybournLangton, part of an Institute for Public Policy Research study into UK vehicle pollution. This May, the government was sued for the third time over flawed plans to tackle the issue. Its response is to ban new sales of diesel cars by 2040, but don’t hold your breath – unless you live in London, where particulate levels are occasionally worse than in Beijing, leading to respiratory infections and cancer. Plus, the World Health Organisation found that Brits are 50 times more likely to die of air pollution than those in the US, which is, frankly, embarrassing.

The Plan The solution is two-fold. First, make broccoli your lunchtime sidedish. Sulforaphane, a compound in the veg, protects against cancer and the effects of ozone exposure. Now cut back your drive time, even if your car’s electric. “You’re sat in a box in which pollutants are accumulating,” says Laybourn-langton. A cardio commute helps your body fight damage, according to a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study. But avoid main roads – run next to the dual carriageway and you’ll gulp 10 times as much grubby air. Take the scenic route to a brighter future.