Air pollution deaths hit 500 in just one year

THE most detailed map to date of air pollution in the UK has been released – and it shows that around 550 people across Derbyshire died following exposure in 2019.

An interactive map – produced by Central Office of Public Interest (Copi) and Imperial College London – also reveals that nearly every home in the UK is subjected to air pollution above World Health Organisation guidelines.

More than 97 per cent of addresses exceed WHO limits for at least one of three key pollutants, while 70 per cent breach WHO limits for all three.

The map focuses on levels of pollutants PM2.5 and PM10 – which are small particles in the air that can cause lung problems, and in the case of PM2.5 can cause cancer – as well as Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), which can increase the risk of disease-related mortality.

Public Health England estimates the number of deaths each year that may be attributable to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5).

It suggests levels of air pollution in Derby throughout 2019 may have contributed to one in 18 deaths of people aged over 30-years-old – equating to 5.7 per cent – while in Derbyshire as a whole it is one in 20 deaths (5.1 per cent).

Across the area, that would be the equivalent of around 550 deaths in 2019, the most recent figures available.

The World Health Organisation sets a guideline limit of 10 ug/m3, the amount of particles by cubic metre of air, for annual levels of PM2.5 – which include fine particles of dust, dirt, soot and smoke, often due to road vehicles.

The UK, excluding Scotland, has a target limit of 25 µg/m3 to be achieved by next year.

Each increase by 10 ug/m3 in levels of PM2.5 is assumed to increase death rates by six per cent.

Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution increases the risk of death, particularly from cardiovascular causes, while shortterm exposure to high concentrations can exacerbate lung and heart conditions.

Copi is calling for a legal requirement for air pollution data to be disclosed to home buyers and renters, as is already the case with asbestos.

Founder Humphrey Milles said: “Air pollution affects all of us. With this new accurate data now publicly available, it would be shameful for the property industry to not start acting transparently –