According to the study of the UK’s main urban areas deaths associated with air pollution are 25 times higher than the national rate of death from traffic accidents.

The study showed a North-South divide, with southern urban areas more afflicted by air pollution than Northern England and Scotland. In the most polluted areas (Slough, Luton, Chatham, and London) an estimated one in 16 adult deaths are associated with long-term exposure to PM2.5, while in Aberdeen one in 33 adult deaths are associated with air pollution. Dundee, Glasgow, and Edinburgh are also among the least impacted cities.

According to Centre for Cities, 19 of the monitored cities exceed WHO guidelines for PM2.5, exposing 14 million people to the pollutant daily.

Transport, in addition to burning fuels, is a major contributor to the release of PM2.5: solid particles and liquid drops in the air with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres. Inhalation of PM2.5 over long periods of time is associated with increased mortality from lung and heart disease, but studies have also found an association with increased incidence of conditions ranging from Parkinson’s disease to depression.

Air pollution is a serious public health concern; the European Environment Agency estimated that there were 400,000 premature deaths linked to air pollution in a single year (2016) in a report published last year.

“More than half of people in the UK live in cities and large towns, and while they offer people good employment and lifestyle opportunities Cities Outlook 2020 shows that they also have a damaging effect on their health, with air pollution killing thousands of people living in cities every year,” said Andrew Carter, CEO of Centre for Cities.

Action to reduce air pollution has been limited, with fatal levels of air pollution in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland being legal despite violating WHO air pollution guidelines. While half of local authority leaders surveyed by noted the environment as a major concern, the Centre for Cities said that “progress has been slow”, and called on local authorities to introduce more Ultra Low Emission Zones to charge car and van drivers in city centres, and to ban wood-burning stoves and coal fires outright in areas where air pollution exceeds WHO guidelines.

It has also called on the government: to adopt the WHO’s guidelines on PM2.5 (which the Scottish Government has already done) and make a legally binding commitment to meet this by 2030; triple the size of the Clean Air Fund to £660m; provide financial incentives for cities to improve air quality with an ‘Environmental Impact Bond’; and make agreements to tackle cross border air pollution a key component of the future UK-EU relationship.

“Politicians often talk tough on addressing air pollution, but we need to see more action. Cities should be at the centre of the fight against toxic air and councils should take the steps needed, including charging people to drive in city centres and banning wood-burning stoves,” Carter said. “To help the government needs to provide extra money and introduce stricter guidelines. The deadly levels of polluted air we’re breathing are legal across most of the UK. This needs to change. As a matter of urgency, the government should adopt WHO’s stricter guidelines around PM2.5 emissions. Failure to act now will lead to more deaths.”

Richard Baker, CEO at spatial data company GeoSpock, commented that data collection by connected devices could be exploited to inform efforts to reduce air pollution: “By collecting and cross-referencing this data, governing bodies will be able to create a digital twin of the physical environment. This will enable them to efficiently model changes to predict the impact of potential solutions and choose the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option.”

According to the study of the UK’s main urban areas deaths associated with air pollution are 25 times higher than the national rate of death from traffic accidents.

The study showed a North-South divide, with southern urban areas more afflicted by air pollution than Northern England and Scotland. In the most polluted areas (Slough, Luton, Chatham, and London) an estimated one in 16 adult deaths are associated with long-term exposure to PM2.5, while in Aberdeen one in 33 adult deaths are associated with air pollution. Dundee, Glasgow, and Edinburgh are also among the least impacted cities.

According to Centre for Cities, 19 of the monitored cities exceed WHO guidelines for PM2.5, exposing 14 million people to the pollutant daily.

Transport, in addition to burning fuels, is a major contributor to the release of PM2.5: solid particles and liquid drops in the air with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres. Inhalation of PM2.5 over long periods of time is associated with increased mortality from lung and heart disease, but studies have also found an association with increased incidence of conditions ranging from Parkinson’s disease to depression.

Air pollution is a serious public health concern; the European Environment Agency estimated that there were 400,000 premature deaths linked to air pollution in a single year (2016) in a report published last year.

“More than half of people in the UK live in cities and large towns, and while they offer people good employment and lifestyle opportunities Cities Outlook 2020 shows that they also have a damaging effect on their health, with air pollution killing thousands of people living in cities every year,” said Andrew Carter, CEO of Centre for Cities.

Action to reduce air pollution has been limited, with fatal levels of air pollution in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland being legal despite violating WHO air pollution guidelines. While half of local authority leaders surveyed by noted the environment as a major concern, the Centre for Cities said that “progress has been slow”, and called on local authorities to introduce more Ultra Low Emission Zones to charge car and van drivers in city centres, and to ban wood-burning stoves and coal fires outright in areas where air pollution exceeds WHO guidelines.

It has also called on the government: to adopt the WHO’s guidelines on PM2.5 (which the Scottish Government has already done) and make a legally binding commitment to meet this by 2030; triple the size of the Clean Air Fund to £660m; provide financial incentives for cities to improve air quality with an ‘Environmental Impact Bond’; and make agreements to tackle cross border air pollution a key component of the future UK-EU relationship.

“Politicians often talk tough on addressing air pollution, but we need to see more action. Cities should be at the centre of the fight against toxic air and councils should take the steps needed, including charging people to drive in city centres and banning wood-burning stoves,” Carter said. “To help the government needs to provide extra money and introduce stricter guidelines. The deadly levels of polluted air we’re breathing are legal across most of the UK. This needs to change. As a matter of urgency, the government should adopt WHO’s stricter guidelines around PM2.5 emissions. Failure to act now will lead to more deaths.”

Richard Baker, CEO at spatial data company GeoSpock, commented that data collection by connected devices could be exploited to inform efforts to reduce air pollution: “By collecting and cross-referencing this data, governing bodies will be able to create a digital twin of the physical environment. This will enable them to efficiently model changes to predict the impact of potential solutions and choose the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option.”