Child health experts warn of 'worryingly low' air pollution awareness

5th February 2019


Web child pollution istock 852229954

Related Topics

Related tags

  • Health ,
  • Air ,
  • UK government

Author

Michael Sweeney

Nine in ten child health experts think the UK public should be more concerned about the negative impact air pollution is having on young people's health, a survey has found.

In a report released today, Unicef UK said that the “worryingly low levels of awareness are due to a lack of publicly available information about the health effects of toxic air.

Less than 20% of the survey respondents feel there is sufficient patient guidance, and only 30% believe there is enough information available to health experts to educate and inform the public.

This comes after Unicef UK found last year that around one in three children breathe harmful levels of pollution every day that could damage their health and development.

Moreover, the government's own data forecasts air pollution to cost health and social care services at least £2bn as a result of its impact on heart disease, lung cancer, strokes and childhood asthma.

“The impact of toxic air is undeniable,“ Unicef UK executive director, Mike Penrose, said. “The UK is home to more children suffering from respiratory conditions than anywhere else in Europe.

“Every 20 minutes a child experiencing an asthma attack is admitted to hospital. Now child health professionals are warning of the seriousness of this growing health crisis.“

The survey also found that around 90% of respondents believe toxic air is already causing health problems for children in their region, and that the government should be prioritising action to tackle the problem now.

But Unicef UK said the problem shows no signs of abating, with the government's current plans set to result in air pollution remaining at dangerous levels for at least another 10 years.

Professor Jonathan Grigg of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which co-produced the research, said that a recent shift by the government to prioritise young people's health was welcomed.

But added: “I would now like to see this extended towards the prevention of air pollution. The recommendations set out in Unicef UK's report lay the foundations for this and I very much support them – we now need the government to act.“

Image credit: iStock

Subscribe

Subscribe to IEMA's newsletters to receive timely articles, expert opinions, event announcements, and much more, directly in your inbox.


Transform articles

The time is now

Dr Julie Riggs issues a call to arms to tackle a modern-day human tragedy

15th March 2024

Read more

The UK government’s carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) strategy is based on optimistic techno-economic assumptions that are now outdated, Carbon Tracker has warned.

13th March 2024

Read more

Multinational corporations are undermining their net-zero commitments with excessive air travel and no plans to reduce ‘the low hanging fruit’ of carbon footprints, a study by Transport & Environment has found.

13th March 2024

Read more

Large businesses across the world are avoiding climate action due to fear they will be called out for getting their work wrong, according to a new Carbon Trust report.

29th February 2024

Read more

A thought-provoking discussion on how storytelling can change the world took place in Central London last night, alongside an exclusive sneak preview of an upcoming IEMA film series.

29th February 2024

Read more

The UK’s net-zero economy grew 9% last year while delivering higher paid jobs than average and attracting billions of pounds in private investment, analysis by CBI Economics has uncovered.

28th February 2024

Read more

A consortium including IEMA and the Good Homes Alliance have drafted a letter to UK government ministers expressing disappointment with the proposed Future Homes Standard.

26th February 2024

Read more

IEMA and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) have today published up-to-date guidance to help companies and individuals understand climate-related financial information.

22nd February 2024

Read more

Media enquires

Looking for an expert to speak at an event or comment on an item in the news?

Find an expert

IEMA Cookie Notice

Clicking the ‘Accept all’ button means you are accepting analytics and third-party cookies. Our website uses necessary cookies which are required in order to make our website work. In addition to these, we use analytics and third-party cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. To control which cookies are set, click ‘Settings’. To learn more about cookies, how we use them on our website and how to change your cookie settings please view our cookie policy.

Manage cookie settings

Our use of cookies

You can learn more detailed information in our cookie policy.

Some cookies are essential, but non-essential cookies help us to improve the experience on our site by providing insights into how the site is being used. To maintain privacy management, this relies on cookie identifiers. Resetting or deleting your browser cookies will reset these preferences.

Essential cookies

These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website.

Analytics cookies

These cookies allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors to our website and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works.

Advertising cookies

These cookies allow us to tailor advertising to you based on your interests. If you do not accept these cookies, you will still see adverts, but these will be more generic.

Save and close