Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 26 May 2023 to Question 183644 on Air Pollution: Greater London, whether the estimate for the number of deaths attributable to PM2.5 includes deaths attributed to covid-19 in the period between 2018 and 2022.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution indicator, measured as PM2.5, represents the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 years old and over attributed to PM2.5. As the 2020 data for this indicator includes the period from March 2020 onwards, the mortality data used in its calculation will reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, attributable fractions in this period should be interpreted with caution.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183644 on Air Pollution: Greater London, whether the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution measured as PM2.5 should be multiplied by the (a) number of deaths from all causes aged 30 years and older and (b) total number of deaths to calculate the number of deaths attributable to PM2.5.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution, measured as PM2.5, for Greater London in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 was provided in the answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183644. The provided values represented the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 and older attributed to PM2.5.
In estimating the burden of long-term exposure to air pollution mixture in 2019 in the United Kingdom, namely 29,000 to 43,000 deaths for adults aged 30 years old and over, the total number of deaths for that age group was used. A report detailing a methodology that local authorities can use to estimate local mortality burdens associated with particulate air pollution within their area was published by the former Public Health England, now the UK Health Security Agency, in 2014.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to update the guidance and specifications on the use of mechanical ventilation systems in the healthcare sector.
Answered by Will Quince
The Health Technical Memorandum ‘Specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings’ was updated and published on 22 June 2021 and there are no plans to update it at this time.
Additional related guidance was issued on 9 May 2023 on the associated topics of the application of high-efficiency particulate absorbing filter devices for air cleaning in healthcare spaces, guidance and standards, and the application of ultraviolet devices for air cleaning in occupied healthcare spaces, guidance and standards.
This guidance is available at the following link:
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of occupational exposure limits for ozone on patients in the health care sector.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been. The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on health hazards and control measures in relation to ozone.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to update the health technical memorandum entitled HTM-03-01 on specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings.
Answered by Will Quince
The Health Technical Memorandum Specialised ventilation for healthcare buildings was updated and published on 22 June 2021 and there are no plans to update it at this time.
Additional related guidance was issued on 9 May 2023 on the application of high-efficiency particulate absorbing filter devices for air cleaning in healthcare spaces and the application of ultraviolet devices for air cleaning in occupied healthcare spaces.
This is available at the following link:
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2023 to Question 183644 on Air Pollution: Greater London, whether the estimates of the fraction of mortality are attributable to (a) anthropogenic particulate air pollution or (b) total concentrations of particulate matter.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The UK Health Security Agency publishes estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in local authorities and regions annually, as an indicator within the Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) for England, this is available at the following link:
The fractions of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in Greater London for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 stated in PQ185732 are based on the PHOF Indicator D01. The calculation of the DO1 indicator uses concentrations of total PM2.5 for estimating the mortality burden attributable to particulate air pollution.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on differential impacts (a) geographically and (b) by socioeconomic group of poor (i) outdoor and (ii) indoor air quality.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) produces annual estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution (outdoor air quality) within the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England. The indicator values are estimated at different geographical levels including local authorities and regions, and at different deprivation deciles. UKHSA does not hold information on differential geographical and socioeconomic impacts of indoor air quality.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of which internationally recognised (a) guidelines and (b) standards are most effective at protecting public health from outdoor air pollution.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government assesses a range of evidence relating to air quality standards on an ongoing basis. The United Kingdom is a founding signatory to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The Task Force on Health, under the Convention, led by the World Health Organisation Regional Office for Europe provides principal insight for the United Kingdom on guidance and standards on air pollution in relation to health.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183300 on Air Pollution: Death, what the evidential basis is for his Department's calculation of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution since the overall number of attributable deaths is not available.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
An estimate of deaths attributable to long-term exposure to air pollution can be made by multiplying the fraction of mortality attributable to air pollution by the total number of deaths annually. The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution is estimated through the adjustment of the unit relative risk factor (1.08), recommended for use in quantifying mortality associated with long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (COMEAP, 2022), to the air pollution levels.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of which internationally recognised (a) guidelines and (b) standards are most effective at protecting public health from indoor air pollution.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published guidelines for indoor air quality for selected chemicals commonly present in indoor air and provide a scientific basis for legally enforceable standards. The guidelines are available at the following link: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789289002134
The WHO have also produced guidelines for indoor air quality affected by dampness and mould, available at the following link: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789289041683
and household fuel combustion, available at the following link: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548885
In 2020, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produced guidance focused on interventions to change the structure of, ventilation of, and materials used in new and existing homes, as well as interventions to change people’s behaviour to reduce their exposure to indoor air pollution at home. The guidance is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng149