Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of air pollution on children’s health.

In 2021, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a review which acknowledged children's vulnerability to the health impacts of air pollution, assessed children's exposure in outdoor school environments and the relation to socio-economic inequalities and recommended mitigating actions. The UKHSA also reviewed the exposure to indoor solid fuel and respiratory health in children. While children exposed to indoor wood burning are not at an increased risk of asthma in developed countries, there is a slight increased risk of developing respiratory infections.

The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants is preparing a report which considers the evidence linking pre-term birth, low birth weight and stillbirth with maternal exposure to air pollution including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, during pregnancy. The Committee aims to publish this report in August 2022.