Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of toxic air on children’s health; and will he make a statement.

Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom. Long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic conditions such as cardiovascular, respiratory diseases and cancer, leading to reduced life expectancy.

Air pollution has a particular impact on children as they grow. There is evidence that the process of normal lung function growth in children is suppressed by long-term exposure to air pollution.

Research projects studying the effects of air pollution on children’s health include the EXHALE Programme; a London study on air pollution and children’s lung health. The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has started work to consider the evidence for the effects of air pollution on adverse birth outcomes. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health is working on a report on ‘Indoor Air Quality on Children and Young People’s Health across the Life Course’.