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 the implications for his policies of the Health Effects Institute’s study, Global Burden of Disease from Major Air Pollution Sources (GBD MAPS): A Global Approach, published on 15 December 2021.
Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom, as long-term exposure to air pollution can cause chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and lung cancer, leading to reduced life expectancy. The study highlights the health burden associated with air pollution and we will assess its findings as evidence emerges.
The UK Health Security Agency leads a national programme to develop and share the evidence base on the health effects of air quality, to support the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in delivering its Clean Air Strategy to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution and the associated health burden.