Asked by: Lord Naseby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what evidence they have that fumes from motor vehicles cause (1) stunted lung growth in children, and (2) premature death.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
Exposure to traffic related air pollution is associated with both effects on lung growth and mortality, with a number of organisations contributing to evidence. For example, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants highlighted in their statement from March 2015, Statement on the evidence for differential health effects of particulate matter according to source or components, that adverse health effects, including changes in lung function, are associated with exposure to traffic-derived pollutants. A copy of this statement is attached.
Additionally, The Royal College of Physicians’ and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health reported evidence in February 2016 in Every Breath We Take: The Lifelong Impact Of Air Pollution that lung function growth in children is suppressed by long-term exposure to air pollution. A copy of this report is also attached.
The UK Health Security Agency has estimated that exposure to air pollution in the United Kingdom has an annual burden equivalent to 29,000 to 43,000 deaths.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 Public Health Outcome Framework 3.01 fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in (a) the London Borough of Barnet, (b) Greater London and (c) England.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
In 2020, the fraction of mortality assessed as attributable to particulate air pollution was 6.6% in the London Borough of Barnet, 7.1% in Greater London and 5.6% in England.
We have consulted on a revised plan for reducing national emissions of key pollutants by 2030 and we will also set two targets to improve air quality, as required under the Environment Act 2021. The London Air Quality and Health Delivery Group has been established, with membership from health bodies, national and local government and the Greater London Authority, to deliver joint efforts on air quality across the health and care system.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that were attributed to air pollution in (a) Plymouth, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The data is not available in the format requested. However, the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England includes an indicator for air pollution expressed as the proportion of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution, which is updated annually.
The following table shows the proportion of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human made particulate air pollution in Plymouth, the South West region and England in each year between 2016 and 2019.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Plymouth | 4.6% | 4.2% | 4.0% | 3.9% |
South West | 4.8% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.1% |
England | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 5.1% |
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, further to the Answer of 25 November 2022 to Question 81866 on Air Pollution: Death, what his timetable is for publishing the Public Health Indicator PHOF-D01 for 2020 values.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator (PHOF) - D01 is usually updated annually in February by the UK Health Security Agency. However, due to changes in the methodology following the publication of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants statement in 2022, the update for 2020 values will be published in May 2022.
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 estimate he has made of the number of excess deaths attributable to one or more air pollution episodes in the UK in March and April 2014.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The United Kingdom experienced widespread high levels of particulate air pollution in March and April 2014 and observations of hourly mean PM2.5 (particulate matter) concentrations reached up to 83 μg m− 3 at urban background sites.
The former Public Health England performed an exposure and health impact assessment of the air pollution, focusing on two episodes with the highest concentrations of PM2.5 between 12 to 14 March and 28 March to 3 April 2014. This estimated that approximately 600 deaths were brought forward from short-term exposure to PM2.5, representing 3.9% of total all-cause mortality excluding external causes during the episodes. Using observed levels of PM2.5 from other years, the mortality burden was estimated to be is 2.0 to 2.7 times the burden associated with typical urban background levels of PM2.5 at this time of year.
Asked by: Luke Pollard (Labour (Co-op) - Plymouth Sutton and Devonport)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many death records listed air pollution as a cause of death in (a) Plymouth, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 18 February is attached.
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 plans he has to update the Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator, D01 - Fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution from 2019 to 2020 to take into account the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' population-weighted annual mean PM2.5 data for 2020.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Public Health Outcomes Framework indicator (PHOF) - D01 is updated annually by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The UKHSA and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will be updating and publishing the PHOF-D01 for 2020 values in 2022, which will be based on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Automatic Urban and Rural Network data.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of air quality on (a) death and (b) infection from covid-19; and when such discussions occurred.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Defra continues to hold extensive discussions with the Department for Health and Social Care on the relationship between air quality and health. These have included the specific relationship between air quality and covid-19 transmission, infections and deaths.
In response to Defra's call for evidence on COVID-19 and air quality (April 2020 and published in June 2020), the scientific community and appointed experts from Defra and Public Health England (PHE) considered the possible link between air quality and COVID-19 infection. They concluded that there was no clear empirical evidence of a link at that stage:
Officials and appointed experts from Defra, PHE and the Office for National Statistics delivered a project to describe the relationship between air pollution exposure and COVID-19 deaths. The results and methodology were shared with the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), and a summary of the findings were published in August 2020 at the following URL:
The methodology used in this analysis project was also published at the following URL:
The Departments continue to actively engage on a regular basis.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the coroner’s reports relating to the death of Ella Kissi-Debrah and the prevention of future deaths, published on 20 April, whether they have accepted the recommendation that the UK’s legal limit for particulate pollution should be halved to bring it in line with WHO guidelines; and what steps they have taken (1) to improve public warnings on air pollution levels, and (2) to improve awareness among medical staff of the need to provide more information to patients on the health impacts of air pollution.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Our thoughts continue to be with Ella's family and friends. We are carefully considering the Prevention of Future Deaths Report published by the Coroner on 21 April and we will respond in due course.
We know that air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health, and although air pollution has reduced significantly over the last decade, there is more to do. In 2019, we published our Clean Air Strategy which recognised the need for comprehensive action on air pollution for the primary and crucial purpose of protecting people's health.
Our landmark Environment Bill delivers key aspects of our Strategy. The Bill establishes a legally binding duty to set at least two new air quality targets, through the environmental targets framework. We recognise the need to take action to reduce people's exposure to PM 2.5 and in proposing a dual target approach, we are putting health at the centre of our target setting. This approach will ensure action is taken at pollution hotspots and continuous improvement will be driven across the country. We will take into account WHO guidance when setting these targets
Defra makes air pollution information available through a range of channels, such as the UK-Air website and more recently working with Global Action Plan to deliver the Clean Air Hub. We also provide information to a network of charities (e.g. the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, British Heart Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, British Thoracic Society and others) when air pollution levels are forecast to be elevated to ensure information reaches the most vulnerable.
The Department for Health and Social Care continues to engage with organisations such as Health Education England and the Royal Colleges to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped to provide information and advice to those vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution. The Chief Medical Officer has also discussed this matter with the Royal Colleges during a recent meeting. This will allow patients and their carers to take steps to reduce their exposure to air pollution and give them greater power to manage their condition.
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to improve asthma outcomes for children and young people. The Children and Young People's Transformation Programme has asked local systems to prioritise local improvements in asthma care. This will include supporting clinicians to discuss the short and long-term adverse effects of air pollution in children with asthma and any mitigation strategies.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that were attributed to air pollution in (a) Newcastle upon Tyne, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Of the last five years, data estimates are available are for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The following table shows the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution in Newcastle upon Tyne, the North East and England.
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 3.6% | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.5% |
North East | 3.6% | 3.7% | 3.8% | 3.6% |
England | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% | 5.1% |
Source: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/search/air%20pollution