Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps Public Health England is taking to raise awareness of the danger posed by carbon monoxide; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
Public Health England (PHE) raises public awareness of the impacts of carbon monoxide (CO) pollution by supporting activities that aim to change behaviour, such as the annual Clean Air Day. PHE is also working with health partners for example, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to improve the evidence on the health impacts of poor indoor air quality which will enhance advice to the public.
PHE promotes awareness about CO through the use of blog posts, press releases and social media updates. PHE produces a number of materials, which are issued over the winter period, and provide information on, and warnings of the dangers of CO poisoning to help prevent potential injury or death. This includes the Cold Weather Plan, updated in October 2018. This is shared and promoted through all channels including all local authorities and National Health Service organisations and can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cold-weather-plan-cwp-for-england
PHE published advice and guidance on social media to remind campers about the dangers of using barbeques inside tents and other enclosed spaces. An example of this can be viewed at the following link:
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2015/12/15/carbon-monoxide-the-silent-killer/
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to educate the public on (a) the dangers of carbon monoxide and (b) seek to prevent further deaths and injuries from such poisoning; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
Public Health England (PHE) raises public awareness of the impacts of carbon monoxide (CO) pollution by supporting activities that aim to change behaviour, such as the annual Clean Air Day. PHE is also working with health partners for example, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to improve the evidence on the health impacts of poor indoor air quality which will enhance advice to the public.
PHE promotes awareness about CO through the use of blog posts, press releases and social media updates. PHE produces a number of materials, which are issued over the winter period, and provide information on, and warnings of the dangers of CO poisoning to help prevent potential injury or death. This includes the Cold Weather Plan, updated in October 2018. This is shared and promoted through all channels including all local authorities and National Health Service organisations and can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cold-weather-plan-cwp-for-england
PHE published advice and guidance on social media to remind campers about the dangers of using barbeques inside tents and other enclosed spaces. An example of this can be viewed at the following link:
https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2015/12/15/carbon-monoxide-the-silent-killer/
Asked by: Ed Miliband (Labour - Doncaster North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of excess deaths in England caused by air pollution.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution, published a report in August 2018 (Associations of long-term average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide with mortality), stating:
“[…] the range of central estimates of the mortality burden of long-term exposure to the air pollution mixture in 2013 in the UK was an effect equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths at typical ages, associated with a loss of 328,000 – 416,000 life years […]”
The statistics used are not cited as the specific cause of death of any individual, but reflect an equivalency which is used to assess the different impacts of factors contributing to death.
The Committee has not attributed specific morbidity to schools or children in this report, rather to the whole population.
The report can be seen here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734799/COMEAP_NO2_Report.pdf
Air quality is the biggest environmental threat to public health, and so this Government has put in place a £3.5 billion plan to clean up our air. The Department also published our draft Clean Air Strategy for consultation this May, setting out our ambition for cleaner air for all. We will publish the final Strategy later this year.
The Department is also shortly bringing forward a new Environment Bill, which will include strong measures to improve the air we all breathe.
Asked by: Ed Miliband (Labour - Doncaster North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the contribution of air pollution in schools to the overall number of excess deaths due to air pollution in England.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution, published a report in August 2018 (Associations of long-term average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide with mortality), stating:
“[…] the range of central estimates of the mortality burden of long-term exposure to the air pollution mixture in 2013 in the UK was an effect equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths at typical ages, associated with a loss of 328,000 – 416,000 life years […]”
The statistics used are not cited as the specific cause of death of any individual, but reflect an equivalency which is used to assess the different impacts of factors contributing to death.
The Committee has not attributed specific morbidity to schools or children in this report, rather to the whole population.
The report can be seen here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734799/COMEAP_NO2_Report.pdf
Air quality is the biggest environmental threat to public health, and so this Government has put in place a £3.5 billion plan to clean up our air. The Department also published our draft Clean Air Strategy for consultation this May, setting out our ambition for cleaner air for all. We will publish the final Strategy later this year.
The Department is also shortly bringing forward a new Environment Bill, which will include strong measures to improve the air we all breathe.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with clinical bodies on a possible causal link between cot death and air pollution.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Department has not held any discussions with clinical bodies on the link between cot death and air pollution.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the Government has made of the number of deaths per year caused by air pollution in each of the last five years.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Public Health Outcomes Framework (PHOF) for England includes an indicator for air pollution expressed as the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to human-made particulate air pollution. The most recent published estimates available are for 2015. For England, estimates within the last five years are: 2013: 5.3%; 2014: 5.1%; 2015: 4.7%.
Figures for 2016 are due to be published with the next release of updated PHOF data in May 2018.
Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include a target to reduce premature deaths from air pollution in the new clean air strategy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
I refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse, Jim Fitzpatrick, on 16 February 2018, PQ 126553.
Asked by: Rushanara Ali (Labour - Bethnal Green and Stepney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will include a target on reducing premature deaths from air pollution in its new clean air strategy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
I refer the hon. Members to the reply given to the hon. Member for Poplar and Limehouse, Jim Fitzpatrick, on 16 February 2018, PQ 126553.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to include a target on decreasing premature deaths from air pollution in its new clean air strategy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The evidence of health impacts from particulate matter (PM) is particularly strong and the Government is already taking action to reduce emissions of harmful PM. The UK has signed up to ambitious new targets to reduce emissions of PM2.5 as well as four other damaging pollutants (ammonia, nitrogen oxides, non-methane volatile organic compounds and sulphur dioxide) by 2020 and 2030. The Government is aiming to cut early deaths from air pollution by half. The Statutory Instrument committing these targets to law was laid on 1 February.
We will publish a Clean Air Strategy, which will set out plans to meet these targets, for consultation in 2018. We are currently calling for evidence on domestic solid fuel use, one of the largest emissions sources of PM. Householders and businesses are being asked for their views on proposals to cut harmful emissions caused by domestic fuel burning.
Defra works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and Public Health England to develop a strong evidence base on the health impacts of air pollution and to provide health advice during episodes of elevated air pollution. We are carefully considering public health measures.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the total number of premature deaths attributable to air pollution in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
There is no estimate of the total number of premature deaths attributable to air pollution.
The air pollution health indicator 3.01 in the Public Health Outcomes Framework estimates the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution (in local authority areas) in England. This ranges from less than 3% in the least polluted rural areas to over 7% in some London boroughs.
In 2015, the average for England was 4.7%. This is equivalent to approximately 25,000 adult deaths attributable to fine particulate matter exposure (PM2.5) in England every year.