BHF comment
Proposed air pollution targets do not go far and fast enough
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has set out the process by which it expects to set new environmental targets, as previously outlined in the Environment Bill, which is due to return to Parliament in the autumn. The latest policy paper provides more detail on how Defra proposes to develop required targets on water, waste, biodiversity and air pollution.
While making positive commitments to ensure that the targets drive improvements to health and outlining an intention to consult a wide range of stakeholders, the plan stops short of adopting tough World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on air pollution.
Air pollution is a major health crisis, and around 11,000 heart and circulatory deaths are attributable to air pollution every year in the UK. The BHF has funded around £5.8 million of research into the health impacts of air pollution, finding that tiny toxic particles, known as PM2.5, can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system.
Currently, we subscribe to EU guidelines on air pollution. However, we urgently need to adopt the WHO’s limits, which are over twice as stringent of those followed by the EU and were developed using a significant body of health evidence.
We have long campaigned for the Environment Bill to adopt WHO guideline limits for PM2.5 to be reached by 2030 to protect the nation’s health. Defra’s paper offers an overview into how the agency intends to develop and bring forward targets by October 2022. It highlights that socio-economic factors and affordability will be key considerations in defining targets. During this process, the nation’s health must be prioritised, and health experts should be a key part of both defining the targets and scrutinising the process by which they have been developed.
Jacob West, our Director of Healthcare Innovation, said: “While there are some welcome elements to this plan, it could go further and faster in protecting us from air pollution. The damaging effects that toxic air has on our health are well known and far reaching. Our research has shown that exposure to tiny particles called PM2.5 can cause damage to the heart and circulatory system and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
“This is an urgent and ongoing public health issue, and we desperately need to see the forthcoming Environment Bill and target-setting process place our health at their core. While it is positive to see a focus on reducing population-level exposure in the Government’s plans, it is disappointing not to see a firm commitment to adopt WHO air pollution guideline limits – which focuses on protecting our health. Our analysis has shown that around 15 million people across the UK are living and working in areas where average air pollution levels are above this guideline, an unacceptably high number.
“There is a concerning lack of urgency about setting these targets. The evidence around toxic air’s impact on our health is well established, and we should not have to wait until 2022 to take action on this.”