BHF comment
Government publishes analysis on how lockdown has affected air pollution levels
A report by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) assessing the impact of lockdown measures to the end of April has revealed that overall concentrations of PM2.5 have been higher in this period than in previous years.
However, the report paints a mixed picture, suggesting that unusual weather patterns, including winds from Europe, helped to increase concentration levels to those higher than we’d normally expect to see. It also highlighted that lockdown measures introduced by the Government to limit the spread of Covid-19 may have reduced PM2.5 levels compared to what would have been expected under normal circumstances.
Long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with increased morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases, some of which, including heart and circulatory diseases, have also been identified as increasing the risk of severe Covid-19 symptoms. In the UK, around 11,000 deaths from heart and circulatory diseases are attributable to air pollution each year.
While the report references research still at an early stage,it does start to help us understand how lockdown measures have affected air quality, and how we might seek to maintain improvements in the long-run, as we look to return to a healthier post-Covid UK.
This research has also highlighted a number of gaps in our understanding of air pollution that researchers and government can start to address to inform ambitious and far-reaching action on air quality.
We look forward to seeing more research into how concentrations of PM2.5 and the public’s exposure to it has changed during the pandemic, and the implications for long-term health.
John Maingay, our Director of Policy and Influencing, said:
“This timely report provides a useful summary of how lockdown measures have affected the UK’s air quality, providing some evidence of a positive effect on PM2.5 levels.
“Air pollution remains the biggest environmental risk factor for health and is particularly concerning for people living with heart and circulatory conditions. Our research shows that long term exposure could increase the risk of a potentially deadly heart attack or stroke.
“With a gradual return to normal circumstances, we need to look closely at any emerging evidence on health impacts that this reduction may have had, and how the UK could sustain improvements to air quality in the long-term to ensure health benefits across the population. We will also be scrutinising emerging scientific research around the links between air pollution and severity of COVID-19 cases very closely, but the most conclusive evidence may take some time to emerge.
“In the meantime, we continue to call on Government to protect everyone from the potentially life-threatening damage that we know air pollution causes to our health. The new air quality targets to be set in the forthcoming Environment Bill is a unique opportunity for the Government to lead the way in putting the public’s health first.”