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There are important differences in air pollution between the richest and least
well-off areas. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA
There are important differences in air pollution between the richest and least
well-off areas. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA
PollutionwatchPollution



AIR WE BREATHE IN UK DEPENDS ON RACE AND INCOME, STUDIES SHOW

It is vital we tackle the injustice that means black or mixed-race people and
the poor face worst pollution


Gary Fuller
@drgaryfuller
Fri 28 Jul 2023 06.00 BSTLast modified on Fri 28 Jul 2023 09.30 BST
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We are all affected by air pollution but some of us suffer a greater burden than
others.

An analysis published by the mayor of London has laid out the systematic air
pollution differences between communities. Overall, people of black or mixed
ethnicities are more likely to live in the most polluted places.



There is ample evidence that air pollution exposure can lead to preterm and low
birth-weight babies. Air pollution then hampers children’s lung growth,
increases the chance of childhood asthma and worsens asthma symptoms.

Despite this, a new survey by the NGO Global Black Maternal Health has shown a
lack of awareness of air pollution risks among expectant black mothers, and
those with young children. It also found a need for increased knowledge among
the health professionals who care for them.

The survey findings were announced at the Royal College of Obstetricians and
Gynaecologists. It found many black mothers were aware of air pollution but less
aware of risks that it posed. Some mothers would like to make lifestyle changes
to reduce their air pollution exposure but felt they had few options.

Agnes Agyepong, the founder of Global Black Maternal Health and Black Child
Clean Air, said: “In the UK, black women are nearly four times more likely to
die during pregnancy and experience twice the rate of stillbirth compared with
white women. The report aimed to elevate the voices of black women, who are
disproportionately exposed to illegal levels of air pollution but largely
missing from conversations around clean air.”

There are also important differences in air pollution between the richest and
least well-off areas. These differences are not confined to London. Across
England, the greatest air pollution is found in the poorest and also in the
least white communities. During the first decade of this century, the gap
between air pollution in the most and least deprived places got worse, not
better.

But looking at the quality of air that we breathe only shows us part of the
problem. There is evidence that the least well-off are more vulnerable to air
pollution. This includes studies from Italy and the UK.

In 2019, a study on more than 300,000 people in the UK found that lung problems
from air pollution were especially pronounced in people with lower income. This
included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Prof Anna Hansell of the University of Leicester, who led the UK lung health
study, said: “Worryingly, we found that air pollution had much larger effects on
people from lower-income households. Air pollution had approximately twice the
impact on lung function decline and three times the increased COPD risk on
lower-income participants compared to higher-income participants who had the
same air pollution exposure.”

Possible reasons for greater susceptibility to harmful effects of air pollution
include more childhood respiratory infections, poorer housing, worse indoor air
quality, poor nutrition, and air pollution exposures at work for those with
lower incomes.

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A new report from Asthma & Lung UK also highlights worse lung health among the
poorest people in the UK.

The poorest people emit least air pollution, but the multiplicative effect of
worst concentrations and greater vulnerability means the least well-off bear an
unfair proportion of health burden from air pollution.

Attacking health and environmental injustice and inequalities is an urgent
priority that will take a generation to address. Tackling the multiplying effect
from air pollution could be far faster. In London, the air pollution gap between
the most and least deprived showed some decreases between 2013 and 2019, as did
the differences between ethnic groups.

Topics
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 * Pollutionwatch

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