Achieving the interim target of 10 µg/m3 would mean 388,000 fewer days of asthma symptoms a year. Photo: © Laura Stubbs/ Shutterstock.com

Brits could breathe air in line with WHO interim target by 2030

If the UK government implements its planned environmental, transport and clean air policies, most UK residents could breathe air that meets the quality levels recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) across most parts of the UK by 2030. This is one of the conclusions of a new study from the Clean Air Fund and Imperial College London.

The WHO guideline limit for PM2.5 was updated in 2021 from an annual average of 10 micrograms per cubic metre (WHO-10) to 5 micrograms per cubic metre, with WHO-10 now set as an interim target. This research shows that the WHO-10 interim target is achievable across 99% of the country by the end of the decade. The public health gains would be tremendous, with an average of 388,000 fewer days of asthma symptoms a year, as well as a significant fall in cases of coronary heart disease and a rise in average life expectancy of 9-10 weeks across those born in 2018. The economic gains due to reduced health costs would be up to £380bn between 2018 and 2134. The work needed to achieve this is based on policies the government already plans to implement or that have been recommended by the Committee on Climate Change.
Sarah Woolnough, CEO at Asthma + Lung UK, commented:

“This report shows that we mustn’t accept anything less than meeting the World Health Organization’s guideline interim target of 10 µg/m3 by 2030, with ambition to go further.”

Source: Pathway to WHO: achieving clean air in the UK. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/school-public-health/environmental-research-g...

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