We focus on four complex health issues more prevalent in urban areas
With the Social Progress Imperative, we've developed the first neighbourhood level, health-focused social progress index of its kind.
With Wellcome Trust
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Health effects of air pollution
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John is 72 and lives in Southwark. He loves the hustle and bustle of the area, but is not very mobile and doesn’t get out as much as he’d like to.
John lives in Borough and spends a lot of time around the market. This is an area with high levels of both nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, affecting his exposure to the health impacts of air pollution:
In the late 60s coal fires were banned in London. Now they’re thinking of banning wood burners because they’re giving out a certain type of pollution. But you’ve got to have gas fires and central heating, which means more power stations pumping out more pollution. So it’s a vicious circle.
Air pollution doesn’t affect me so much, at least visibly.
Maybe it does. I can’t see anything. I can’t see any factories with smoke billowing out and stuff like that, where if you go back to the 60s and 50s in London, the smog.
But I suppose health-wise, it’s probably affecting everybody, quietly, slowly, creeping up on us.
“ We don’t notice it. We can't see it. If pollution was like snowflakes, then we’d be worried...There’s nothing I can do about it, only governments can change things. I think it’s just a general thing in the world in cities, pollution from cars mostly. In my lifetime, it’s not going to change. John
We don’t notice it. We can't see it. If pollution was like snowflakes, then we’d be worried...There’s nothing I can do about it, only governments can change things. I think it’s just a general thing in the world in cities, pollution from cars mostly. In my lifetime, it’s not going to change.
Sarah is an outdoor worker for an environmental education charity in Lambeth. She doesn’t own a car and tries to cycle most places, with public transport her back-up option.
Ying lives with her husband and child in Bermondsey. Being environmentally aware and a mother, she would like to know more about air pollution and how it affects our health.
Alika and Alex, 3, live in Southwark. Alika, who moved to London from Nigeria in 2000, is doing an electrical apprenticeship by day and is a youth worker by night.
Piarve is the parent of Janila, 8, and has lived in Southwark all her life. Piarve works in events for an interior design company, as well as running sewing classes and other community fashion initiatives.
The more we know about air pollution in urban areas, the more we will be able to design effective solutions.
We are running a ten-year programme to tackle the health effects of air pollution and poor air quality in cities and other urban areas.
Air pollution is linked with heart failure, strokes, poor cognition and even lung cancer in older people over 65, with high levels of particulate matter increasing their risk of hospitalisation. Our research shows that older people are less likely to point to poor air quality as an important issue to address.