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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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.
Piarve spends a lot of time in and around Surrey Quays. While the pollution levels around this area aren’t as high as other parts of Southwark there are still pockets of high pollution near main roads.
I prefer to drive. I’ve always found Southwark is really difficult with transport because nothing’s really quite connected. It’s just easier and quicker to drive.
I don’t think the air quality’s great in London. I know it’s caused a lot of health issues for people, especially young kids. Sometimes, when it’s a cold, misty day you can feel the air is thicker, but it’s not in my face or something I’ve really considered. I’ve just never thought about it.
Certain areas just have a certain smell, like if you go intro central you can just smell petrol fumes.
“ Apart from driving less I can't really think of anything else to reduce air pollution. Piarve
Apart from driving less I can't really think of anything else to reduce air pollution.
It’s a good idea but at the same time I don’t know who’ll benefit from it. It’s good for the environment maybe, but a lot of parents will probably struggle with it. So it’s not very fair.
It will just deviate the problem. Because if you think about it, when you block off one road it just means all the cars will go to another road. So you’re causing probably just as bad pollution and traffic in another area.
I know driving loads is bad and you get smelly air or whatever. I know it exists and I know it’s bad and I know how I’m contributing to it. But I guess I’m like, yeah, I’m not fully aware of the implications.
“ It's difficult because you think to yourself, ok so I'm working and I'm doing all these things so that I can afford to live in a place and it's like well for me to be able to do all of that I need to drive.
It's difficult because you think to yourself, ok so I'm working and I'm doing all these things so that I can afford to live in a place and it's like well for me to be able to do all of that I need to drive.
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.
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.
Marilyn is a retired art teacher who lives in Brixton with her husband and three grown-up children. As a teenager she was treated for TB and, following the recent death of her brother, has become even more concerned about her health.
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 can affect children’s organ development from pregnancy through to early adolescence, with children living near busy roads four times more likely than adults to have reduced lung function. Yet, our local parents are more likely than other groups to think the dangers of air pollution have been exaggerated.