Programmes

Health effects of air pollution

Our vision is a healthier world where everyone breathes clean air.

Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health, particularly in urban areas like Lambeth and Southwark.

Why we focus on the health effects of air pollution

Air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health, particularly in urban areas like Lambeth and Southwark.

In the UK, poor air quality causes devastating, lifelong illnesses and contributes to up to 43,000 deaths per year.

Air pollution doesn’t affect everyone equally; it disproportionately prevents certain groups of people from living healthy and happy lives.

Those groups include people from minoritised communities, who are often disproportionately exposed to air pollution in urban areas. There are also people who are disproportionately affected by air pollution, including people living in lower income areas, children, older people, and people already living with health conditions.

How we’ll achieve our vision

Over the course of ten years, we will find solutions to reduce the impact of air pollution by working with a diverse range of partners across Lambeth and Southwark and we will work with decision makers to advocate for clean air.

We are dedicated to reducing air pollution in a way that has the deepest impact on improving health equity in urban areas. That means:

focusing on the sources of air pollution that disproportionately affect minoritised and economically disadvantaged people (for example, mould and damp in people’s houses) and that haven’t been adequately addressed (for example, construction, freight, and wood burning).
ensuring that the people most affected by air pollution have a say in how to improve air quality so that the solutions benefit them.

We believe efforts to reduce air pollution must be targeted to benefit those people who are most affected by it. We’re focused on closing the gap in health equity caused by air pollution, and we use what we learn to influence others to take a similar, equitable approach.

Our insights and recommendations

We take what we learn in Lambeth and Southwark and share with other boroughs in London, across urban areas across the UK, and even in other cities around the world.

We focus on four sources of air pollution:

Construction: We’re working with businesses and communities to improve air quality in and around construction sites, which are a major source of air pollution in urban areas.

Freight: Defined as the movement of goods and services, freight is a major contributor to air pollution and greenhouse gasses. We’ve been working with residents, businesses, and councils, and have recommendations for how the Government can reduce air pollution from freight.

Housing: We want to improve indoor air quality, with a particular focus on damp and mould. Most residents we’ve spoken to in Lambeth and Southwark about indoor air pollution reported struggling with damp and mould. While research suggests that households in lower income areas are more likely to have worse indoor air quality, including damp, and people from minoritised communities are more likely to have damp problems in their homes.

Wood burning: The biggest source of fine particulate matter in cities, wood burning is a major risk to health. It’s also an example of inequality: The people who burn wood in urban areas are often from more affluent households and burn wood to create a cozy atmosphere. But the pollution wood burners produce affects not only the health of burners, but people throughout their neighbourhoods.

Working with communities and businesses

Focusing on these sources means we work with businesses to support them to reduce their emissions.

We also work with communities and one of our priorities is to amplify the voices of people who are most affected by air pollution. To that end, we work in partnership with organisations like Mums for Lungs, Global Black Maternal Health, and the Ella Roberta Family Foundation. We also fund community-led campaigns, like the Live + Breathe campaign.

You can see their flagship film here:

We’ve been listening to residents to understand their attitudes toward air quality. We want to know what people think about air pollution and what their concerns and priorities are.

You can learn more about our work with businesses, communities, councils, and the Government via our pages below.

Recent health effects of air pollution partnerships

We partner with local, national and international organisations working to address the health effects of air pollution. See some of our recent partnerships.

Health effects of air pollution

Sunset on the Thames. Photograph by Lucas Peng

Air quality updates in community spaces

With Imperial College London, The Social Innovation Partnership (TSIP), and Kasia Molga

Health effects of air pollution

Cultivating grassroots activism on air pollution

With The Social Innovation Partnership

Health effects of air pollution

London skyline in yellow and black, photograph by Ben Allan

Partnering with Black community leaders to improve air quality

With Rooted by Design

Health effects of air pollution

Campaigning to protect children from air pollution

with the Ella Roberta Family Foundation

Become a partner

More insights

Read our air pollution reports

Health effects of air pollution

London road, with assorted vehicles. Photograph by Charles Postiaux

Natasha Feiner

Policy and Influencing Manager

Policy

What can councils and the Government do to reduce pollution from freight?

We’re calling on the Government to implement our policy recommendations to reduce air pollution from freight.

Patrick Lee

Communications Manager

Opinion

12 Sep 2023

Just how bad is air pollution for your health?

Debates around air pollution have been sabotaged by misinformation and online abuse. So, what does the research say about how air pollution affects health?

Helping construction sites to measure polluting emissions

Arup have created an innovative tool, which can help construction companies to plan, monitor, and manage their polluting emissions.

Wood burning is more expensive than central heating

There’s a perception that burning wood is a cheaper way to heat a home. New research we’ve supported by Global Action Plan shows not only is that not true, but there are significant hidden costs to burning wood.

Our other programmes

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Children’s health and food

We want to break the link between low income and poor nutrition, by improving the quality of food options in lower-income neighbourhoods.

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Children’s mental health

Our vision is a world where every child has access to the things they need to be healthy, feel safe, and reach their potential.

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Multiple long-term conditions

We want to address the social and economic determinants of health in order to ensure longer, healthier lives for people with multiple long-term conditions.