Health

Surge in cardiac arrests when pollution is high – as dirty air ‘kills 36,000 a year’


SPIKES in air pollution trigger hundreds of cardiac arrests, strokes and asthma attacks in cities, experts warn.

New research by King’s College London found dirty air contributes to up to 36,000 deaths in England every year.

 Spikes in air pollution trigger hundreds of heart attacks, strokes and acute asthma attacks in English cities compared to days when the air is cleaner, according to new research

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Spikes in air pollution trigger hundreds of heart attacks, strokes and acute asthma attacks in English cities compared to days when the air is cleaner, according to new researchCredit: PA:Press Association

The study looked at data from London, Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford and Southampton.

It found on high pollution days – days when pollutant levels were in the top half of the annual range – there were an extra 124 cardiac arrests on average.

The figure discounts cardiac arrests suffered by patients already in hospital and is based on ambulance call data.

Their research also found there was an average of 231 additional hospital admissions for stroke, with an extra 193 children and adults hospitalised for asthma.

‘Act now’

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, described the numbers as “a health emergency”.

“As these new figures show, air pollution is now causing thousands of strokes, cardiac arrests and asthma attacks, so it’s clear that the climate emergency is in fact also a health emergency,” he said.

“Since these avoidable deaths are happening now – not in 2025 or 2050 – together we need to act now.”

Air pollution is now causing thousands of strokes, cardiac arrests and asthma attacks, so it’s clear that the climate emergency is in fact also a health emergency

Simon StevensNHS chief executive

He added the NHS needed to radically reduce its own carbon footprint, as well as adapting its supply chain and transport to do its bit to cut pollutants.

The risk was found to be greatest in London, where high pollution days cause an extra 87 cardiac arrests on average, an extra 144 strokes as well as 74 children and 33 adults hospitalised for asthma.

High risk cities

Birmingham saw the second highest risk, with 12 more out-of-hospital cardiac arrests, 27 more admissions for stroke, with 15 extra children and 11 adults hospitalised for asthma.

Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford and Southampton saw between two and six additional out-of-hospital heart attacks on high pollution days.

These cities saw an uptick of between two and 14 extra hospitalisations for stroke, and up to 14 extra admissions for asthma.

Only Derby did not see an increase in heart attacks on high pollution days.

Health impacts

Among the long-term risks associated with high pollution levels are stunted lung growth and low birth weight.

The research also found cutting air pollution by a fifth would decrease incidents of lung cancer by between five per cent and seven per cent across the nine cities surveyed.

Dr Heather Walton, health expert on the project at Environmental Research Group, King’s College London, said: “The impact of air pollution on our health has been crucial in justifying air pollution reduction policies for some time, and mostly concentrates on effects connected to life-expectancy.

“However, health studies show clear links with a much wider range of health effects.”

‘Tip of the iceberg’

Dr Samantha Walker, director of research and policy at Asthma UK said: “Toxic air is a scourge on the nation’s health and this study shines a light on the devastating effects it can have on people with asthma, causing hundreds to be seriously ill and need hospital treatment.

“These figures may be just the tip of the iceberg as many people with asthma don’t go to hospital when they have an asthma attack and try to manage it themselves and this research only focuses on people in major cities in England.

“We urgently need the Government to commit to a stronger Environment Bill with legally binding enforceable targets for clean air, based on World Health Organisation recommendations.

“In the meantime, more than three million people with asthma in the UK could continue to be affected by air pollution, suffering coughing, wheezing, struggling to breathe and being at risk of a life-threatening asthma attack.”

The figures were published ahead of the International Clean Air Summit this Wednesday hosted by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and the UK100 this week.

The UK100 is a network of local government leaders, who have pledged to help their communities shift to 100 per cent clean energy by 2050.

Polly Billington, director of UK100, said: “Local government needs additional powers and resources to address this public health crisis, alongside a timetable for when air pollution levels will meet World Health Organisation guidelines.”

The full report is due to be published in November.

Sadiq Khan reveals plans to tackle pollution in the capital with a car-free day on September 22 that will see the centre of the capital partly shut down





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