A new report from Clean Air South says air pollution in the south of England could be further entrenching health inequalities, with those living in more deprived areas most affected.
It says poor air quality has wide ranging and long-term health impacts, contributes to deprivation, hampers productivity, and puts a strain on local health services.
The report was launched on 14 January in Winchester by the Clean Air South network. It was compiled as part of our University’s Civic impact role together with the Sustainability and Resilience Institute (SRI), Wessex Health Partners, and local authorities.
Across the UK, long-term exposure to air pollution has an annual equivalent to 29,000 to 43,000 deaths for adults aged 30 and over, according to DEFRA.
Portsmouth City Council estimates that 6.2 per cent of deaths in 2022 in the city were attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution, while research suggests cutting air pollution by one fifth in Southampton may result in 150 fewer children with low lung function each year.
“Those who contribute least to the problem are also the most exposed to it and the most vulnerable to its damaging effects,” says John Boswell, Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Southampton and co-author of the report.
“Socially and economically disadvantaged groups are more likely to live near busy roads, have less access to green space, and live in densely populated areas, and are more likely to live in housing with inadequate ventilation and poor indoor air quality. But they are also the least likely to own a car or to travel as far for work, education and leisure.”