Issue Air pollution raising chronic disease burden in older people

Summary

The report names the possibility that ambient air pollution will make non-communicable diseases more widespread as a long-term uncertainty. That would place a substantial burden on older people and their health. In 2020 Public Health England described air pollution as the UK's greatest environmental public health threat. Urban nitrogen dioxide and particulate levels have fallen since the 1990s, yet legal limits are still sometimes exceeded and ozone has been rising. The report holds that children, older adults and people with underlying health conditions are the most vulnerable to pollution. The Clean Air Strategy 2019 aims to improve air quality by reducing emissions from transport, agriculture and industry.