Air pollution puts patients and staff at risk

Illegal and harmful levels of air pollution are affecting patients and staff at more than half of London’s hospitals, a new report reveals.

The report, A Breath of Fresh Air, shows that air-quality conditions at almost three quarters of inner London’s hospitals, clinics and GP surgeries violated legal safety limits. Out of 800 hospitals, surgeries and other various health sites in inner London, 577 exceeded EU emission standards on nitrogen dioxide, with 408 out of 990 sites in outer London also in breach of limits.

The study examined data from the NHS, Greater London Authority and Transport for London. It also found that all of London’s NHS facilities were in areas that violated World Health Organisation guidelines on pollution levels.

Nick Hopkinson, a London-based consultant in respiratory medicine, said: “We know the Government lobbied the EU [for it] to weaken air-pollution laws and this [report] is another reason to act. Doctors should be angry about these findings – we’ve known about the dangers of air pollution for a long time and the Government has been dragging its heels over addressing the situation. This is the time for health professionals to be making a noise; talk to their MPs and encourage patients, particularly those with respiratory conditions, to do the same.”