Are Government targets on air pollution sufficient? EAC launches new inquiry

Following the World Health Organisation’s recent guidance on pollutant concentration limits, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today launched a new inquiry considering outdoor and indoor air quality targets.

Poor air quality continues to cause damage to people’s health and the natural environment: Public Health England recently described air pollution as the largest environmental risk to the public’s health.  There is evidence of links between air pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and emerging evidence of other possible health effects such as dementia, low birth weight and diabetes. Poor air quality is a major driver of biodiversity decline across the UK, with levels of ammonia being exceeded in 93.5% of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England.

Research suggests that the impacts of poor air quality is more concentrated in urban areas and low-income and ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. 

The long-term health impacts of indoor air pollution are less well known. The coroner’s report on the death of Awaab Ishak, who was found to have died from a severe respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home, highlighted the significant impact of poor indoor air quality.

The focus of this short Committee inquiry will be to examine whether Government targets – recently enhanced with new targets for fine particulate matter and a population exposure reduction target – are sufficient. Organisations such as the Royal College of Physicians have called for the Government to strengthen its targets, and critics of the Government’s recently-revised Air Quality Strategy for England have raised concerns over the level of  detail and  the adequacy of central Government support to local authorities on implementation.

Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said:

“It is estimated that between 28,000 and 36,000 people die every year in the UK as a result of human-made air pollution. This simply shouldn’t be happening, and we must do everything in our power to improve the air that we all breathe.

“The Government has set targets to improve air quality for England, but are they enough to make a change significant enough to stop these deaths and avoidable health problems, and halt the decline of our precious biodiversity? 

“In our new inquiry, we will be lifting the lid on both outdoor and indoor air quality. We will be looking at how different communities across the country are impacted disproportionately by air pollution. We will be examining whether the targets currently established are sufficient to tackle this momentous challenge.”

Terms of reference

The Committee invites written submissions addressing any or all of the issues raised in the following terms of reference, by 17:00 on Thursday 25^th May.

1. What evidence exists of the extent of air pollution directly or indirectly impacting health of individuals or communities in England ?
2. What evidence exists to demonstrate the impact of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London, and other Clean Air Zones nationwide, on reducing public health risks or improving health outcomes within areas where they have been introduced?
3. Are the current national targets for outdoor air pollution ambitious and wide-ranging enough to provide adequate protection for public health and the environment in a) rural and b) urban areas?
4. Are measures currently in place, and those proposed in the revised Air Quality Strategy for England, sufficient to achieve national targets?
5. What are major barriers and challenges to achieving national targets on air quality?
6. Does the Government provide sufficient funding and devolved powers to local authorities in England to improve local air quality? If not, what additional funding or devolved powers are required?
7. What are the long-term health impacts of indoor air pollution?
8. What steps can the Government take to improve indoor air quality?
9. What are the differential impacts, geographically, and across socioeconomic groups, of poor outdoor and indoor air quality? Are measures to address poor air quality appropriately targeted?
10. How well is the Government spreading awareness of the impacts of poor air quality and promoting action being taken to tackle the issue?
11. How well is the Government coordinating measures between national and local actors to improve air quality, both outdoors and indoors?