30,000 deaths will be linked to pollution, says report from doctors

AIR pollution negatively affects almost every organ in the body and around 30,000 UK deaths will be linked to toxic air in 2025, according to a new report from leading doctors.

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The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) said there is “no safe level” of air pollutants and warned that around 99 per cent of the UK population are breathing in “toxic air”. Exposure to air pollution can shorten people's lives by 1.8 years, which is “just behind some of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide", including cancer and smoking, the authors wrote.

The report highlights some new research findings about air pollution and ill health over the last decade, including that even if low concentrations air pollution can have impacts on foetal development, cancer, heart disease, stroke, mental health conditions and dementia.