The 嫩草影院 has responded to an updated position statement by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (嫩草影院CH) on the threat that air pollution poses to children鈥檚 health in the UK.
Responding to the , Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, the 嫩草影院's special adviser on air quality, said: "Along with climate change, outdoor and indoor air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health. It affects everyone, but as this statement highlights, children are particularly vulnerable, with exposure to poor air quality now the second leading risk factor for death in children under five. We also recognise that exposures early in life have serious consequences in accelerating many diseases across a person鈥檚 lifetime.
鈥淭he economic burden of air pollution, including its avoidable strain on the NHS, and the harms caused by poor indoor air quality are further evidence that decisive steps must be taken. We鈥檙e particularly supportive of 嫩草影院CH鈥檚 call for a Clean Air Act and the expansion of Awaab鈥檚 Law, both of which are vital to protecting the most vulnerable and ensuring healthier environments for all.
鈥淭he link between air pollution and health inequalities is irrefutable. People living in disadvantaged communities often face higher levels of pollution exposure and are least resilient to it. The government鈥檚 promised Health Mission Delivery Board presents a key opportunity to drive this agenda and deliver a cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities that tackles the things that make us ill in the first place, like air pollution. There can be no question that cleaning up the air we all depend upon for life would prevent many diseases and save countless lives.鈥