A study by Public Health England has shown that the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea has the most polluted air in the UK, with 8.3% of deaths over the age of 25 attributable to air pollution.
The figures are based on scientific models of the average concentration of air pollution in a given area, compared to the number of deaths in a single year.
The purest air was found to be in Scotland and places where there are few cars and the prevailing wind blows off the Atlantic. The Outer Hebrides, the Orkneys and the Shetland Islands were the least polluted areas in Scotland. Moyle was the cleanest borough in Northern Ireland and Gwynedd in Wales. Cumbria, Northumberland and Cornwall were the regions that had the lowest percentage of deaths from air pollution in England.
The UK, with a few exceptions in London, is within the EU legal limit for particulate pollution but is being taken to court by the European Commission for consistently missing targets for another air pollutant, NO2. This mixes with particles and other chemicals in the air to further aggravate health risks.
A 2011 study showed that diesel-related health problems cost the NHS more than 10 times as much as comparable problems caused by petrol fumes. Last year the UN's World Health Organisation declared that diesel exhaust caused cancer and was comparable in its effects to secondary cigarette smoking.
"Current levels of particulate air pollution in the UK have a significant impact on the life expectancy of the population. In the UK, a 15% reduction is required by 2020," said the report.
Environment groups have called on Government to tackle the cause of air pollution deaths. "It's outrageous that tens of thousands of people die because of polluted air. Ending this national disgrace should be a top priority for politicians. Ministers and local authorities must develop an urgent action plan to introduce cleaner vehicles and encourage the use of alternative forms of transport – people won't be able to breathe easily until they do", said a spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth.
