Air pollution inside and outside the home causes at least 40,000 deaths a year according to a new report, and it estimates the cost of the damage at £20bn.
A well known fact that outdoor pollution, things such as smog, can cause deaths especially in highly populated areas such as Beijing or London, however the impact of indoor pollution is lesser known and a report from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Paediatrics and Child Health, highlights the problems along with growing evidence of harm to children's health and intelligence.
Things such as smoking, faulty boilers, gas cookers and heaters, fly sprays and air fresheners can all damage health. It is not yet known how many deaths indoor pollution causes however it is estimated to have caused 99,000 across Europe in 2012. The report found unborn and young children were particularly vulnerable to air pollution; "The developing heart, lung, brain, hormone systems and immunity can all be harmed by pollution, harm to babies and children will have an impact that lasts far into the future."
Many people in the UK are exposed to harmful and illegal levels of pollution, and after a loss at the UK parliament were forced to create an action plan to cut air pollution down to legal levels by 2025. However the new report found despite the government and the World Health Organisation's acceptable limits for air pollution, there is no level of exposure that could be seen as safe without carrying a risk. Furthermore the report demands a stronger crackdown on polluters and wants local authorities to be given the power to shut down local roads is pollution becomes too much.
