#Do1Thing: Air pollution 'could kill 200 people a year' in Coventry and Warwickshire

Air pollution could kill more than 200 people a year across Coventry and Warwickshire for the next decade according to a respected charity – unless urgent action is taken.

The stark figures come from the British Heart Foundation, which is warning that heart and circulatory disease deaths caused by air pollution could top 15,000 across the West Midlands in the 2020s.

That includes an estimated 1,500 in Warwickshire and 720 in Coventry.

The charity has described it as a ‘major public health emergency’ and is calling on the Government to take action.

They have also launched a campaign, called ‘You’re full of it” to raise awareness of the pollution we are inhaling every day.

Today, CoventryLive and sister titles across the country are calling on our readers to #Do1Thing to help tackle the climate crisis which is being fuelled, in part, by the emissions which are turning the air toxic.

BHF-funded research has shown that high levels of air pollution can have a harmful effect on health, such as by making existing heart conditions worse and increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Research funded by the charity found that fine particulate matter builds up around the body, including in the fatty plaques of diseased arteries.

What does the BHF want the Government to do?

The World Health Organisation has issued guidelines on particulate matter – this includes nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone.

The guidelines suggest that by reducing particulate matter pollution from 70 to 20 micrograms per cubic metre, air pollution-related deaths could fall by around 15 per cent.

The BHF wants these guidelines to be adopted into UK law – and met by 2030.

Currently the UK subscribes to EU limits for particulate matter – but WHO guidelines are more stringent.

The BHF says that particulate matter can have a seriously detrimental effect on heart health, making existing conditions worse and increasing the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

What can ordinary people do?

The BHF is urging people to write to their MPs, asking them to support the inclusion of WHO air pollution guideline limits in the Environment Bill.

You can also join the ‘You’re full of it’ campaign and find out more here .

“We owe it to future generations”

Jacob West, Executive Director of Healthcare Innovation at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Every day, millions of us across the country are inhaling toxic particles which enter our blood and get stuck in our organs, raising our risk of heart attacks and stroke. Make no mistake – our toxic air is a public health emergency, and we haven’t done enough to tackle this threat to our society.

“We need to ensure that stricter, health-based air quality guidelines are adopted into law to protect the health of the nation as a matter of urgency. Clean Air legislation in the 1950s and 60s, and more recently the smoking ban in public places, show that government action can improve the air we breathe.

“Decision makers across the country owe it to future generations to help stop this alarming figure from becoming a reality. That’s why we are urging people to contact their MP and demand a change in the law.”

Campaign image for British Heart Foundation air pollution campaign, 'You're full of it'

Dr Mark Miller, a British Heart Foundation-funded researcher specialising in air pollution, added: "Air pollution is a serious public health issue which affects us all, and evidence of the negative impact toxic air has on our health is increasing all the time.

"Our research has found that air pollution damages our blood vessels, increasing our risk of blood clots, and in turn heart attacks and stroke.

“While there is no safe level of air pollution exposure, adopting stricter guidelines will do a great deal to protect our health, allowing people to live healthier lives for longer."

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