New analysis from City Hall, published today, shows that despite recent improvements in air quality, every hospital, medical centre and care home in the capital – visited by many of the most
vulnerable Londoners at their most unwell – is in a location which breaches the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter.
Today Sadiq will visit Evelina London Children’s Hospital to talk with doctors, nurses and young patients about the impact of air pollution and reaffirm his commitment to cleaning up the air around hospitals. The Mayor previously visited Evelina London in April 2019 to meet families and staff to talk about the importance of reducing toxic air pollution. His visit then marked the launch of the world’s first 24-hour Ultra Low Emission Zone.
The Mayor will discuss the growing evidence of an association between air pollution and COVID-19. Recent research has also linked long Covid with abnormalities identified in the lungs of long Covid patients experiencing breathlessness after their initial infection*. Staff at Evelina London have been leading the way in COVID-19 research and were instrumental in the discovery and research of a rare inflammatory condition in children linked to COVID-19 called Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PIMS-TS). To date they have successfully treated over 300 patients.
Poor air quality stunts the growth of children’s lungs and worsens chronic illnesses, such as asthma, lung and heart disease. A landmark study of the impact of London’s air pollution found children growing up in polluted parts of the capital showed significantly smaller lung volume, with a loss of approximately five per cent in lung capacity – equivalent to the size of two large eggs - compared to their peers in the rest of England**.
There are two main air pollutants of concern in London based on their impact on human health: nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
The new analysis based on the latest London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory*** shows:
- For toxic nitrogen dioxide, while 91 per cent of hospitals and medical centres meet the legal limits set by the UK Government, no hospital or medical centre meets the stricter WHO recommended guidelines for the protection of human health.
- Similarly for toxic PM2.5, the pollutant with the biggest impact on health, every hospital and medical centre exceeds the stricter WHO recommended guidelines for the protection of human health.
This data adds to growing evidence that bold action is required to reduce air pollution, tackle the climate emergency and cut congestion in the capital to protect the most vulnerable Londoners and create a greener, healthier city.
The Mayor has already taken ground-breaking action to tackle toxic air, carbon emissions and congestion in the capital by introducing and then expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone and tightening Low Emission Zone standards. These interventions are expected to lead to a five per cent fall in CO2 emissions from cars and vans in the zone and a 30 per cent cut in toxic nitrogen oxide emissions and a 35 per cent cut in toxic PM2.5 exhaust fumes.
Even so, there is still much more work to do before London meets legal and safe pollution limits and all Londoners can breathe clean air. Sixteen per cent of major roads in London still exceed the legal limits for NO2 and of an estimated 322 care homes in the city in 2019, 87 per cent of these facilities were in areas exceeding the WHO interim PM2.5 guideline and all were in areas exceeding the stricter WHO guideline limit for the protection of human health for both NO2 and PM2.5.
A recent report released by City Hall shows how much more urgent action is required to reduce transport emissions to clean up London’s air, achieve net-zero carbon city by 2030 and cut congestion. To achieve all this the capital will have to see a significant shift away from petrol and diesel vehicle use and towards walking and cycling, greater public transport use and cleaner vehicles. Despite being cleaner, electric vehicles still emit pollution through their brakes and tyres, making the shift to public transport, walking and cycling even more crucial in future.
The toxic air pollution being caused by London traffic is leading to nearly 4,000 premature deaths a year. The action already taken by the Mayor will reduce the number of air quality-related hospital admissions by one million by 2050, helping save the NHS and social care system £5 billion. However, if no additional action is taken to reduce air pollution beyond the existing polices, around 550,000 Londoners could develop diseases attributable to air pollution over the next 30 years with the cumulative cost to the NHS and the social care system estimated to be £10.4 billion.
The Mayor believes this is also a matter of social justice – with air pollution hitting the poorest communities the hardest. Londoners on lower incomes are more likely to live in areas of the city worst affected by air pollution but are least likely to own a car and so contribute to the problem. Nearly half of Londoners don’t own a car, but they are disproportionally feeling the damaging consequences of polluting vehicles.
Given the urgency of the climate crisis and the damaging impact of toxic air pollution, the Mayor believes bold action must be taken now. That’s why the Mayor recently announced that he is considering a number of further policies that could be ready within the next few years to encourage Londoners and those who drive within London to shift from polluting cars to electric vehicles, public transport and sustainable active travel, such as walking and cycling.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “We know toxic air pollution stunts the growth of children’s lungs and worsens chronic illnesses such as asthma, lung and heart disease. That is why it is unacceptable that all of London’s hospitals, medical centres and care homes, which look after some of the most vulnerable Londoners when they are most unwell, are in areas which exceed the World Health Organization guideline limit for pollution.
“Tackling air pollution in our city has been a priority for me since I was first elected in 2016 and I’m more determined than ever to do everything I can to consign air pollution to the history books.
We simply don’t have time to waste and I’m not willing to put off the action we can take a moment longer than necessary. Steps to tackle air pollution will also help tackle the climate crisis and I’m determined that we do everything possible to protect Londoners’ health both now and in the generations to come.”
Claire Lemer, clinical director at Evelina London, said: “Evelina London cares for more than 100,000 children and young people with a range of illnesses every year across our hospital and community services. Sadly, there’s not a week that goes by when we don’t see a child with a respiratory condition on our wards. Reducing air pollution will help to improve the lives of children and young people across the city, reducing unnecessary visits to hospital and helping them to lead healthier lives.”
Larissa Lockwood, Director of Clean Air, Global Action Plan, said: “Clean air in and around healthcare settings is crucial. No one should have to breathe dirty air, but we need to protect our most vulnerable. It cannot be right that healthcare professionals are forced to care for patients in environments that can worsen their symptoms as well as put them at risk of a whole range of other health problems. And this is all off the back of a respiratory pandemic, which we know the symptoms of can be exacerbated by air pollution.
“Whilst it is imperative that we improve the air quality in healthcare environments, tackling air pollution goes beyond the boundaries of the hospital, clinic room or GP practice. That’s why Global Action Plan pioneered The Clean Air Hospital Framework, a free resource that not only provides guidance on tackling air pollution in and around hospitals, but also offers advice for staff and patients to use in their local community.”
Mat Shaw, Chief Executive for Great Ormond Street Hospital, says: “Here at GOSH we know how important it is that urgent action is taken to tackle air quality around hospitals and we see first-hand the impact of air pollution on the children and families that we care for. We’ve developed the world’s first Clean Air Hospital Framework and have declared a Climate and Health Emergency but there is much more we need to do. We are working with our council, Camden, on long-term plans to pedestrianise parts of Great Ormond Street alongside other initiatives to improve local air quality. The children we see have the right to clean air, particularly when coming to hospital.” Photo by N19±, Wikimedia commons.