Health challenges of air pollution

This report examines the effects of air pollution on health throughout the life course, calling on UK governments to treat air quality as a public health issue. It highlights evidence gained over the past decade showing that there are now links between air pollution and almost every organ in the body and the diseases that affect them. According to the report, around 30,000 deaths per year in the UK are estimated to be attributed to air pollution, with an economic cost of £27 billion in the UK due to health care costs, productivity losses and reduced quality of life. When wider impacts such as dementia are accounted for, the economic cost may be as high as £50 billion.