Air Pollution in England Hits 20-Year Low But Health Risks Remain: Think Tank

Air pollution in England has hit its lowest level in 20 years but risks to health still remain, a think tank reported on Friday.
Health risks linked to short-term and long-term exposure include cardiovascular and respiratory issues, lung cancer, and increased mortality.
Researchers pointed to particular risks among children and the elderly. Exposure to pollution has been linked to asthma during childhood and dementia in old age.
Nearly 40 percent of the reduction in PM2.5 exposure over the past two decades occurred in 2020, with pollution levels remaining low even as England emerged from the lockdown period.
The IFS highlighted a number of possible reasons that could have contributed to the slowdown in pollution levels.
“It is hard to fully explain the striking drop in air pollution that started in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. New clean air zones in several of England’s largest cities, and reduced steel production may have both played a role,” said Upton.
The report also noted the sluggish growth in the manufacturing sector, with the steel sector—one of the largest industrial sources of PM2.5—not recovering to pre-pandemic production levels.
The largest pollution sources in the UK are domestic burning of wood and other fuels, road transport, and industrial processes, such as construction and steel manufacturing.
The IFS said that the only source to have increased over the analysed period is domestic combustion. In 2022, three quarters of the domestic combustion emissions of PM2.5 came from woodburning.
However, researchers noted the link between income deprivation and air pollution to be complex. Sometimes, the poorest areas have lower pollution levels than slightly less deprived areas, and the wealthiest areas often have higher pollution levels than the second-wealthiest.
This happens because some wealthy areas, like Kensington and Chelsea in London, are urban, while some of the poorest areas are in rural locations, the study explained.
Over the analysed period, the southeast and southwest have seen slightly larger falls in pollution levels, while others, such as the northeast, have seen slightly smaller falls. London consistently has the highest levels of PM2.5, around 15–30 percent higher than the national average.
Under the Clean Air Act, residents are prohibited from emitting smoke from chimneys in smoke control areas. The legislation applies to all properties, including canal boats and house boats.
In England, violators can face fines of up to £300 for releasing smoke in these zones.