One in 20 deaths in Dorset attributed to air pollution

According to the government's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, figures show air pollution is responsible for 4.4 per cent of deaths of people in Dorset aged over 30 in 2022.

This was down from 4.9 per cent the year before and was below pre-pandemic levels of 5.5 per cent.

Campaigners have criticised the government's slow response to "dangerous fine particle air pollution" and urged it to bring the UK's air quality targets in line with global health advice.

Thursday, June 20 is National Clean Air Day, which is an opportunity for people to write to their local councillors and MPs to express concerns regarding their local area's air quality.

This follows news in Weymouth from April that found the concentration of particulate matter (PM) being breathed in was above World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines.

WHO guidelines state that safe levels of PM less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter should not exceed 5 micrograms per cubic meter of air, or 5 µg/m3.

In Weymouth, the average level of PM for 2023 was 8 µg/m3, this was 9.3 µg/m3 in 2022 and 10.9 µg/m3 in 2021.

This made Weymouth the 75th worst place for levels of PM in the UK.

One of the areas affected most by pollution in Weymouth is Boot Hill (Rodwell Road), which sees hundreds of cars, buses and lorries pass through to and from Wyke Regis and Portland.

Uphill acceleration on the road has been identified as a key contributor to high emissions.

Cllr Jon Orrell, a former GP, said: “It is alarming to see how many people die from air pollution in Dorset. The real dangers are the particles that we can’t see - unlike smog from London.

“The particles go into the lungs and bloodstream and can affect people in all sorts of ways which can also include learning difficulties.

“The main factor for this is vehicle exhausts and to tackle this we need to get more people using active transport, such as cycling, car sharing and electric buses to reduce emissions because it is a real killer.

“There has been a voluntary scheme for heavy goods vehicles to do a one-way trip to go down Boot Hill from Portland, and to use Lanehouse on the way there.

“This way the heaviest vehicles don’t go up the steepest slopes, but active transport could also be looked at as an alternative to address the issue.”

Imogen Martineau, head of UK portfolio at the Clean Air Fund, said the UK is "going in the wrong direction in tackling air pollution".

The Government says it wants to halve pollution levels of fine particles to reach an annual mean concentration of 10 micrograms per cubic metre by 2040.

The World Health Organization's current advice says this figure should be no more than five micrograms per cubic metre.

Ms Martineau said policymakers must work towards the WHO's air quality guidelines, adding: "It’s time to recognise the co-benefits which clean air can bring – better health, action on climate change, and improved economies."

Climate campaigners the Friends of the Earth said air pollution unfairly affects marginalised communities, especially those in cities.

The figures showed significant regional inequality across England, with 17 of the 18 areas with the worst air pollution death rates in London. The other was Watford, a commuter town in the East of England.

In London in 2022, 7.1 per cent of the deaths of people aged 30 or above were due to air pollution.

At the other end of the scale, the 11 areas with the lowest proportion of air pollution-related deaths were all in the South West, with air pollution responsible for 4.6% of deaths in the region.

Larissa Lockwood, director of clean air at Global Action Plan, said: "The solutions to our air pollution problem already exist. We need the Government to take urgent action to ensure everyone in the UK can breathe cleaner air."

Ms Lockwood said providing people with greener travel options and phasing out wood burning in urban areas would help improve air quality.

"No one should have their life cut short because they do not have access to clean air," she added.

Friends of the Earth said the Government "is not acknowledging" the dangers of air pollution.

Climate, transport and air pollution campaigner Jenny Bates said: "The Government must act now by bringing particulate matter targets in line with the WHO’s interim guidelines by 2030, and enshrine the right to clean air."

A government spokesperson said it has made "significant progress improving air quality since 2010".

They said: "We have delivered significant reductions in emissions – with fine particulate matter falling by 24%, and nitrogen oxides down by 48%.

"We also met our targets to reduce emissions for all five key pollutants in the latest reporting year."