Scientist
@imperialcollege
, UKRI Clean Air Champion, contributor to
@Guardian
, author of 'The Invisible Killer - the rising global threat of air pollution..',
@BrentToderian
I included the Seoul expressway in my smog free city piece for
@guardian
. Swapping motorised traffic for active travel can tackle
#airpollution
, urban noise, climate emergency & the illnesses from lack of everyday exercise - part of future smog free city.
Results from study involving 50,000 women suggest even occasional home wood burning can increase lung cancer risk.
Reducing exposure in homes & neighbourhoods should be a priority.
Piece by me. Quotes from Dr Suril Mehta & Prof Fay Johnston.
We should be debating a road unbuilding programme - which roads to remove from the network or from your town or city? They make lovely linear parks, places to play, picnic, walk or cycle. Imagine the space outside your door as wildflowers not tarmac.
"it is ultimately up to the individual come to their own conclusions about stove ownership and usage"
No, I don't think so because home heating with solid fue places health burdens of so many other people.
Heading off to Cardiff for the
@UK_CleanAir
conference on
#airpollution
from fireplaces & stoves.
Excited to be co-organising the 1st UK conference on this topic since 2011.
Guests & speakers from all over UK & Ireland; government, universities, NGOs, industry & the public.
Swapping bowler hats for bike helmets? Cyclists now dominate the City of London rush hour. Vehicles down 40% since 1999. Good for air pollution & active travel has health benefits too.
@_CityAir
@urbanthoughts11
My latest
#Pollutionwatch
for
@guardian
Thanks
@BBCBreakfast
for inviting me along this morning to talk about the
#airpollution
risk this winter if people turn to solid fuel to heat their homes.
It is the most polluting way to keep warm. Instead please focus on other things like adjusting your heating and insultation.
Evidence from Oxford shows asthma emergency admissions plunged by 41 % as lockdown improved
#AirPollution
.
My latest piece for
@guardian
illustrates how better air could improve the everyday lives of asthmatics & ease the
#NHS
workloads.
"52% of all the small particle pollution from road transport came from tyre & brake wear in 2021."
Piece by
@dpcarrington
with linked briefing report from
@imperialcollege
@ImperialTZP
researchers.
Study tracked the health of 266,000 people in the UK found that current
#AirPollution
progressively erodes health,
increasing risks of developing & worsening lung disease.
By me for
@guardian
.
Quotes Prof Stephen Holgate,
@UK_CleanAir
@unisouthampton
“Wood burning is not a solution for reaching net zero or avoiding high bills.... It is not cheaper, not truly renewable, but it constitutes a major health risk" -Dr Gesche Huebner
My latest
@guardian
piece on the everyday impacts of solid fuel burning.
#airpollution
impacts are hiding in plain sight in our cancer statistics, especially lung cancer in never-smokers. These are real people, not just numbers.
My latest for
@guardian
. Quotes: Stephen Holgate,
@unisouthampton
, Michelle Turner
@ISGLOBALorg
Pollutionwatch by me for
@guardian
: lockdown is boosting air quality but we can do more. Lots of people are tidying gardens but vulnerable people are at home so please no bonfires, barbeques & avoid using your stove / fireplace too. Let's
@lower_baseline
The
#airpollution
that we
#breathe
every day is largely invisible, but is killing us. How did it get this bad and how can we stop it? Listen to
@drgaryfuller
on air pollution as the 'Invisible Killer' on
#SoundCloud
>
Emerging evidence that
#AirPollution
accelerates osteoporosis with impacts seen at levels well below current UK and US legal limits.
My latest piece for
@guardian
with science & quotes from
@pradadiddier
"Stopping wood burning is the best thing that you can do to bring clean air to you home and neighbourhood". Applies to all solid fuel use at home. Don't do it.
Lots of people have written to me about home wood burning and bonfires in the last week. Please don't burn things. Think of your nieghbours stuck indoors or trying to get some fresh in their gardens and especially those with breathing problems.
"Dying from
#airpollution
20 x more likely than being killed in a car crash". One of my colleagues often makes the point that your more likely to be killed by the rear of a car / bus / lorry than the front. Not the normal way that we view road safety.
'Car bloat', ‘auto-besity’ & rising sales of SUVs mean that cars are getting heavier.
Batteries in EVs add mass too. So more
#AirPollution
from brakes?
Will Hicks
@imperialcollege
created a computer simulator to find out.
Peice by me for
@guardian
"If the government & homeowners had spent the past 10 years investing in insulation & non-combustion renewables, instead of wood burning, we would have healthier air in our cities today & less carbon dioxide in our atmosphere." My latest for
@guardianeco
Pressure mounts for
@WHO
#airpollution
guidelines in the Environment Bill. Step off the pavement into a train station, shop or football stadium & these laws will not apply. Time to protect people in indoor public spaces too?
#Pollutionwatch
by me.
I’m really excited to join the SPF Clean Air Champions team (
@UK_CleanAir
). I look forward to helping in the Champions mission to ensure that the interdisciplinary communities working on improving air quality are connected to the public, wider policy & business environment.
We're pleased to announce Dr Gary Fuller as the new Clean Air Champion for the SPF Clean Air Programme. He joins Champions Prof Stephen Holgate and Dr Jenny Baverstock in their work to develop practical solutions for
#AirQuality
issues.
More:
@MetOffice
UK farming is the largest source of the particle
#airpollution
in our cities, according to new study by
@ucl
Solving our urban air pollution problems will require innovation in the countryside as much as solutions in our cities.
My latest for
@guardian
"Cleaner air during UK lockdown relieves asthma" by
@dpcarrington
"so important we take this opportunity to recognise the lived experiences of people with lung conditions & ... to build a future where we prioritise clean air" says Prof Stephen Holgate
Two
@UK_CleanAir
programme conferences in 2 weeks!
On my way to
@unibirmingham
. Over 200 researchers, professionals & government gathering for 2 days of
#AirPollution
science, discussion & meetings.
Looking forward to it.
Is this the biggest
#AirPollution
meeting since 2020?
"Better air, better health: why dirty air makes your patients sick".
There are mountains of evidence on
#airpollution
but where to begin if you want to learn all about it?
Try this piece in
@NursingTimes
by
@HeatherHenry4
A wealth of research shows that
#airpollution
is harming our brain health - our mental health & risk of dementia. A new report has outlined what we should do next
My latest in
@guardian
Quotes Frank Kelly
@ImperialSPH
, Brian Castlellani (
@complexcase
)
"We tend to think that burning wood is somehow harmless, because wood is a natural product."
@dpcarrington
reports on the
#airpollution
cancer risk from wood burning with quotes from
@alison_tomlin
and me.
Widespread support for a ban on home wood burning...
"Poll for
@guardian
...67% of Londoners backed a ban, with 17% opposed & 16% saying they did not know. Across Britain, 44% supported a wood burner ban, with 36% opposed"
Piece by
@dpcarrington
We spend 80-90% of our time
#indoors
Proud to have been part of AQEG's latest report
It covers indoor
#airpollution
as the combination of sources (inside & out), ventilation & exposure along with forward looking recommendations to plug evidence gaps
"Sadiq Khan in U-turn on ‘eco’ wood-burners amid pollution fears"
Piece by
@JonUngoedThomas
for
@ObserverUK
“Whether you use an open fire to burn wood...or invest in a stove for solid fuel, it is the most polluting way to heat your home.” says me.
Evidence grows on the health harm of an evening in front of the fire.
"The most effective way to reduce community exposure to smoke is by not permitting new wood-heater installations & phasing out existing units." -
@SotirisVard
My latest for
@guardian
70 years since London's
#GreatSmog
, why do we not have clean air?
#AirPollution
is still exerting an intolerable burden on our health across the capital, the UK and the globe. Here's some lessons from the aftermath of
#London
's 1952 smog.
"Wood burning at home now biggest cause of UK particle pollution" by
@dpcarrington
Who burns wood & why, when 96% have alternative heating? Piece includes a summary of latest
@DefraGovUK
survey of >46,000 people on their home heating.
Quotes me too.
This month marks 30 years since the Six Cities Study.
It transformed our knowledge of
#AirPollution
& its impact still resonates in public health actions including London’s
#ULEZ
& the tightening of EU air pollution laws.
My latest piece for
@guardian
I love the idea of
#depave
. Too much urban space is devoted to motorised traffic. Let's make it better places for people to walk, play, sit and cycle improve our cities for nature and to take pressure off of our drainage systems.
1/ One of many new rainwater gardens for Hackney. By systematically eliminating paving and replacing it with gardens and additional trees, we're helping to reduce summer temperatures in a warming city, increase biodiversity and manage high rainfall events.
70 years ago, fuel shortages were a factor in London's Great Smog. Will this year's fuel crisis also lead to
#airpollution
problems?
My latest
@guardian
piece draws on recent research on UK wood burning & quotes
@k_langford
@ImpUrbanHealth
It's time to re-think our major urban roads. Buliding new roads leads to more traffic. Road un-buliding can be part of the solution, releaving communities of the burden of
#airpollution
and noise.
#Pollutionwatch
by me for
@guardian
@guardianeco
New study estimates 284 Londoners die early each year due to outdoor
#AirPollution
from solid fuel heating, a health cost of £187m, or £24 per Londoner or £800 per solid fuel user.
My latest piece for
@guardian
.
For more see
@woodburningldn
project.
"As individuals there’s little we can do about the air we breathe. So it’s vital the government leads from the front in reducing
#AirPollution
and the resulting harm to our brain health." -
@SusanAlzUK
Piece by
@andrewgregory
This announcement from the courts was six years ago. Government was shaken, and scientists and campaigners thought we'd turned a corner. Six year later we're still waiting for the radical changes needed to address
#airpollution
.
For the 1st time we had a London
#airpollution
incident from New Year fireworks.
It's been fascinating in the
@LondonAir
ops centre in
@KingsCollegeLon
today. We've been looking at Ba, Cu, Sr K and Cl-. All used in fireworks & New Year's day air.
Trying to clean our outdoor air seems attractive but founders on a point of physics: there is simply too much air to clean. It is better to stop it being polluted in the first place. My latest
#pollutionwatch
for
@guardianeco
....
Turning
#airpollution
into art..... My
#CleanAirDay2019
picture. Nearly 100,000 vehicles per day thunder over Marylebone Flyover. Underneath five decades of traffic
#airpollution
has been sandblasted away to create a vision of better future.
Countless reports have concluded that the public need more
#airpollution
information.
New study by
@kaylloquial
found 54 different on-line services in London. Maybe we don't need more, we need better. So what next? My latest piece for
@guardian
.
Summer smogs: let's have warnings included on our weather forecasts alongside those for heat and pollen. My latest
#Pollutionwatch
for
@guardian
.
Also control of sources of ozone
#airpollution
needs to be on the table at the G20 and
#COP26Glasgow
.
Why would a health insurer study
#airpollution
?
"Improving air quality not only benefits public health, but also ensures the financial sustainability of the social security system."
I spoke to Christian Horemans -
@MutLibres
for this piece in
@guardian
"Some of the pollutants that harm our health also harm our climate. It is therefore surprising that our actions to tackle air pollution and the climate crisis are not more joined up" BBC Science Focus Magazine
@sciencefocus
by me.
I take my hat off to
@rosamund_ElsFdn
, her family and those that have worked with her for recognition of
#airpollution
in Ella's death. Justice. Is it time to move beyond limits & guidelines to for a legal right to healthy environment for our children go grow up & flourish?
#airpollution
gets another newspaper front page. (Well done to
@dpcarrington
&
@guardian
). The scientific evidence and calls for action grow by the day but it needs to be matched by political leadership.
How can we solve Europe's PM2.5 problems?
Some sources & solutions are obvious, but many have been overlooked for years.
I spoke to six
#airpollution
experts. My latest piece for the
@guardian
's European edition.
Science tells us that there is no safe threshold for
#airpollution
exposure. This requires a new approach to managing the air that we breathe.
#Pollutionwatch
by me.
On my way to give the
@_CityAir
@cityoflondon
#GreatSmog
anniversary lecture - what happened in 1952 and the lessons for today. Lots of photos from 1952 and I have my dad as a smog witness too.
"Wood-burning stoves and open fires in homes have become Britain’s biggest source of a dangerous air pollutant, contributing to the government missing a clean air goal"
Piece by
@adamvaughan_uk
Europe and the UK's
#AirPollution
crisis features in this week's Guardian Weekly magazine, with articles from
@mrmatthewtaylor
,
@PorcelinaD
,
@NiranjanAjit
& me.
I haven't bought a copy of the magazine for years.
It's brilliant, packed with loads of great writing & analysis.
Time to re-think the UK's
#airpollution
alert messages? Can we do better? Should we focus on reducing polluting behaviour rather than asking people who suffer the impacts to change their lives?
#Pollutionwatch
: how air quality alerts can help drive change
We often frame
#AirPollution
as an invisible killer. Its impacts are hiding in plain sight amongst the chronic illness & early deaths of so many.
@ameliagentleman
visited
@GreatOrmondSt
to see how Mark Hayden & team are helping doctors spot the cases.
"Burning wood results in more carbon being released into the atmosphere than burning coal". Great piece on smoke & mirrors of wood burning; it's only climate neutral in a carbon accounting sense, not in the real world. By
@TSearchinger
(ht
@DrMariaNeira
)
"Pressures on household finances may be tempting people towards burning wood. But our new research demonstrates that wood burning is almost always more expensive than other forms of heating.”-
@lucyganderson
of
@globalactplan
Piece by
@mrmatthewtaylor
New review shows low emission zones (LEZ/
#ULEZ
) can improve health, with strongest evidence on reduced heart attacks & strokes.
My piece for
@guardian
quotes review author Rosemary Chamberlain
@ImperialSPH
& Dan Greenbaum
@HEIresearch
(
#airpollution
)
New Canadian study found harm from
#AirPollution
even among people living with some of the cleanest air in the world. We should not limit our ambition to targets for the worst air. We need to reduce
#AirPollution
everywhere.
My latest
#Pollutionwatch
We need to stop presenting
#airpollution
as an almost intractable problem. To persuade politicians and decision makers to take (and enable) action, we need to show the opportunity to improve health & society.
Did you know that the UK economy could benefit from an average of 1.6 billion a year if we were to achieve the WHO guidelines for air quality?
Find out more and how you can make a difference:
"Air pollution linked to far higher Covid-19 death rates" piece by
@dpcarrington
for
@guardian
The study looks at the long term exposure to
#airpollution
before COVID. The next key question: what actions can we take now to help?
"For too many of us, the air we breathe is toxic, and the weight of evidence showing the health impact linked to air pollution is growing by the day" -
@TimDexter93
of
@asthmalunguk
writes in
@guardian
in response to my latest
#pollutionwatch
.
"Air pollution: science shows there's no safe limit – here's how laws must change", piece by
@wjbloss
for
@ConversationUK
, adding to other voices on this topic. Feels like there's some growing momentum on this.
Particle pollution downwind of eateries can be greater than that from major roads. So do we need better filters and scrubbers on kitchen extractors? My latest
#pollutionwatch
for
@guardian
@guardianeco
Years of breathing traffic pollution increases death rates in neighbourhoods, towns and cities - international evidence review.
My latest for
@guardian
with quotes from review authors Hanna Boogaard
@HEIresearch
& Barbara Hoffman
@UniklinikDUS
.
More and more studies are showing that lifelong harm from
#airpollution
starts when we are very young. My latest piece for
@guardian
looks at the multiple benefits of school streets.
Bonfires are a cause of tension between neighbours & complaints to local councils but little is known about the
#airpollution
they create. French scientists have been investigating. My latest
#pollutionwatch
for
@guardian
@guardianeco
We think of
#AirPollution
as a busy road, a neighbour's chimney or being downwind of industry, but the total impact is massive, intolerable & importantly it not necessary.
My latest
#Pollutionwatch
inc. quote from
@DrMariaNeira
,
@WHO
& data -
@HEISoGA
New study of 1.7 million people in Rome reveals the impact of
#AirPollution
on our mental health.
Reducing Rome’s average particle pollution by 10% could reduce common mental health conditions by 10-30%.
My latest piece for
@guardian
.
Our new paper is out showing the massive 61% decrease from projected in local cardiovascular hospital visits after the closure of the Shenango coal coking plant. Stark evidence of how highly toxic fossil-fuel derived air pollution is!
@ISEE_global
See:
We don't talk enough about urban noise. Just stuck my head outside. No traffic and muffling effect of the snow has bought a wonderful peace. The silence is incredible. Shame about the smell of wood burning.
Are the impacts from
#airpollution
hiding in plain sight in our everyday aliments?
New UK study raises an exciting prospect - benefits of clean air could be even greater than we imagine.
By me in
@guardian
. Quotes
@IoannisBakolis
from
@KingsCollegeLon
"‘Dramatic’ plunge in London air pollution since 2016"
“These successes show that our city’s air pollution is not an intractable problem”
Report by
@MayorofLondon
. Great piece by
@dpcarrington
with quotes from me & Stephen Holgate too.
"One starting point to control spring pollution is to understand what it is made of. The data shows that that our air pollution laws need to encompass many more sources than they do at present." My latest for
@guardian
.
We tend to overlook
#AirPollution
in small towns. Just got off the train at Hassocks, West Sussex and found the frosty air thick with wood smoke over a wide area, not just one chimney. Clear visable in the station lights. A lot of people are breathing this tonight.