Patrick Lee
@PatrickjaLee
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Communications Manager at @ImpUrbanHealth , focusing on air pollution and making cities better places to live. Views are my own.
London, England
Joined November 2013
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Lots of talk about air pollution and it seems a lot of disagreement about why poor air quality is such a big deal.
So, what are the health effects of air pollution? (Brace yourself, it's a difficult read but links to research included). 👇🧵
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Burning wood is devastating people's health, especially in cities 🔥
Despite that, sales of wood burning stoves are increasing 🚨
So how can councils and campaigners inform people about the connections between wood burning and air pollution? 🧵👇
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The people most affected by toxic fumes from cars are people who can't afford to drive.
The ULEZ can do for our streets what the smoking ban did for indoor spaces:
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@OzKaterji
Communism isn’t bad. The fact it’s only been practiced by bloodthirsty regimes, where people have no say, and supported by police states and corrupt officials, is what is bad.
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@BNONews
Burning fossil fuels is so radically changing our climate that it’s getting in the way of our ability to burn fossil fuels.
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A lot of tireless campaigners and brave politicians have helped to reduce air pollution from traffic.
...And that work is being undone by mostly wealthy people in cities who like to burn wood.
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ULEZ in London has…
✅saved money
✅improved health
✅reduced pollution (more than is produced by the capital’s airports or its river and rail transport combined)
✅made London a nicer place to be!
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In cities like London, it’s mostly wealthier people from AB social grades who burn wood and they do so for aesthetic reasons.
284 Londoners are now dying early each year due to air pollution from solid fuel heating.
It has to stop.
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Using an indoor wood stove or fireplace increases women’s risk of developing lung cancer by 43% compared with those that do not use wood heating.
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@GloryHu68395326
@chrisbtw97
@PatrickAndrews
This is all of the wrong kind of PPE the Tories ordered “by mistake”, at a cost of billions to taxpayer and weeks-lost for Covid defence. That money went to a mate of Tory ministers, who won’t give it back. People died for this. Imagine Corbyn or Abbot had done that.
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@BeardedGenius
There's no biological reason why life expectancy in the poorest areas is ten years lower than the wealthiest.
It's a policy decision to take money from the people that need it most.
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Burning wood:
💸It’s the expensive option
💵In cities, mostly wealthy people do it
❤️🩹It poisons air for everyone
🌲It’s not the sustainable option
🫰It adds to our tax burden
🧵
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@antbxsh
@BBCLookNorth
People making fun of him but he's raised a good point.
While it's great cities like Bradford protect people from air pollution, it's a problem that needs international cooperation.
Wind does blow pollution from country to country. Governments need to cooperate on air quality.
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@OliviaUtley
I'm paying £60-70 on interest every month to my student loan, and 5.8% interest on a mortgage. I think graduates are among the most taxed group of people ever in the UK.
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The more air pollution you breathe, the more likely it is you'll develop cancer.
For every 10 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m³) of increased exposure to PM2.5, the risk of dying from any cancer rises by 22 percent.
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Each car in London costs NHS and society £8,000 due to air pollution, report finds | The Independent | The Independent
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Congratulations to the people of Paris!
🚗There are no dirt paths, no mountain roads. SUVs are useless in cities.
🛣️They are dangerous, cumbersome and use too many resources to manufacture.
❤️🩹Brakes in SUVs have to work twice as hard, meaning more air pollution.
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Cant describe extent to which once lovely city of York has been ruined by cars.
Constant traffic, noisy, pollution, no green, never more than a few feet from cars. Old friends who used to cycle now intimidated cos roads so busy.
Must be costing the council so much money.
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If govt doesn't take action to improve air quality, more and more children will be hospitalised with respiratory conditions.
Brilliant work as usual by
@MumsForLungs
showing how air quality in the UK is causing lifelong health issues for children.
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🔥 Burning wood is the more expensive way of heating a home 🔥
Not only is burning wood almost always more expensive than central heating, but it also has huge hidden costs for everyone in society. We all pay the bill!
🧵👇
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"As a medical doctor, I cannot resist the temptation to remind people that this is about strokes, this is about heart disease, this is about asthma, about lung cancer, diabetes, low birth weight, preterm births, cognitive decline."
@DrMariaNeira
👏
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Air pollution is estimated to contribute to ten million deaths per year.
Two degrees of global warming will lead to an extra 153 million deaths this century from air pollution alone.
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Brilliant thread by an expert campaigning for people's health 👇
But horrific abuse in the comments, mostly by anonymous accounts many of which seem like bots.
Got to ask whether Twitter is still a platform that can effectively distribute info.
So I spent yesterday evening having a quiet night in. At around 11 pm I began to smell smoke *inside my flat*.
I went out to investigate…
This is a somewhat angry (but evidence-based) wood-burning thread.
*trigger warning* for urban wood-burners!
#WoodBurning
🔥💨🧵 [1/n]
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Burning wood devastates people's health.
Most people who burn wood do it for aesthetic reasons, rather than out of necessity, and don't realise they're exposing themselves and their neighbours to toxic pollution.
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Doctors are celebrating ULEZ.
“At a time when the NHS is already under immense pressure, air pollution is causing a huge strain on hospital wards across the country that could be prevented today."
"The ULEZ works..."
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What would your street look like if it was healthier?
Type in your postcode and see how your street would change if it prioritised people, health, and the environment:
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@PFriedling
Also seems weird that none of the media reaction has been to ask young people how they feel…
…considering the stunt suggests they’re feeling increasingly scared and desperate.
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@grantshapps
@JustStop_Oil
IPCC report: “Greenhouse gas emissions from existing fossil fuel infrastructure is more than enough to push the world beyond 1.5C of global heating compared with pre-industrial times.”
How is this decision in any way informed by science, research, or expert guidance?
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Research shows that most people who burn wood do so for aesthetic reasons.
Considering air pollution contributes to up to 43,000 deaths per year in the UK, it's obvious that reducing wood burning is an urgent public health crisis.
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In the UK, this means outdoor air pollution is thought to contribute up to 43,000 deaths in the UK every year.
.
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Time Out’s Community Hero of the Year. Congratulations
@EllaRobertaFdn
!!
"The clean air campaigner has worked tirelessly in 2023 to make the capital pollution-free."
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Air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health and children are especially vulnerable:
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The latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) show that wood-burning in the home accounts for 27.3 per cent of total particulate matter.
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Air pollution is a public health crisis.
It's a social justice issue.
It's a racial justice issue.
A thread inspired by
@DrGaryFuller
's article:
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There is nothing in the environment worse for your health.
Everyone in cities is breathing toxic levels of it every day.
It's fixable. We have solutions. It just needs investment and political will.
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More air pollution in people’s home neighbourhoods led to a greater probability of developing one lung illness and then to increased likelihood of multiple illnesses and death.
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Globally, air pollution is thought to contribute to one in five deaths:
.
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@GeorgeMonbiot
Not only does wood burning have devastating health effects on the burners - and their neighbours - it's also...
💸 The more expensive way of heating a home
🫰Adds to all our tax bills
🌲Worse for the environment than just using central heating.
Burning wood:
💸It’s the expensive option
💵In cities, mostly wealthy people do it
❤️🩹It poisons air for everyone
🌲It’s not the sustainable option
🫰It adds to our tax burden
🧵
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@jonburkeUK
Obviously a lot of narrative around ULEZ is the fact cars are the major source of toxic air pollution.
Less talk about the fact that walking is one of the best things a person can do for their health and well-being, and a lot of people drive when it’d be just as easy to walk.
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Supporters of all political parties agree: Ban wood burning stoves.
A small number of people - who burn wood mostly for enjoyment rather than necessity - are polluting the air.
It's unfair and a completely avoidable public health crisis.
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“The more fine particulate matter pollution you are exposed to, the more likely you are to die from cardiopulmonary disease or lung cancer.”
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Air pollution is a social justice issue.
“...in countries of every level of income, the health effects of air pollution are most frequent and more severe among the poor and the marginalized.”
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“The brakes in the large SUV had to work twice as hard as those in the small compact car, resulting in greater particle pollution.”
@DrGaryFuller
in The Guardian.
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The problem with the legislation is whatever you burn, it still emits fine particulate matter.
That particulate matter has devastating effects on burners' (and their neighbours') health.
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"Increased air pollution leads to more children being admitted to hospital"
Air pollution affects everyone but disproportionately affects children.
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Air pollution affects people throughout their entire lives.
From before birth to death, air pollution increases the risk of stroke, dementia, cancer, multiple longer-term illness including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and early death.
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Just how bad is air pollution for your health?
It's bad. Worse than most people realise.
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One in three people will get dementia.
Given that air pollution is a modifiable risk, it’s crucial councils do something to urgently improve air quality.
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Good news! The more a city cleans up its air, the longer the life expectancy of its inhabitants.
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@SabjiHunter
@CrimeLdn
Electric bikes and scooters have built-in max speed limit.
Why don't cars?
Five people killed on roads every day in the UK.
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@HelReynolds
When your team have noticed it’s ‘World [nothing to do with your organisation] Day’ and want to quickly brainstorm ways to become involved.
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"Each 10-µg/m3 elevation in fine particulate air pollution was associated with approximately a 4%, 6%, and 8% increased risk of all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality, respectively."
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@NaomiAKlein
Read reviews that seem to misinterpret the end of the film.
I see the end as Hoss looking right down the camera lens, as edits cut back and forth between 1943 and 2024. Hoss is looking at *us*.
I've never seen a film so directly challenge an audience before.
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More information, including the new toolkit, can be found here:
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Must listen documentary on air pollution by
@BBCSounds
.
Air pollution is the single greatest environmental threat to health, and disproportionately affects some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
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@Booksandchoc13
Climate emergency and air pollution killing tens of thousands of people in UK every year.
We should be closing roads, not making them bigger.
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@newscientist
Every time it’s been trialed, it’s been a success, including in London. People who cost the state ~£400k through police, social services & court costs can have their lives changed and become productive with as little as £3k. Every. Single. Time.
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And air pollution affects people who contribute the least, like children, older people, people with health conditions...
People most affected by air pollution from cars often can't afford to drive. It's unfair!
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@drvolts
More info about health effects of air pollution:
Lots of talk about air pollution and it seems a lot of disagreement about why poor air quality is such a big deal.
So, what are the health effects of air pollution? (Brace yourself, it's a difficult read but links to research included). 👇🧵
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Air pollution is an example of racial injustice.
Deprived and BAME schoolchildren in London experience greater air pollution burden.
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.
@dwallacewells
summarises it pretty well:
"Annual deaths from US air pollution (about 90,000) are higher than deaths from car accidents (44,000) and homicides (20,000). The problem is so large it actually offers a better rationale for transitioning to cleaner energy than even climate change."
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When there's less air pollution, fewer people get sick.
(Good news for the NHS, businesses, the economy, and for people who like being healthy and happy.)
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@whippletom
Obviously it's shocking and difficult reading for everyone, but there are lots of people reading this stuff who lost family members or friends to Covid. It's hard to know how to process it.
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✅WHO's recommended limit for PM2.5 is 5 micrograms per cubic metre
🚨For every 10 micrograms of increased exposure, risk of dying of cancer goes up by 22%
👎Govt's limit is 25 micrograms per cubic metre!
🎯Govt must set ambitious limits for PM2.5:
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“Climate activists are sometimes depicted as dangerous radicals. But the truly dangerous radicals are the countries that are increasing the production of fossil fuels.
Investing in new fossil fuels infrastructure is moral and economic madness."
@antonioguterres
Today, the
@IPCC_CH
releases its final report on how to stop climate change. Scientists have been working on this report for 8 years.
Twitter thread of one of the most important reports in human history:
Report:
Watch live:
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@EricHolthaus
UN’s best case scenario: 250 million - 1 billion climate refugees by 2050.
That’s not to mention 250m projected air pollution deaths, deaths from climate conflicts, droughts and famines, plus a constant, global economic depression.
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@SkyNews
In the entire 20th century, there were only five fires that burned more than 100,000 acres.
In 2020 alone, there were eleven such fires.
Each tree burned releases carbon just as coal does, along with particulate matter.
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Air pollution is as bad for pregnant women as smoking in raising the risk of miscarriage.
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@neill_pippa
@TheENDSReport
Most people hear about wood burning and don't see what the big deal is.
That wood burning is one of the main sources of THE single worst environmental threat to health - that it significantly increases the risk of all cause mortality - is a massively underreported story.
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The more air pollution in your neighbourhood, the more likely you (or your neighbours) develop dementia or have a stroke.
In short, air pollution contributes to dementia and brain ill-health.
More
#AirPollution
in your neighbourhood means more people go from being healthy to having
#dementia
or a
#stroke
- findings from new study of 400k people in UK.
My latest piece for
@guardian
, including a visit to
@UK_CleanAir
research at
@OfficialUoM
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Particles from air pollution find their way into the organs of developing foetuses, including into the developing brain.
Remember: Air pollution can be fixed.
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Air pollution is cutting short the lives of billions of people by up to six years, making it a far greater killer than smoking, car crashes or HIV/Aids.
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A thread on London's Great Smog, one of the most deadly peacetime disasters in the UK.
70 years on, people in the city are still losing their lives to air pollution.
And there's no memorial for them.
Seventy years ago, one of the UK’s most serious peacetime disasters was unfolding: London's Great Smog.
People reported smog so thick they couldn’t see their hands in front of them.
The deadliest air pollution event in UK history, 12,000 people lost their lives.
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Air pollution affects babies in the womb.
Air pollution causes lifelong health problems for babies in the womb and is causing a "global health catastrophe".
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@dazzaspurs
@SeanBurkeShow
Haha. Someone, somewhere must be working on that very specific petition.
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Can't be repeated enough:
"The sooty air pollution spewed out by cars, trucks and factories is causing widespread harm to people’s hearts and lungs even with the smallest amounts of exposure."
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Black residents are being exposed to more levels of illegal air pollution than any other ethnic group in some of the UK’s major cities
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Due to increases in the cost of wood fuel, the only scenario in which burners are cheaper is when lots of the wood is free.
But free wood (like scrap wood that hasn’t been properly dried or seasoned) is very toxic. Last year, arsenic was in London's air.
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"Wood burning stoves in urban areas are also responsible for almost half of people’s exposure to the cancer-causing chemicals found in dirty air..."
Home wood burning in UK causes £1bn of health costs a year, report says.
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Air pollution is already known to harm foetuses by increasing the risk of premature birth and low birth weight. Recent research has also found pollution particles in placentas.
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@Prospectally2
@GeorgeMonbiot
Wood burners have huge environmental and social costs, that get added onto tax bills.
Why should everyone have to pay for a lifestyle choice? A lifestyle overwhelmingly made by wealthier people in cities. How is that “freedom”?
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"The planet is doomed" is a tactic used by fossil fuel companies to delay action.
"Influencers tell us the planet is doomed. It’s a dangerous myth" | Great piece by
@PoppyKoronka
in
@TheTimes
(UK):
#NewClimateWar
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@RossLydall
@SadiqKhan
It’s interesting how many fewer aggressive, negative comments there are to this post compared to any ULEZ post from even just three months ago.
I think most people might’ve clocked that it really doesn’t affect them and in fact might even be a good thing.
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People wrongly believe that air pollution doesn't affect health.
If you talk to someone who doesn't believe air pollution affects health, the below thread summarises research.
🧵👇
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@SophyRidgeSky
Wrong msg from Starmer.
Tory vote share went down, Green’s went up. Lab could have had another MP had they had 495 of those Green votes.
Most Londoners want the ULEZ and local authorities have to protect people from air pollution under the Air Quality Plan.
The fact is, the majority of Londoners support
#ULEZ
- YouGov = 63% support clean air zones, including ULEZ.
- Redfield & Wilton Strategies = 58% support ULEZ.
- Our own polling = 75% of residents in 5 London boroughs want their councils to prioritise reducing air pollution.
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"Wood smoke is astonishingly harmful.
Though only 8% of households in the UK (mostly wealthy ones) have a wood-burning stove, they release more small particulates (the most dangerous pollutants) than all the vehicles on the road."
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Air pollution has "such harmful health impacts on children."
"We have people emailing us every day telling us about air pollution and how it affects them,” says Jemima, who feels it is vital to defend the youngest people in society.
@MumsForLungs
👏✊
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Air pollution dramatically reduces pollination because it degrades the scent of flowers, affecting bees' ability to find them:
via
@physorg_com
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People exposed to significant air pollution in early childhood are more likely to die early than those raised in areas with better air quality.
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This weekend's new research shows wood burning is one of the more expensive ways to heat a home 🔥
And it's not just people who burn who pay high prices...
...Even non-wood burners have to pick up the bill 💸
Save money where you can and choose a wood burning stove to heat your home.
Find out more about wood burning stoves on our website ⬇️
#woodburning
#woodburningstove
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Delighted to contribute to this story with colleagues at
@ImpUrbanHealth
&
@HealthyAirUK
.
“Air pollution is, right now, devastating people’s health across the country. It’s a public health crisis that costs the economy billions of pounds every year.”
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Air pollution leads to long term, chronic illness.
Put differently, the benefits of clean air could be even greater than we imagine.
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