Air Quality and Health

Most of the time pollution levels are LOW (Daily Air Quality Index) and if you are in good general health then you are unlikely to have any serious short-term effects. However, some people are more sensitive to pollution, for example, children or elderly people. To assist those people who may be more sensitive to air pollution, the Scottish Government has set up a notifying service, 'Know and Respond', which allows those signed up to received a text message advising them when the air quality in their area is likely to be poor.

It is known that, when levels of air pollutants rise, adults suffering from heart conditions, and adults and children with lung conditions, are at increased risk of becoming ill and needing treatment. Only a minority of those who suffer from these conditions are likely to be affected and it is not possible to predict in advance who will be affected. Some people are aware that air pollution affects their health: adults and children with asthma may notice that they need to increase their use of inhaled reliever medication on days when levels of air pollution are higher than average.

The Asthma UK website (external website) contains information on how high levels of pollution can lead to an increased risk of asthma symptoms or an asthma attack, and what precautions you can take to reduce the risk of air pollution affecting you.

Older people are more likely to suffer from heart and lung conditions than young people and so it makes good sense for them to be aware of current air pollution conditions.

The general population - At Very High levels of air pollution, some people may experience a sore or dry throat, sore eyes or, in some cases, a tickly cough even in healthy individuals.

Children need not be kept from school or prevented from taking part in games. Children with asthma may notice that they need to increase their use of reliever medication on days when levels of air pollution are higher than average.

It is now believed that the long term health effects of air pollution are larger than the short term effects. These effects happen at lower pollution levels than the short term effects, and are often not noticed by people at the time the damage is being done.

Until the 1990's, longer term health studies focused mainly on respiratory health, since the lungs are the primary gateway for pollution to enter the human body. As further findings were made, researchers began to recognise that air pollution also affects the heart. As many more people in the UK suffer from heart and circulatory problems than lung disease, this means that poor air quality is a much bigger public health challenge than previously thought.

In 2016, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health published a report titled 'Every breathe we take: the life long impact of air pollution'.