Higher Air Pollution Triggers Cardiac Arrests & Hospitalisations

A recent study released by the King’s College London and UK100 analyses air pollution data from nine major cities in the UK, namely, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, and Southampton. This research is due to be published next month and it analyses air pollution and the impacts it has on public health across nine different cities in the UK. The data suggest that on days with higher air pollution levels across the nine major cities, there was also an increase in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and hospital admissions for asthma attacks or strokes, in both children and adults. Specifically, the data reveals that on days with higher levels of air pollution, there were an additional 124 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests and 424 hospital admissions for asthma and stroke over the year. The effects of air pollution are coherent and it has triggered a warning from the head of the NHS, Simon Stevens, who stated: “air pollution is now causing thousands of strokes, cardiac arrests and asthma attacks, so it’s clear that the climate emergency is in fact also a health emergency”. In addition, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan had said that it “is a public health crisis”. THE EFFECTS OF HIGHER AIR POLLUTION DAYS ON MAJOR CITIES The study reveals alarming figures which highlight the short-term impacts and the long-term impacts of exposure to high air pollution on public health. Research by King’s College London suggests that incidents of lung cancer could be decreased by between 5% and 7% if air pollution was reduced by a fifth across the nine major cities. The following data had been calculated as the average per year for additional out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and hospital admissions for asthma and stroke. Data from The Health Impacts of Air Pollution report by King’s College London (November 2019). HOW INDOOR AIR POLLUTION CAN BE REDUCED Due to the prominence of air pollution and the harsh effects it has on public health, ecosystems, and the environment, it’s now more important than ever to take action and reduce air pollutants where possible. In addition to the outdoor air quality, indoor air quality management is also important as there are several indoor air pollutants that can have negative impacts on health. In buildings with high levels of indoor air pollution, there are legislations and policies in place to regulate the levels of pollutants in the ambient air. The EU introduced a policy called the ‘Clean Air For Europe Directive 2008/50/EC’ which aims to improve the quality of air in Europe and limit air pollutants. As part of the directive, the EU outlined limit values and thresholds for specific air pollutants which must not be exceeded within buildings. For more information about the CAFE Directive, please read our ‘What Is The CAFE Directive?’ article here. Reducing indoor air pollution in order to comply with legislation can be done by installing an air filtration system with high-performance filters. These filters reliably deliver long-term NOx mitigation which effectively improves indoor air quality. At AAC Eurovent, we provide a full range of high-performance filters that are specifically designed to eliminate nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from the ambient air to improve air quality. Our leading NOx filters are based on the AAC NITROSORB technology which is a proven solution for nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide mitigation. To further improve indoor air quality management, our air filtration systems can be enhanced with PM2.5 and PM10 to address issues concerning particulate matter. CONTACT AAC EUROVENT FOR HIGH-PERFORMANCE NOX FILTERS Our high-performance indoor air filters are widely recommended by air quality consultants and are routinely specified by mechanical consultants. These indoor air filters can be used for inner-city residential, commercial, and educational new build and retrofit schemes including student accommodation and hotel projects. If you are looking for an effective and reliable air filtration system that delivers measurable NOx reduction to improve indoor air quality, then AAC Eurovent can help you. We also offer a free design and manufacture service for bespoke projects that require effective indoor air quality management.