Over 1,200 people die in Wales each year due to air pollution - Mick Bates AM (Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats)

Cymraeg
English

Montgomeryshire Liberal Democrats <montlibdems@gmail.com>

Over 1,200 people die in Wales each year due to air pollution - Mick Bates AM

May 22, 2009 12:00 AM

At least 24,000 people across Britain with over 1,200 in Wales are dying prematurely due to air pollution every year, research by the Liberal Democrats based on official EU reports has revealed.

Pollutants known as PM10, caused mainly by transport, cause up to 24,000 premature deaths in the UK each year according to the European Environment Agency with an equivalent health cost of up to £20bn annually. Some estimates put the figure for premature deaths as high as 50,000.

Commenting Shadow Minister for the Environment and Sustainability, Mick Bates AM, stated:

"Over the last 10 years the Labour Government has failed to make any progress towards meeting the European air pollution targets set up to protect public health. Every year, over a thousand people in Wales are having their lives cut short by this silent killer, because the UK Government is dragging its heels on cleaning up the air we breathe.

"The benefits of ensuring clean air not only include improved health, but also a cleaner environment and the preservation of our wildlife. Meeting our EU targets on air pollution is crucial and it is high time that Wales and the rest of the UK cleaned up its act."

Liberal Democrat lead candidate in the European elections, Alan Butt-Philip adds:

"One of the most positive benefits of membership of the European Union has been the vast number of agreements on environmental improvements. In particular those which directly affect the health of British citizens, such as the quality of the air we breathe.

"Air pollution respects no boundaries. The EU sets strict legal limits on pollutants in the air that can aggravate asthma, lung disease and heart conditions. This is crucial as action at a UK, EU and Worldwide level will be needed if we are to see real improvements in the quality of our air."

Notes:

A recent report by the European Environmental Agency in 2005 into PM10 showed that the UK has 650 deaths per million people over 30: http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/spatial-assessment-of-pm10-and-ozone-concentrations-in-europe-2005-1

The Rogers Review estimated that in 2005 the annual cost to the UK of health problems caused by just one form of air pollution, PM10, was between £9.1 billion and £21 billion.

http://archive.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/rogersreview/upload/assets/rogersreview/rogers_review_2007.pdf page 59

PM10 Pollutants:

These numbers compare with some 617 premature deaths per annum from workplace-related passive smoking before recent legislation came into force and up to 22,000 premature deaths per year from alcohol consumption.

Since the legal limits on PM10 pollution came into force in 2005, Britain has breached set levels in many parts of the country including Brighton, Birmingham, Yorkshire & Humberside, Glasgow and Swansea. The Greater London Urban Area consistently breaches both daily and annual levels.

The European Commission has been forced to begin legal action against the UK for persistent breaches because the Labour Government has failed to come up with a coherent plan to bring UK pollution levels down.

Nitrogen Dioxide:

According to Defra, the UK is set to substantially exceed targets for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions in many parts of the country. Exposure to dangerous levels of NO2 causes serious problems for people, particularly children, who suffer from breathing illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis.

Ends/Diwedd