A major study of over 250,000 people in the UK has revealed that air pollution accelerates the progression of lung diseases, from initial illness to multiple conditions and premature death. The research, which tracked the health of 266,000 adults from England, Wales, and Scotland over an average of 12 years, adds to growing evidence that the health harms of air pollution accumulate throughout a person's lifetime.
The study found that higher levels of air pollution in people's home neighbourhoods increased the likelihood of developing a single lung condition, such as asthma, lung cancer, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It also raised the risk of progressing to multiple lung illnesses and death. By the end of the study, 13,863 participants had developed one of these conditions, and 1,055 went on to develop multiple lung diseases. Among those with a single chronic lung problem, 14% died during the study, compared to 31% of those with multiple conditions.
The strongest impacts were linked to particle pollution, even though average concentrations near participants' homes were close to the 2040 target for England and the proposed EU 2030 limit. This suggests current legal standards are not sufficiently protective, and further reductions in air pollution would improve health, even where standards are already met. Similar patterns were observed for nitrogen dioxide, though the analysis was more complex and less certain.
Professor Stephen Holgate from the University of Southampton, who was not involved in the study, commented: “Researchers have shown that not only is particulate and nitrogen dioxide pollution causally associated with common lung diseases, but air pollution also drives the worsening of disease to premature death. At a time when the NHS operates more like a national illness service, we need to better recognise the massive contribution that air pollution is making to poor lung health and take stronger actions to reduce exposure to toxic pollutant emissions.”
