A study of more than 250,000 people in the UK has shown how air pollution speeds up the progression of lung disease.
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. This adds to growing evidence that the health harm from air pollution accumulates through our lifetime.
The researchers concluded that current legal standards for air pollution are not sufficiently protective. Our health would be improved by further reducing air pollution, even when it met current standards. Additionally, people with lung conditions need extra protection from exposure.
The health of 266,000 adults was tracked for an average of 12 years. These adults were all volunteers from England, Wales and Scotland who took part in the UK Biobank project.
To date, most studies have looked at links between air pollution and single health outcomes; the first diagnosis of asthma for example, admissions to hospital or to death. In the new study researchers tracked people’s heath lung health from being illness-free, to having long-term lung conditions and to early death.
By the end of the study, 13,863 people developed either asthma, lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and 1,055 then developed multiple lung illness.
Fourteen per cent of the people who developed one chronic lung problem then went on to to die during the study, as did 31% of people who developed multiple lung diseases. The study also collected information on lifestyle, including smoking, obesity, occupation and income, so this could be allowed for in the analysis.
The impacts were strongest for particle pollution, even though average concentrations near the volunteers’ homes were close to the 2040 target for England and that proposed for the EU for 2030. This suggests that these do not give sufficient levels of protection.
Similar patterns were seen for nitrogen dioxide but the method for working out the pollution that people breathed was more complex and less certain.
Although the research focused on lung illnesses, 10,562 people in the study in died from other causes, about 4% of the total. This risk of death was also greater for people who had more air pollution in their home neighbourhood, consistent with the large body of research that shows air pollution also shortens lives and increases death rates from many diseases.
An earlier study, in 2019, also showed that the lung function of UK Biobank volunteers was being eroded by air pollution. Those from lower income households had approximately twice the decline in lung function and three times the risk of COPD compared with those on higher income who had the same air pollution exposure. International studies have also shown that air pollution increases the chances of getting lung cancer and subsequent survival rate.
Prof Stephen Holgate from the University of Southampton, who was not involved in the new studies, said: “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 National Health Service 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 stronger actions that drive down exposures to toxic pollutant emissions.”
