New research shows that people on the lowest incomes in Wales are breathing in the most polluted air. Friends of the Earth identified all the Welsh neighbourhoods that are breaching the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2021 recommended limits for nitrogen oxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). The data, released by Healthy Air Cymru. paints a terrifying picture of the air quality in Wales.
Most neighbourhoods in Wales (1,594 of 1,909) are above the PM2.5 WHO guidelines and 261 neighbourhoods are above the NO2 WHO levels (10 µg/m3). The analysis showed that air pollution disproportionately affects lower income and more deprived areas and affects neighbourhoods with higher ethnic minority populations.
For PM2.5 people of colour are 2.5 times more likely to live in a highly-polluted neighbourhood than a white person and are five times more likely to live in an NO2 polluted neighbourhood. Households in neighbourhoods with the worst air pollution are also less likely to own a car than those in the least polluted areas who are disproportionately causing air pollution from car use.
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Around 535,000 children under 18 live in areas where the average annual concentration of PM2.5 is above WHO guidelines of which 356,000 are under 12. There are more than 1,200 schools in these neighbourhoods. Fewer areas are above the WHO guidelines for NO2. Around 93,000 children under 18 live in NO2 polluted neighbourhoods of which 64,000 are under 12. There are 169 schools in these neighbourhoods.
Local authorities with the highest number of polluted neighbourhoods include Cardiff, Newport, the Vale of Glamorgan, Caerphilly, Neath Port Talbot, and Swansea. Most areas of Wales are above PM2.5 rate recommended. Only Cardiff and Newport have the majority of neighbourhoods above the NO2 rates.
You can see the full figures for Wales here:
Paula Dunster, a mum from Cardiff, feels air pollution data should be more visible in communities so people can make informed decisions on travel. She said: “On the school run we have to walk part of the A48 on to Llanedeyrn Road. It’s incredibly busy and the school is very close to the roundabout. I do worry about the effects of air pollution, especially as my children are still very young.
“I’m actively involved with Mothers' Climate Action Network but not everyone is aware of the dangers of toxic air. Unless the data is visible to all air pollution can be easily ignored. One day we showed a mum at the school how high the air pollution was and it concerned her so much, she now walks to the school every day.”
Joseph Carter, chair of Healthy Air Cymru and Asthma and Lung UK Cymru, said: “This new research is shocking but not surprising. Everyone has the right to breathe healthy air. It should have nothing to do with where we live, how much money we earn, our ethnic background, or anything else.
“Air pollution seriously damages our lungs and is putting our health at risk. To save lives, and protect our health and the environment, we must have a Clean Air Act for Wales as soon as possible.”
According to Haf Elgar, vice-chair of Healthy Air Cymru and director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, the current picture of air quality is incompatible with a fair Wales. “Air pollution is bad for our health and our planet," she said. "This new research drums home what many of us have long suspected – it is also a social justice and equality issue affecting the most vulnerable in our society the most who are often doing the least to cause air pollution. If Wales wants to be a fair and just nation, as well as a green one, we must clean up our act now.”
Comment on the data a Welsh Government spokesman said: “Health and the environment are at the heart of our decision-making and we are committed to tackling the sources of air pollution so that we can all breathe clean air in Wales. This is why we are bringing forward the Clean Air Bill for Wales Act that will introduce an air quality target-setting framework that takes into account guidelines set by the World Health Organisation.
“Tackling air quality and climate change together will deliver quicker, faster, and fairer outcomes for people, nature, and the planet. This will benefit everyone and especially those people living in our most deprived communities who are disproportionately affected by air pollution.”
