The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has written to the secretary of state for health and social care calling for a nationwide public health campaign on air pollution after a survey revealed widespread public ignorance about its health impacts.
The YouGov poll commissioned by the RCP found that fewer than one in five British adults (17%) know that air pollution is connected to dementia. The survey also showed that most respondents either denied or were unaware of links between air pollution and diabetes (95%), stroke (82%), heart disease (70%), and adverse pregnancy outcomes (55%).
While 84% recognised a connection with asthma and 68% with lung cancer, overall awareness remains low.
61% of adults acknowledged that air pollution threatens their health, but a third (33%) saw no personal risk.
The RCP emphasises that air pollution damages nearly every bodily system, even at low levels, affecting foetal development, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular health, stroke, mental health and dementia.
Their report ‘A Breath of Fresh Air’ estimates that air pollution will cause approximately 30,000 deaths in the UK during 2025, with an annual economic cost exceeding £27 billion. They point out that recent Cambridge University research found that each 10 μg/m³ increase in PM2.5 particulate matter raises dementia risk by 17%.
In their letter to Wes Streeting, the RCP has called for a government-funded awareness campaign to provide the public with reliable information about air pollution’s health effects.
The proposed campaign, they say, should address both indoor and outdoor air quality issues, from vehicle emissions and wood burning to damp and mould, while offering practical guidance on reducing exposure, particularly for vulnerable populations.
The RCP stresses that public education must be coupled with robust government measures to reduce emissions, including stricter PM2.5 targets in the upcoming air quality strategy review, as outlined in the government’s 10-Year Health
Commenting on the polling, Professor Sir Stephen Holgate CBE, the RCP’s special adviser on air quality and health, said: ‘Air pollution is silently damaging the nation’s health. The evidence is clear that air pollution affects almost every organ in the human body, but the public are in the dark about the full extent of the health impacts. We need a public health campaign on air quality so people can understand how the air they breathe may be making them sick, and what they can do about it.
‘Air quality isn’t just an environmental issue, it is a public health emergency. The government must launch a national campaign to help people understand the risks they face and take action to reduce them.
‘We also need to see robust government action to reduce pollution at source. Education is key, but blame for the problem must not be transferred onto those who suffer the impacts.’
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