When 20 year-old Chloe Fox moved to London to study tourism at the University of West London, exposure to the city’s air had such an effect on her asthma that she was hospitalised 20 times in two years.
Chloe (pictured here) says: ‘People don’t realise how serious asthma can be or how badly air pollution can affect it. When I first moved to London, I lived in Wembley, where the traffic was constant. I’d start wheezing the moment I stepped outside.
‘Over two years, I was in and out of hospital with asthma attacks, at least ten times each year. Things have improved since I moved out of London, and my medication was adjusted. But back then, it was a nightmare.
‘I still commute into London to study, so I have to be careful. If there’s heavy traffic or a lot of fumes, I get a tight chest and feel breathless. I always carry my reliever inhaler with me and try to avoid walking near busy roads when I can. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve had asthma, when it hits, it’s always scary.’
This story was shared by Asthma + Lung UK who are using Clean Air Day to highlight new research, which reveals how bad the effect of air pollution on people suffering from lung conditions can be.
The charity’s Life with a Lung Condition Survey ran over February and March this year and drew responses form 9,387 people. The key findings were:
- 73% of those questioned said that air pollution impacts their health or makes their lung condition worse
- 21.7% said they had suffered an asthma attack or a flare up because of it.
- 50.3% said air pollution made them feel breathless.
- 18.2% said they don’t leave the house when air pollution is high.
- 35.5% said they did not know that air pollution could make their lung condition worse.
Sarah Sleet, CEO at Asthma + Lung UK, said: ‘Air pollution is a public health emergency. It is the biggest environmental threat to human health, contributing to up to 43,000 early deaths in the UK every year.
‘For the millions living with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), air pollution can be deadly, yet many people are unaware of the toll it has on the nation’s health. Toxic air is a major driver of respiratory conditions and can cause lung cancer and trigger asthma attacks, as well as flare ups of lung conditions such as COPD, exacerbating symptoms such as breathlessness, wheezing and coughing.
‘Despite the huge personal and financial costs of air pollution, the government has not yet shown the political will to tackle this crisis. We urgently need tougher air quality laws, aligned with the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to protect people now and in the future.’
Advice for people with lung conditions includes avoiding strenuous outdoor exercise when pollution levels are high, staying away from traffic hotspots and going out earlier in the day when air quality is often better.
Asthma + Lung UK also recommend that people using inhalers should also ensure they use their preventer inhalers as prescribed to stop swelling and inflammation building up in the airways and always carry their reliever inhalers with them to relieve symptoms if they do come on.
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