Better Health For All

8 October is Clean Air Day. Due to COVID-19 it looks a little different this year, but the need to keep air pollution high on the public health agenda has never been greater. Evidence is emerging around the links between air pollution and COVID-19 outcomes. And during the lockdown we experienced cleaner air and saw massive shifts to low pollution behaviours. Let’s keep up the momentum as we all have a part to play in keeping our air clean.

Public health professionals can play a particularly important role in providing information and advice to people about how to protect their health from air pollution, and we have basic resources for health professionals available to help you in these conversations. The Clean Air Hub https://www.cleanairhub.org.uk/ also provides straightforward public information on air pollution.

Clean Air Day Live on 8 October at 14:30 will be running a session on ‘How Can the Health Sector Tackle Air Pollution?’ to explore the role of the health sector in both cutting air pollution through its own operations, and the role of health professionals in providing air pollution guidance to patients.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to build back cleaner air as part of our ‘new normal’ as we recover from this COVID-19 crisis, so do join in with Clean Air Day and find out more about the part you can play to help maintain cleaner air and protect people’s health, as the need to do so is greater than ever.

There is a detrimental link between the health outcomes of COVID-19 and air pollution. Emerging evidence suggests that air pollution may play a role in making us more vulnerable to catching COVID-19. It also makes those with health conditions that are caused or worsened by air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and COPD – more vulnerable to complications, even death, if they contract COVID-19. And high air pollution is causing irreversible damage to some children’s health, reducing their lung function and creating a generation who may be more susceptible to future pandemics.

People have also realised that clean air is possible and want it to stay. During the COVID-19 lockdown, levels of NO2 air pollution dropped by 20-30% across the UK, and by up to half in parts of London, primarily from a reduction in private car use. People noticed and appreciated the cleaner air and safer streets. The vast majority of people (72%) believe that clean air is even more important now because coronavirus can affect people’s lungs, and want government and businesses to tackle air pollution more urgently than before the outbreak of the virus.

And behaviour has shifted offering a profound moment of change. During lockdown millions of people changed their routines in a way that reduced air pollution, by working from home and walking and cycling more, and many are willing to continue to do so: 87% want to keep working from home to some extent, half want to walk more and a third would like to cycle more. It is easier to maintain a habit than foster a new one, so we can build on this unique moment to create lasting positive change.

Clean air was one of the few silver linings of the COVID-19 lockdown suffering. Through our collective behaviours we saw and experienced extraordinary improvements in outdoor air quality. On Clean Air Day – and every day – let’s keep doing these behaviours to keep our air clean. Find out how you can advise your patients and the public to protect their health from air pollution and together let’s make 8 October the cleanest Clean Air Day yet.

Larissa Lockwood
Director of Clean Air
Global Action Plan