Air Pollution

Poor air quality is one of the largest environmental risks to public health in the United Kingdom. Areas of high deprivation frequently have higher levels of traffic or industrial activities. People in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to have pre-existing health conditions earlier in life, and the higher exposure to air pollution may add to the greater burden of poor health.

A 2021 study by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), previously Public Health England, found that schools with higher annual mean particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations are more likely to have a higher deprived pupil intake than low PM2.5 schools. They are more likely to be in neighbourhoods with high levels of child income deprivation, compounding existing socioeconomic disadvantages, and potentially exacerbating health and educational inequalities.

The UKHSA has developed an indicator to represent population level vulnerability to air pollution in England. It is currently available to local authorities to aid decisions on local air quality and public health policy. However, more research is needed to better understand how socioeconomically disadvantaged groups and ethnic minority communities experience the health harms of air pollution.