Poor air quality 'causing 50,000 premature deaths annually'

Poor air quality in the UK causes the deaths of around 50,000 people annually, it has been revealed.

A recent Commons Environmental Audit Committee noted that failure to tackle the problem is putting the NHS under unnecessary strain and potential EU fines.

The panel noted that transport fumes generate around 70 per cent of pollution in towns and cities.

Committee chairman Tim Yeo said: "Air pollution probably causes more deaths than passive smoking, traffic accidents or obesity, yet it receives very little attention from government or the media."

He added that in the worst affected areas it could take years off lives, particularly for asthma suffers.

Meanwhile, a recent report by the World Health Organisation suggested that poor air quality is a significant factor in the deaths of one in every 2,000 babies every year in Europe.

Furthermore, it noted that exposure of children to vehicle fumes and tobacco smoke is "unacceptably high".

Written by Joseph Hutton