Poor air quality causes serious health problems, says HPA

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has stated that poor air quality could have serious health implications on people regularly exposed to pollutants.

Yesterday (September 15th 2010), the organisation discussed the repercussions of air pollution at the Health Protection 2010 conference at the University of Warwick.

Head of air pollution at the group professor Robert Maynard stated that long-term exposure to fumes is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.

He said: "It is not possible to calculate how many years of life that an individual has lost, but it is possible to estimate the average loss of life expectancy for the whole population."

Professor Maynard said that people can expect to live six months less if they are regularly exposed to pollutants.

Major environmental disasters such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 exacerbate the health risks of air pollution.

Last month, Dr Gina Solomon, an environmental medicine professor at the University of California, told Reuters that the release of oils and chemicals from the leak is likely to have an impact on the health of the lungs, kidneys and livers of people who have been exposed to the surrounding atmosphere.

Posted by Lauren Steadman