The Guardian has taken point in the UK reporting on the impacts of pollution on the health of the people of the UK. Great read…
Thousands of children are facing hospital this winter as cold weather and the UK’s air pollution crisis combine to create potentially deadly conditions for young people, doctors have warned.
The Royal College of Paediatricians, the Royal College of Physicians and children’s charity Unicef say that the UK’s toxic air and cold weather will leave a huge number of children extremely vulnerable this winter, creating an “overlooked” emergency for an already stretched NHS.
“Wards could soon be filled with wheezing, spluttering children, their lungs struggling to battle the double burden of cold weather and toxic air,” the groups state in a letter to the Guardian.
Winter often sees spikes in acute air pollution as the cold weather results in both an increase in emissions from the heating of homes and offices, including the burning of wood or coal, and reduced dispersion in cold, still conditions.