A leading lung doctor says making four changes can improve health - and cut the chance of heart, lung and dementia problems. Dr Thom Daniels says people often don't realise that air pollution affects people health in many ways - and not just those who have asthma or other breathing issues. Now he is urging people to make four changes to help protect conditions including heart disease and dementia.
He said: "Poor air quality is one of the major public health challenges of our time. "As well as a huge contributor to the climate emergency, it also contributes to the shortened lives, poor health and deaths of thousands of people in the UK and globally, many of whom are among the worst off in society. It is also important to emphasise that air pollution is associated with more deaths from heart disease and dementia than from lung disease every year, highlighting the significance of the issue at hand for everyone's health.
” Air pollution is contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere. This can be caused by both man-made and natural sources. But Dr Daniels, a consultant respiratory physician at University Hospital Southampton, said for many people it was a case of "out of sight, out of mind" when it came to air pollution.
He said one way people might be able to recognise its prominence is by thinking about the ‘bits’ you might see when the sunlight streams though a .
