On Wednesday, my colleague Pauline is going to a meeting with Public Health England and the Environment Agency. She’s been asked to talk about the impact that air pollution has on people’s health and well-being, when they also have a lung condition.
We want to make sure we’re getting your message across. So, I thought I’d let you know what questions they’re interested in, and you can tell us what your answers would be.
•How does air pollution interfere with your life?
•Have you considered moving because of air pollution? What did you decide/do?
•Do you get enough information about air pollution where you are? What’s the best way to give you that kind of information?
•Whose responsibility should it be to reduce air pollution?
•What do you think the government and local authorities should do about air pollution?
You may not have answers to all of these questions, and that’s fine. Please tell me about your experiences and the things that matter to you. It really will be so helpful.
Thanks in advance everybody!
Bethany
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BethanyBateman
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31 Replies
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Hi Bethany. I am stage 3 copd Chronic Bronchitis and emphysema - almost at stage 4. I was at stage 2 for many years and quite stable, other than becoming more ill in the winter months with pleurisy etc. I managed to work right up till 2016 when I had a slight deterioration in my symptoms and decided to move from Sussex up to Runcorn to be closer to my grown up daughter.
My wife and I didn’t consider pollution - it honestly didn’t cross our minds. From almost day one I went downhill very quickly and within 2 months was moved to stage 3. I asked the doctor why he thought this was, and he said ‘Runcorn is a very industrial area’ my health at this point was very poor, I felt almost constantly Ill. We decided that despite the cost and the extra burden on my health we would move across to North Wales, and moved about 6-7 months later.
This whole episode has really taken its toll on me. My health still hasn’t stabilised, in fact I am writing this from my bed as I am currently having an exacerbation.
If I had any idea how polluted that part of the U.K. was I would never have moved there.
Brian I'm so sorry to hear that what should have been a great move, closer to your kids, went so badly. North Wales is a beautiful area but what a shame that pollution drove your further from your children. I hope the cleaner air has helped.
Well, you know my story lol. But for the benefit of Pauline and everyone here....
I’ve been a severe asthmatic since childhood. Grew up in North Kent. Between 1992 and 2005 I worked in Central London for those 13 years. I used every form of transport available at different stages - bus, train and tube. Lots of smog.
In 2004 I decided I’d had enough of the air pollution in ‘The Big Smoke’ (there’s a reason London got that nickname!) and had enough of being hospitalised 3, 4, 5 times a year, every year. For a week or more each time.
So in early 2005, I moved away from London, up to the clean air of the North East. I spent a year in Bishop Auckland, before moving to Darlington.
I worked all over up there, including Darlington, Durham, Newcastle and Middlesbrough. And do you know what? For 7 whole years, until 2012, I did not spend a single day in hospital. The odd, brief visit to a&e, but I was usually home after a couple hours on a nebuliser. The air up there was so much better than London.
In mid-July 2012 I came home for a visit. I was back for maybe a week. I went back to Darlington on 22nd July. The next day, I was really struggling to breathe. It felt like my lungs had been really affected by my trip back to London.
A week later on 1st August, I visited the doctor, who put me on a nebuliser, and when that didn’t work, admitted me straight to hospital from the GP surgery. And there I stayed for a week. My first admittance in the North East after 7 years of being there.
And then it spiralled. Asthma exarcebation after asthma exarcebation, led to me taking over a year off work. Spiromitary tests, ECGs, aspegilliosis tests, you name it, I had it done.
I was eventually diagnosed with COPD, and in 2014, after leaving the North East and moving back to Kent for family support, Bronchiectasis.
So you could say air pollution interfered with my life a lot. Both good and bad - as if I hadn’t moved back, I wouldn’t have got married or started working with the BLF!
Do I get enough information? Well no, not really. The various doctors surgeries, clinics, hospitals I visit for one reason or another, there’s nothing.
I’ve not seen one poster, one leaflet, about air pollution. Only information I’ve seen recently is what’s been on the news.
Whose responsibility? The Government’s. The Department for Environment, or whatever it’s called - with support from charities like the BLF and Asthma UK.
The London Mayor is doing his bit by extending the Low Emission zone. But on a wider scale, country wide? It’s a hard question to answer.
Hi Bethany, years ago Pete worked for a cargo airline at Heathrow and was subjected to pollution from forklift trucks to goods that were handled plus pollution from the aircraft. He thought nothing of it at that time and we moved to West Sussex in 1986.
In 1991 Pete was diagnosed with sarcoidosis and was then working at a bus garage. More pollution as the buses were started up each morning in quite an eclosed space. Retirement beckoned over 20 years ago and Pete was diagnosed with COPD in 2010. He has struggled a lot over the years and I believe air pollution and pollution in the workplace needs to be addressed urgently.
I can't imagine how much there must be at an airport Carole. You're right, people should be safe from any kind of pollution at work.
•How does air pollution interfere with your life?
It affects my not being able to go out, breathing and walking are more difficult, slower, takes more effort, tire more quickly, it feels like oxygen in the air is reduced, air pollution tends to close up my airways and generally just makes life more difficult.
•Have you considered moving because of air pollution? What did you decide/do?
I have moved and my priority was I needed to ensure I did not live close to any main roads to avoid excess pollution on a daily basis and so I can open my windows more than if I lived close to a main road. I have also invested in an expensive air purifier for the home so I can have relatively good air even if opening the window allows in some pollution.
•Do you get enough information about air pollution where you are? What’s the best way to give you that kind of information?
Currently I visit met office site every day for information on air quality, occasionally I visit Defra site. But I think it would be good if the local council for the area had information on this or the local hospital for health sake of those most vulnerable. BLF information on air pollution with links to most informative sites giving information for different regions.
•Whose responsibility should it be to reduce air pollution?
government directive, Defra involvement and local government by Region / County / City
•What do you think the government and local authorities should do about air pollution?
Aim to keep air pollution at its lowest, aim for clean fuel options long term, do what is necessary to help prevent the air we breathe going into Orange, Red and beyond.
Today according to Defra the UK is in the green its a good place to be
Here is a good place to check your region day to day if any one is interested.
Hi Bethany - brief account of pollution impact. Born in Cornwall, no problems while I lived there until I was four, moved to East Kent and for a time in a pit village where coal was cheap. Had bronchitis several times. Moved to Kentish Town in London in the early 50s and had a succession of respiratory problems and was in hospital for several weeks with pleurisy so I missed a lot of school time. Moved to Potters Bar in very late 50s and then moved a lot - Midlands, Nigeria, Gorleston on Sea and back to Potters Bar in mid sixties. Worked in London for years, recurrent bronchitis, diagnosed with asthma in early 80s. Moved n‘home’ to Cornwall in 2004 and was diagnosed with bronchiectasis in 2010 but told I had probably had it for a long time. Air quality in Cornwall is very good but I notice the difference when I go to London and can’t wait to get out of it. Have an air purifier at home and a dehimidifier. In the early 50s the air quality in London was awful and smoking was very widespread. The introduction of unleaded petrol has helped a bit but much more needs to be done particularly in industrial areas and cities where there is more traffic. I check the BBC local weather forecast every day, mainly to avoid being out in cold weather but also to check pollen levels - these were very high this year. Would be very interested to hear any feedback your colleague can share with us from the meeting.
• It affects my freedom to go out. Especially in the winter, being a kept prisoner in my own home by being surrounded by log burners that make me gasp for breath within seconds.
• It affects my health by causing exacerbations which in turn affects the longevity of my life.
• It affects my work, making me slower to do things
• It affects how much I have to use my inhaler, that can be too often, making my heart race and I end up suffering night cramps which causes lost sleep.
What do you think the government and local authorities should do about air pollution?
• Air pollution needs stamping out totally, country wide. It should be made an anti-social crime in the same way that drink driving now is and attract the same heavy penalties for those that cause the pollution. Powers given to the police to intercede in cases that they spot.
Like many others air pollution causes difficult breathing and at worst times I felt it difficult even to walk. this obviously affects my ability to do normal things even though I still try to so as to keep fit and active.
I would not consider moving despite that the higher levels of pollution in my town because this is where my family live and where I've lived nearly all of my life.
I checked the Defra site 4 news on air pollution but find that there is only partial information there. There is also an independent group who are setting up monitors in the town but they only give live information not warnings and there is no access to historical data. There is an air alert service in an area but I only seem to get alerts when the ozone is high.
I believe it's the government's duty to reduce air pollution, through legislation, road planning etc.
We need to reduce air pollution by reducing car emissions by building better roads where queuing traffic kept to a minimum. They should be separate path for pedestrians away from the traffic and also for cyclists. We should be encouraging people to walk or cycle by providing proper separated parts rather than shared use paths. In our area there are few to cycle paths they I generally shared use which means cyclists cannot use them to get from A to B quickly. The short shared paths generally feeding to major road networks where pollution is high as is the risk of accident. Anyone with a lung condition like me but finds it difficult to cycle due to queuing traffic. We cyclists have to wait taking in large amounts of pollution from the vehicles in the queue. Considering children and teenagers also are being forced to take in pollution when cycling or walking etc. outside I feel that pollution caused by traffic urgently needs to be reduced and money should be spent on prevention of what seems to be becoming an epidemic of lung conditions.
Our local MP came to talk to our Breatheasy group about air pollution but seemed to have little understanding of pollution and the effect it has on his constituents, despite the statistics from the world Health Organisation which showed our town has air pollution above safe standards. It seems that our politicians who represent us in Parliament should have more understanding of the need to reduce pollution and that so-called low pollution is still pollution and can still harm us.
I live in a lovely quiet suburb of a Cheshire town that is normally fine.
But, every morning and afternoon our area is subjected to huge amounts of pollution from the cars and buses standing outside the three schools and one technical college near us, as drivers wait to drop off and collect pupils and students. Vehicles are parked on both sides of the road, making it very difficult to drive along the road to get anywhere. What is worse, there are no traffic control measures like traffic lights or roundabouts along the road to help the extra traffic disperse onto the surrounding roads, so all our nearby streets for half a mile get clogged up with vehicles as some are waiting to turn right onto busy main roads, and this lasts for 20 minutes each time.
What we need are traffic lights on the two main junctions, signage warning drivers to turn off their engines when parked and enforcement of the same with fines, instructions from the college to require bus and coach drivers to turn off their engines on the college campus, plus encouragement for the schools to organise walking school buses so that fewer cars need to drop pupils off at the school..
Traffic was a problem outside schools when I was a little kid. It's crazy that the problem has just been allowed to grow into the polluted chaos that we have now. Thank you for flagging this Ergendl.
Yes, air pollution has a huge impact on my life. At 80 now I have been engaged in voluntary work in mental health, disability rights and human rights for many years. One corollary to this has been the social friends and companions involved in the groups, workshops, meetings and campaigns I've enjoyed through the work. The emotional and practical support for my own multiple disabilities from this had been invaluable.
But pretty much all of those activities have meant either travel throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, London and Birmingham or work located in my local city, Norwich. I can no longer do this because I have COPD and exposure to air pollution, from heavy traffic or high concentrates of pollution in urban areas, exacerbates breathlessness, sometimes to panic levels.
So I'm now virtually a prisoner in my own home.
The other crushing effect is, since I was 13 I have played music: clarinet, saxes and flute. A month ago I had to stop blowing and I'm now in mourning for the loss. I can't even get to music performances!
I'm so sorry to hear that so much of your life has been affected by your lung condition. It just goes to show how important it is to tackle pollution and reduce it drastically.
Hi an ex pat here, I have CPFE and SS caused by zinc chloride smoke when I worked, luckily for me I moved out here 28 years ago and I really do think the clean pure mountain air where I am, lichen grows on everything, has kept the diseases at bay. First severe problems at the end of last year when I caught the nasty virus that seemed to hit most parts of Europe, downhill fast from there. Found the high pollen count has been the worst due to the heat, pollen and hay making. I feel really sorry for folks that have to breathe the polluted air in vast parts of GB
Hi Bethany, I have asthma and am recovering from pneumonia. I live in West London, next door to the recently demolished Earl’s Court exhibition centre which is now a pile of dust which is covering everything with a sinister black layer. I also live next to Warwick Rd and Cromwell Rd which regularly breach air pollution limits. A local councillor is looking into these issues for local residents, as so many of us round here have severe asthma. I wonder if the pneumonia, which has had me bedridden for a month and struggling for a month before that, has been made worse by the pollution and demolition dust.
My chest remains tight with very low peak flows. I feel worse when I go outside, even in my garden. I frequently consider moving but there is work etc to consider too.
We get no information locally about pollution, and the council is encouraging the building of 10 000 units of housing on to the Earl’s Court site, when Warwick Rd is already a very polluted road and no doubt the owners of these new flats will have cars.
Asthma and lung problems are a very real problem for many people round here. I think our local hospital for chests, the Brompton, should speak out about pollution and lung disease.
This sounds like a nightmare. While a lot of areas are trying to reduce pollution, it sounds like it's just getting worse where you are. I really hope your councillor is able to help.
I live on a High Street, cannot move, also highly useful as can only walk very short distances, and if paying Carers to shop, the closer the shops are the cheaper it is. One of my pet hates is the delivery lorries, which we need, some however keep their engine running the entire time they are parked up delivering, I may get 40mins of pollution at the level of my 1st floor flat windows for each delivery, in the hot weather I do not want to have to keep them closed and I certainly cannot afford airconditioning. Also if there is a traffic jam, everyone including the buses keep their engines running, I recall a Govt. campaign (during petrol crisis) for people to turn their engine off. I think we need more educational type campaigns, to make extra polluting driving manners as unacceptable as driving when drunk.
Wouldn't that be great Sorrelhippo? I can't believe they leave their engines running for that long. It can't be pleasant for them either, and you'd think their companies would want to save petrol, if nothing else!
When I moved from the countryside to my current house in a village, I expected it to be a culture shock because I had always lived in the middle of nowhere. What I had not factored in was the effect living right on a busy trunk road would have on my health. It would not be so bad if my house did not sit just before a corner in one direction and a narrowing of the road in the other. The consequence of this is that heavy vehicles frequently sit with their engine running just outside my house. I can see the oily residue which comes in around my windows and doors so who knows what that stuff is doing to my lungs.
I do know that within a very short space of time, I went from being very fit and healthy to a total wreck who struggles to walk any distance at all.
If I could, I would move house but sadly, I am not fit to do that now so I am stuck here getting rapidly worse.
I am not sure that my experience is relevant because I live in Scotland not England but I thought I would share anyway.
It's very relevant greatauntali. You paint such a vivid picture of what it's like to live with the traffic building up around you and it doesn't sound pleasant at all. You'd think a village would be ok but, as you say, if the road layout causes congestion, you can still get terrible pollution.
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