Author Description

The Department of Health's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) advises the Government on the effects of air pollution on health. Their report re-examines the findings of cohort studies in the United States and elsewhere and the implications for quantifying the health effects of air pollution in the UK. These studies found that, after adjustment for other factors, those living in polluted cities have a shorter life expectancy than those living in areas with lower pollution levels. These studies have since been re-analysed by the Health Effects Institute, taking into account socio-economic factors such as poverty and unemployment. A methodology has also recently been developed by the Institute of Occupational Medicine to quantify long-term effects of air pollution (the IOM Report). This report concludes that it is more than likely that a causal association exists between long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality and that this association is applicable to the UK, although the quantitative may not be exactly the same as in US cities. Further research is required to clarify a number of key uncertainties.