EXPOSURE TO increased air pollution has a greater impact on Black people than others from the wider UK population, according to new research.
Air pollution has been cited as a major contributor to poor cardiovascular and respiratory health in recent years. However, a new report from St. Andrews University has highlighted the presence of significant racial disparities in the impact of exposure to air pollution.
Mary Abed Al Ahad, from the University’s School of Geography and Sustainable Development, spearheaded a comprehensive study delving into the link between prolonged exposure to air pollution and individuals’ self-reported health in the UK.
The research aimed to understand whether individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds and those born outside the UK bear a greater impact from air pollution compared to the general population.
The researchers used data from the Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study, which contains detailed information from approximately 68,000 adults regarding their health status over an 11-year period. The St Andrews team also gathered information about air pollution levels in the areas where participants lived.
The results showed that exposure to high levels of some air contaminants was directly linked to declining health. Explaining the link the study emphasised the importance of where people lived rather than variations in pollution levels across time.
The study also found that UK citizens of Black/African/Caribbean and Indian, Pakistani/Bangladeshi descent consistently reported poorer health outcomes when exposed to heightened levels of air pollution than their White British counterparts. Non-UK-born individuals also experienced a decline in health when exposed to increased air pollution, in contrast to those born in the UK.
Ms Abed Al Ahad said: “This study provides evidence that outdoor air pollution is bad for health and highlights the ethnic inequalities in health and air pollution exposure. Air pollution mitigation is necessary to improve individuals’ health, especially for ethnic minorities who are affected the most.”
Professor Frank Sullivan from the School of Medicine added: “There is increasing recognition of the role that air pollution plays in long-term health problems. This novel research following people across time and in different locations demonstrates a strong association between several pollutants and self-reported health. This was particularly true for people in ethnic minorities and people born overseas who now live in the UK.”
The impact of pollution on minority ethnic communities was highlighted by the tragic death of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah who died after an acute asthma attack in south London on 15 February 2013.
She had had more than 25 emergency hospital admissions in the previous three years.
Following Ella’s death Kissi-Debra made contact with asthma and air pollution expert Professor Stephen Holgate. After researching Ella’s case he produced a report which said there was a “striking association” between Ella’s emergency hospital admissions and recorded spikes in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and PM10s, the most noxious pollutants in Lewisham, south-east London, the area where the family lived. Lewisham has a sizeable Black community.
In 2020, a landmark coroner’s report made Ella the first person in the world to have air pollution cited as a cause of death.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ella’s death. In the years since she lost her daughter her mother Rosamund has become a compelling advocate for cleaner air. She has been calling on MPs to introduce the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill – or “Ella’s law”, named after her daughter.
The campaigner has also spoken out in support of schemes like the ULEZ in London, which is being introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2019 and which sees drivers of the most polluting vehicles in Central London pay a fee.
In a 2019 interview with The Voice following the launch of Ella’s Law Kissi-Debrah said: “This issue is extremely important. One of things I’ve noticed is that there are very few people in the climate change and environment movement that look like me. It’s something that I’m very much aware of because I do take my responsibility very seriously.
“Whenever I’m out talking and campaigning about this issue I do want members of the Black and minority ethnic community who see me to think ‘This is a normal mum, this happened to her’ and I want them to engage.
“I hope as a result of this campaign the Black community realises it also needs to be concerned about air pollution. I don’t want us to think it’s a problem solely for White middle-class people or people living in certain well-off areas.”
Comments Form
1 Comment
These Green supported “clean-air” restrictions in London; Birmingham, Bristol, Oxford, and other English Cities, are punishing African, & African-Caribbean-heritage men and women disproportionally; as we tend in live in England’s Cities and Towns.
A disproportional number of England’s African-heritage people are issued with penalty notices for entering the anti-car cities of London, Birmingham and Bristol.
When these Green anti-car policies succeed in driving all manufacturing jobs from England’s cities, it will be African-heritage people who will suffer disproportionally with increased disparity unemployment.
Why are Local Authorities allowed to ignore the disproportionate impact Green Policies are having on African-heritage residents in England’s Labour controlled Cities and Towns?
The powerful Green Lobby in Parliament, will not be happy until we are all using horses and carts as our main form of transportation in the great Cities and Towns of England from 2030 onwards.
It is upsetting see the Green Party using the death of African-heritage nine-year-old, Ella Kissi-Debrah; who died after an acute asthma attack in south London on 15 February 2013, to advance their anti-car agenda.
Many nine-year-old African children in the Congo die daily, when the small crevices from which they are “mining ” coltan collapse.
Their bodies are not retrieved.
There are no investigations into their death.
For the Green Party, the life of an African child in Caucasian Europe, is of far more value than a African child, who is forced to risk his and her life “mining ” the coltan: a mineral that is essential for the Green Party’s electric vehicle revolution in England’s Cities and Towns.
The Green and Labour supported anti-car agenda, that is currently causing a disparity of disruption and penalty fines to England’s African-heritage residence is just ignored by these Politically Correct Elected Local Councillors.
All African-heritage people need to resist and reject the deceptive Green Party supported 2019 “Ella’s Law,” as this law will hurt, and abuse, and financially impoverish mainly England’s African-heritage city dwelling residence.
When will the day arrive when England’s African-heritage Subjects become sophisticated enough to know when we are simply being used, and abused by the Left-wing Political Parties; who are not minded to assist African-heritage people in any meaningful way, to achieve the skin-colour justice, we desperately require.