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Air quality: How does pollution affect your health?

13 June 2023

Recent research is revealing how air pollution damages many parts of the body, who is most at risk and how heatwaves exacerbate the effects

How indoor air pollution affects your health and what to do about it

17 April 2023

The latest evidence suggests that indoor air quality can be as bad as a city street at rush hour. The good news is that making a few simple changes at home can help reduce the risks to your health

Gas stoves harm our health and the climate - should they be banned?

11 January 2023

US authorities are reportedly considering a ban on new gas stoves in light of research claiming they are linked to one in eight cases of childhood asthma

Reid–Hillview Airport in Santa Clara County, California

Children living near airport found to have raised lead levels in blood

10 January 2023

A study of children living near a small airport in California finds that those within 1.5 kilometres have concerning levels of the poisonous metal lead in their blood

Consistent exposure to air pollution may raise an otherwise healthy person's risk of a first-time stroke

Air pollution raises our risk of a stroke and its later complications

28 September 2022

Exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended air pollution exposure limit could substantially increase our risk of a first-time stroke

The London Eye, Palace of Westminster and buildings in central London are seen through the mist from the 15th floor of an office block in the City of London. The UK Government's pollution forecast website has advised moderate to high levels of pollution are possible near urban areas in the south of the UK, in particular London, as light winds allow a build-up of locally emitted pollutants. (Photo by Daniel LEAL / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL/AFP via Getty Images)

Air pollution likely to be causing dementia, say UK science advisers

25 July 2022

We know that air pollution is bad for our lungs and heart, but now advisers to the UK government say it can also be linked to dementia and cognitive decline in older people

A stock image of smoke and steam being emitted from an industrial plant

Pollution killed 9 million people worldwide in 2019 alone

17 May 2022

Pollution accounted for one in six deaths three years ago, a figure that is unchanged since the last analysis in 2015

Woman putting a well dried log into a glowing wood burning stove.

Health impacts of wood burning cost EU and UK €13 billion a year

30 March 2022

Wood-based home appliances are responsible for 48 per cent of the health costs from air pollution related to heating and cooking in homes in the European Union and UK

Inhaling leaded petrol as a child may affect an adult's IQ

Leaded petrol may have lowered the IQ of over half the US population

7 March 2022

Exposure to leaded petrol as a child has been linked to an average IQ drop of 2.6 points among US adults, increasing to 5.9 points among those born in the mid-to-late 1960s