March 2, 2018

expert reaction to the CMO pollution report

The Chief Medical Officer has published the 2017 annual report: Health impacts of all pollution – what do we know? 

Prof Barbara Maher, Centre for Environmental Magnetism & Paleomagnetism, Lancaster Environment Centre, University of Lancaster, said:

“The CMO’s report and recommendations regarding the impacts of air pollution on human health are to be welcomed, focusing as they do on the immediate need to address these impacts through greater recognition and understanding of the specific health impacts of specific components of the air pollution ‘mix’ to which we are exposed.

“It is critical to ‘know your enemy’, and the CMO’s recommendation for increased research funding, to facilitate focused multi-disciplinary research into health and pollution, is both timely and vital. Only by establishing which pollution components, on their own or in interaction with other components, cause which biological responses can we then most effectively identify the best, most important and most cost-effective routes to substantial reduction of those health impacts.”

Prof Paul Leonard, Environmental Consultant, Brunel University, said:

“This report should be welcomed and highlights many of the challenges facing our societies in the UK. There seem to be too many recommendations & for recommendation 1, I would include Defra, BEIS and an organisation that represents large polluting businesses. Ideally a timeline of actions, linked to science – based evidence wold seem essential.”

*https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officer-annual-report-2017-health-impacts-of-all-pollution-what-do-we-know

Declared interests

None received.