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Hard-hitting billboard on one of Greater Manchester’s most polluted roads launches campaign for cleaner air

news release

#HelpBritainBreathe initiative is backed by health and environmental campaigners

Campaign begins with warning to drivers stuck in traffic on A635 Ring Road
Up to 80% of air pollution in pollution hotspots comes from road transport [1].

Dirty air can stunt children’s lung growth, increase people’s risk of heart attacks and lung cancer and worsen existing health conditions

Living in Manchester means compared to most of England, Scotland and Wales, you are: 73% more likely to die from COPD, 25% more likely to die from asthma and 74% more likely to die from lung cancer [2].

#HelpBritainBreathe is calling for politicians to take more action on dirty air

Drivers on one of Greater Manchester’s busiest roads may be breathing a little more heavily after spotting a hard-hitting billboard designed to warn how the air around them is among the most polluted in the UK.

The huge roadside sign appeared this morning on the A635 Mancunian Way/Manor Road to launch public health awareness campaign #HelpBritainBreathe in support of the Healthy Air Campaign. It is backed by the British Lung Foundation and environmental law charity ClientEarth as well as the Campaign for Better Transport, the London Cycling Campaign, Doctors Against Diesel, Friends of the Earth, Transform Scotland, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Sustrans and Cycling UK.

According to monitoring by the local authority in Manchester, parts of the city centre are more than 1.5 times/50% over the legal limit of nitrogen dioxide air pollution.[3]

Campaigners hope the initiative will boost the public’s interest in the threat posed by air pollution, giving those stuck in rush hour jams a chance to consider its impact on their own health and on those living nearby the congestion. Andrea Lee, Healthy Air Campaigner, said: “It’s worrying how many people living in cities and towns like Manchester are unaware of how they and their families are affected by the dirty air they breathe every day.”

Previous research from the British Lung Foundation’s Battle for Breath report has shown that in Manchester’s city council area people are nearly twice as likely to be admitted to hospital with asthma or COPD when compared to the average for most of England, Scotland and Wales. The BLF says that while breathing in air pollution is not the sole cause, it can be a contributory factor on days when pollution levels are high. In Greater Manchester, around 187,895 people have asthma and around 67,000 people are living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). [4]

Similar 12m by 3m billboards have gone up or will be going up this week on heavily polluted routes in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool and Southampton, designed to remind people that the filthy fallout from air pollution is not just confined to London. Air pollution causes the equivalent of 40,000 early/premature deaths each year [5] and costs the UK more than £20bn each year [6] – equivalent to 16% of the annual NHS budget. [7]

Andrea Lee added: “Air pollution is not just a London problem. Illegal and harmful levels of toxic air are found across the country. These billboards are highlighting the risk of dangerous air pollution to drivers sitting in traffic but this is just the start of our campaign to raise awareness of this invisible public health crisis. Politicians at all levels must do more to protect our health from illegal and harmful levels of air pollution.”

A ‘Poisoned Playgrounds’ study [8] released earlier this month by campaign partner ClientEarth also revealed how more than 10 schools in Manchester are next to, or near to roads, with harmful levels of illegal air pollution. This is defined as an annual average of NO2 above 40µg/m3.

Dr Penny Woods, Chief Executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: “This campaign is vital in making drivers aware of the devastating impact air pollution has on everyone’s lungs, in Manchester and across the UK. Research has shown that many drivers are exposed to higher levels of pollution than cyclists when on the same road.

“Filthy air is causing a public health crisis, stunting children’s lung growth and making existing lung conditions worse. We need urgent action from central government with the introduction of a new Clean Air Act. Our lung health demands nothing less.”

The campaign is urging the public to visit the Help Britain Breathe campaign website at helpbritainbreathe.org.uk. Here they can learn more about the issues and be connected to local groups tackling air pollution in Manchester. The site features resources from campaign partners including tips on reducing exposure to air pollution and the steps to take to improve air quality throughout the country. Visitors are encouraged to share news of the campaign on social media using the hashtag #HelpBritainBreathe.

For more information, interviews with campaign organisers and partners and case study opportunities with those whose health has been affected by air pollution, please contact:
Jonathan Weinberg, Bootstrapped PR, jw@bootstrappedpr.com, 07947 141014

About #HelpBritainBreathe

Help Britain Breathe is an initiative from the Healthy Air Campaign that focuses on raising awareness to drive action on combatting air pollution across the United Kingdom. It aims to connect individuals concerned about the health impacts of poor air quality with groups and resources to allow them to take small actions that can make a big impact in their communities and throughout the country. The campaign started w/c Monday 25 September 2017 and will run on an on-going basis for the next few months with further awareness-raising activities planned. A number of high-profile partners are involved in #HelpBritain Breathe. They are: British Lung Foundation, ClientEarth, Campaign for Better Transport, London Cycling Campaign, Doctors Against Diesel, Friends of the Earth, Transform Scotland, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Sustrans and Cycling UK.

Notes for Editors

[1] DEFRA (2017) Improving air quality in the UK: tackling nitrogen dioxide in our towns and cities https://consult.defra.gov.uk/airquality/air-quality-plan-for-tackling-nitrogen-dioxide/supporting_documents/Draft%20Revised%20AQ%20Plan.pdf pg.5

[2] British Lung Foundation (2016) Stats for Manchester city council area – Battle for Breath

[3] http://www.manchester.gov.uk/download/downloads/id/25051/nitrogen_dioxide_diffusion_tube_results_2010-16_updated_july_2017.pdf

[4] Data from NHS Greater Manchester area in 2015-2016. Data compiled by the British Lung Foundation using the NHS Digital COPD Register. http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB22266

[5] The RCP and RCPCH – Every Breath We Take

[7] The RCP and RCPCH – Every Breath We Take https://www.rcplondon.ac.uk/projects/outputs/every-breath-we-take-lifelong-impact-air-pollution

[8] https://www.clientearth.org/poisoned-playgrounds/

 

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