Toxic air 'causing more child hospital admissions'

Almost 114,000 children in London were taken to hospital or A&E last year with serious breathing problems

Nearly 114,000 children were admitted to hospital or taken to A&E in London last year with serious breathing problems, according to new figures obtained by parent campaigners.

Mums for Lungs has claimed these admissions are linked to toxic air pollution and is calling the Mayor of London, local councils and the government to improve air quality.

Founder and director of Mums for Lungs, Jemima Hartshorn, said: "These figures are heartbreaking and should finally shame our political leaders into action."

A spokesperson for Sir Sadiq Khan said he was determined to meet global cleaner air targets. The government has said it has invested £575m to tackle air pollution.

A Freedom of Information (FoI) request to NHS Trusts across the capital found that in just one year, there were 113,736 paediatric respiratory hospital admissions and A&E attendances across London.

This breaks down to about 88,000 A&E admissions and 26,000 admissions to hospital wards, the group said.

University Hospital Lewisham saw 8,218 children admitted to A&E or hospital

The campaign group has said children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution because they breathe more rapidly and are closer to the ground, where pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter PM2.5 are more concentrated.

PM2.5 is a measure of air pollution associated with conditions including asthma, heart disease and lung cancer.

"Children in London are suffering because of avoidable pollution – too many polluting diesel cars and unnecessary domestic wood burning are making our children sick, choke, cough and struggle for their breath, putting them into hospital," added Ms Hartshorn.

Rosa from Ealing is a mother to a seven-year-old and said she lives near a busy main road.

"We have had to take our son to A&E many times since was a baby. His breathing becomes so bad, we panic every time he gets a cold," she said.

"I feel totally let down by politicians that look away instead of protecting our children from toxic air."

Mother of two, Frances Buckingham from Barnet, added: "As a parent, I am deeply concerned about the impact of air pollution on my sons' long-term health and it is troubling to see how many children are being admitted to hospital with respiratory conditions."

Children living in areas served by hospital trusts who were admitted to A&E or to a hospital ward:

• North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton: 14,587

• Hillingdon Hospital: 10,417

• University Hospital Lewisham: 8,218

• Barnet Hospital: 7,523

• Guys' and St Thomas' Hospital, which covers Lambeth and Southwark: 7,505

Source: Mums for Lungs FoI

Dr Katie Knight, a paediatric emergency medicine consultant, based in Haringey, said: "Every year we see thousands of children in London coming to A&E with severe breathing difficulties, many of whom will have had their symptoms exacerbated by toxic air pollution.

"With the NHS 10 Year Plan having just been published, the time to act is now to avoid a crisis in our health system that is entirely preventable."

Stunt lung growth

Research shows the UK has the highest prevalence of asthma in Europe and the Royal College of Physicians estimates 30,000 people die prematurely every year in the UK from air pollution.

A study by King's College London has also found exposure to traffic pollution can stunt children's lung growth by up to 14%.

According to Transport for London (TfL), road transport remains the biggest source of harmful emissions in London – particularly diesel vehicles and large, heavy SUVs that emit more air pollution and CO₂ than smaller cars.

A government spokesperson from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said: "Air pollution is a public health issue, and we are committed to tackling this issue across the country.

"We have already provided £575m to support local authorities to improve air quality and are developing a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone's exposure to air pollution is reduced."

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said millions of Londoners are now breathing cleaner air thanks to the mayor's "bold air quality policies", such as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) which has "proven even more effective than expected".

"The mayor is determined to keep improving air quality across the capital, and has committed to meet the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest guidelines for NO2 and PM2.5 as soon as possible.

"He has already delivered a comprehensive package of measures to reduce emissions, including cleaner buses and taxis, and improvements to walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure.

"Sadiq is determined to continue working with government to reduce sources of air pollution, going beyond the legal requirements to protect human health and minimise inequalities as we continue to build a safer, fairer and greener London for everyone."