Pollution killing 50,000 people in the UK every year, research finds

More than 50,000 people die from pollution in the UK every year, according to a new report.

In 2015, almost one in ten deaths were due to pollution, a higher proportion than in many other European countries including Germany, France and Spain.

Globally, pollution claimed nine million lives in that one year - one in six of all deaths, revealed the report published in the Lancet.

Most pollution victims around the world died as a result of non-communicable conditions such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), said researchers.

Worldwide, the biggest impact from pollution was felt in regions undergoing rapid development and industrialisation.

In the most severely affected countries, including India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Kenya, up to a quarter of all deaths were caused by pollution.

Professor Philip Landrigan, from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, US, who co-led the investigation, said: "Pollution is much more than an environmental challenge - it is a profound and pervasive threat that affects many aspects of human health and well-being.

"It deserves the full attention of international leaders, civil society, health professionals, and people around the world. Despite its far-reaching effects on health, the economy and the environment, pollution has been neglected in the international assistance and the global health agendas, and some control strategies have been deeply underfunded.

"Our goal is to raise global awareness of the importance of pollution, and mobilise the political will needed to tackle it, by providing the most in-depth estimates of pollution and health available."

The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health was a two-year project involving more than 40 international researchers looking at a snapshot of pollution effects around the world in 2015.

Scientists analysed data from the Global Burden of Disease study, a huge inquiry into the leading causes of death and illness worldwide, to come up with the findings published in The Lancet journal.

The biggest cause of pollution death was found to be chemicals in the air, both outside and within households. Outdoor pollution was chiefly caused by road traffic and industrial emissions while indoor air pollution resulted from the burning of wood, charcoal, dung and crop wastes.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "This report reveals the consequences air pollution can have when left unchecked.

"Air pollution is reaching crisis point worldwide, and the UK is faring worse than many countries in Western Europe and the US.

"A contributing factor could be our dependence on diesel vehicles, notorious for pumping out a higher amount of poisonous particles and gases.

"These hit hardest people with a lung condition, children and the elderly."

Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the British Heart Foundation, added: "In the UK, poor air quality disproportionately affects some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our communities, including the young, elderly and those with existing cardiovascular conditions.

"It's time for change."

A Defra spokesman said: "We have put in place a £3 billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions.

"We will also end the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2040, and next year we will publish a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy which will set out further steps to tackle air pollution."