UK among worst in Europe for pollution-related deaths

The UK has one of the worst records for pollution-related deaths in Europe, a major environmental study has found.

More than 50,000 Britons died from exposure to man-made chemicals in 2015, making up 8.39% of deaths in the UK.

It is a higher proportion than in many other European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

Of the western European countries included in the study, only Belgium recorded a higher rate of 8.59%. However, Belgium has a higher population density than the UK.

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the British Lung Foundation, said: "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."

Scientists on the Lancet Commission on Pollution spent two years analysing 2015 data from the Global Burden of Disease, a huge inquiry into the leading causes of death and illness worldwide, to reach their findings.

In the US, more than 155,000 people were killed by pollution, they said - 5.74% of the country's total deaths.

The study attributed an estimated 9m premature deaths worldwide to pollution in 2015, with 6.5m people dying from air pollution, principally caused by road traffic and industrial emissions.

Infectious diseases resulting from contaminated water supplies and sanitation caused 1.8m deaths.

Heart disease, stroke and lung cancer are among the most common symptoms of death from pollution, most often caused by chemicals in the air.

Professor Philip Landrigan, from the Icahn School of Medicine in New York, who co-led the investigation, called pollution a "profound and pervasive threat that affects many aspects of human health and wellbeing".

Regions experiencing rapid development and industrialisation suffered most, with around 2.5m people in India killed by pollution in 2015 and 1.8m in China, researchers say.

Pakistan, Bangladesh, Madagascar and Kenya are among other badly affected countries.

While historical pollutants such as lead and asbestos still pose a threat, the study warned of the dangers posed by newer synthetic chemicals that have entered world markets in the past two decades.

These include developmental neurotoxicants, chemical herbicides and pharmaceutical wastes, the researchers said.