The average person takes about 10 million breaths a year, and if those are taken in the UK there’s a good chance the air is so dirty that it could be shortening their life.

A new report by a committee of MPs estimates that 200,000 people a year are dying prematurely because of poor air quality, which can lead to, or exacerbate, respiratory infections, as well as heart and lung diseases.

A report by the Environmental Audit Committee this week warned the Government’s failure to meet EU standards on air pollution is putting the health of UK residents at risk.

It estimates the lives of those most badly affected by air pollution are being shortened by an average of two years.

The report points out that 40 of the UK’s 43 assessment zones are failing to meet agreed targets, and the Government appears to be using delaying tactics to avoid meeting EU air pollution standards.

Committee chair Joan Walley MP said: “It is a national scandal that thousands of people are still dying from air pollution in the UK in 2011 – and the Government is taking no responsibility for this.

“It is often the poorest people in our cities who live near the busiest roads and breathe in diesel fumes, dangerous chemicals and bits of tyre every day.”

In addition to emissions from power stations and vehicle exhausts, including carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, particles from tyres and brakes are a significant source of airborne pollution.

Research published earlier this year by the Aphekom group of European scientists suggested living near a busy road could account for 15-30% of cases of lung disease and coronary heart disease in adults aged over 65.

In addition, the World Health Organisation estimates that exposure to the tiny particles in air pollution alone are responsible for about 8% of lung cancer deaths worldwide, 5% of cardiopulmonary deaths and about 3% of all respiratory infection deaths.

Lewis Merdler, campaign manager at Environmental Protection UK, which leads the national Healthy Air Campaign, says air pollution in the UK has a huge impact on the nation’s respiratory and cardiovascular health, and particularly affects children and the elderly.

“Air pollution in the UK represents a huge public health crisis, contributing to more premature deaths than obesity and passive smoking combined,” he says.

“It’s a scandal the Government isn’t doing more to protect the most vulnerable in our communities from dangerous levels of air pollution.”

Professor John Britton, an expert in respiratory medicine at the University of Nottingham, explains the main health effects of air pollution are twofold.

Firstly, pollution can increase the risk of respiratory infection and exacerbate conditions like asthma, probably as a direct effect of irritation of the airways from inhaling pollutants.

Secondly, it can increase the risk of heart disease through the absorption of tiny particles into the blood. Experts assume these probably affect the way the blood clots, and may precipitate heart attacks.

“Essentially, pollution outdoors is probably doing much the same as tobacco smoke indoors does,” explains Britton.

He adds that people with underlying lung disease will of course be affected more by air pollution than healthy individuals. However the position is a little different with heart disease.

“People often don’t know they have narrowing of the arteries in the heart, and a little bit more clotting on top of that could lead to a major event like a heart attack.”

But there’s not a great deal people can do to avoid such emissions – and there’s not much point walking round in a surgical mask, as Michael Jackson famously did, says Britton.

“Masks aren’t going to make much difference – the gases will just go around a mask as the particles are so small. If you’re breathing air in, you’ll get the particles.”

He says the best way to improve air quality is by cutting the emissions produced – by using less road transport and cleaner energy.

“A degree of air pollution is inevitable – we need things to be moved around by road and we need energy to stay warm,” he says. “But some of it is avoidable.”

The recent Aphekom study also suggested that living near a busy road could account for 15-30% of new cases of asthma in children, and Dr Atul Gupta, a consultant in paediatric respiratory medicine at King’s College Hospital, London, says this may be linked to the fact that air pollution can affect both the immune system and the lungs.

“In paediatrics this is a particular concern because children’s immune systems and lungs aren’t fully developed, and exposure to air pollution weakens them,” he says.

“Also, kids spend a lot of time outdoors compared to adults, where there may be a concentration of pollution from traffic and other sources.”

He says studies have shown that air pollution is associated with the development of asthma and allergic tendencies, and that there is a higher incidence of bronchitis and chronic coughs where there’s air pollution.

He adds: “I have some patients with very severe asthma who are in hospital a lot, and they would certainly benefit if the air pollution was less.”

The Environmental Audit Committee report calls for the Government to make air pollution a priority, to work with local councils on the issue, to establish a national framework of low emissions zones and to launch a public awareness campaign informing people how they can reduce emissions and their exposure to pollution.

Reduce the risk of air pollution

Environmental Protection UK has a number of suggestions for ways in which individuals can reduce both their exposure to air pollution and activities that cause pollution:

• Use the car less and don’t leave the engine running while waiting.
• Set up or join an existing bike or walking group to your workplace or school.
• Don’t take heavy exercise on busy roads and on hot sunny days. Cycling or running increases the amount of air entering your lungs, so side roads, parks and footpaths are a better option.
• Air pollution will be worse when the sky’s clear and it’s a warm day, so take extra care on those days, particularly if you suffer from asthma, other respiratory problems, or are recovering from heart problems or a stroke.
• If walking on a busy street, try to walk as far away from the traffic as possible – even a few feet may reduce your exposure slightly.
• Some areas have air pollution monitoring services, which can alert you to high pollution episodes when it may be best to avoid going out. If you’re particularly vulnerable to the impact of air pollution, ask your local authority if they provide a monitoring service.
• For more information on the Healthy Air campaign, visit www. healthyair.org.uk