The Guardian Pollutionwatch: Why a Belgian insurer studies the impact of air pollution on health

Clean Air Champion for Greater London Dr Gary Fuller @drgaryfuller explores why a health insurance company in Belgium studies air pollution.

Christian Horemans, an environment and health expert with the Belgian mutual insurer Mutualités Libres says, “The lower the concentrations of PM2.5, the fewer people need to see the general practitioner. So improving air quality not only benefits public health, but also ensures the financial sustainability of the social security system.”

One of the most important developments in air pollution research over the last 10 years has been associations between air pollution and brain health. This includes cognition and attention in children, mental illness in adults and dementia at the end of our lives.