Publications

Lung adenocarcinoma promotion by air pollutants

Cancer Prevention Group, King’s College London

A complete understanding of how exposure to environmental substances promotes cancer formation is lacking. More than 70 years ago, tumorigenesis was proposed to occur in a two-step process: an initiating step that induces mutations in healthy cells, followed by a promoter step that triggers cancer development.
Here we propose that environmental particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), known to be associated with lung cancer risk, promotes lung cancer by acting on cells that harbour pre-existing oncogenic mutations in healthy lung tissue. Focusing on EGFR-driven lung cancer, which is more common in never smokers or light smokers, we found a signifcant association between PM2.5 levels and the incidence of lung cancer for 32,957 EGFRdriven lung cancer
cases in four within-country cohorts.

Report: Air pollution and Lung Cancer

Speed limits, air quality and health

TRANSITION Air Quality Network, Policy Briefing Note 7

Improving air quality by lowering vehicle emissions is important for public health. Limiting vehicle speeds on the UK strategic road network can reduce individual vehicle exhaust emissions, however, there are implications for driver behaviour and traffic congestion patterns. This briefing note examines the current evidence for speed limit reduction to benefit air quality and health and provides recommendations for future priority research.

Report: Speed limits, air quality and health

Air Pollution and Brain Health, InSPIRE May 2023

Emerging research suggests exposure to high levels of air pollution at critical points in the life course is detrimental to brain health, including cognitive decline and dementia. Social determinants such as socio-economic deprivation, environmental factors, and heightened health and social inequalities also play a significant role and make the problem more complicated. While policy and practice strategies have been proposed to address air pollution’s impact on public health more generally, their benefits for brain health, including dementia, remain undeveloped [1,2]. This policy brief suggests necessary advances across policy and practice to mitigate air pollution and its impact on brain health and dementia.

Report: Mitigating the Impact of Air Pollution on Brain Health and Dementia

Public engagement with air quality data: using health behaviour change theory to support exposure-minimising behaviours

A collaboration between Clean Air Champion Dr Heather Price and other industry professionals to investigate how to improve individual behaviour change with regards to air quality.

‘Exposure to air pollution prematurely kills 7 million people globally every year. Policy measures designed to reduce emissions of pollutants, improve ambient air and consequently reduce health impacts, can be effective, but are generally slow to generate change. Individual actions can therefore supplement policy measures and more immediately reduce people’s exposure to air pollution. Air quality indices (AQI) are used globally (though not universally) to translate complex air quality data into a single unitless metric, which can be paired with advice to encourage behaviour change. Here we explore, with reference to health behaviour theories, why these are frequently insufficient to instigate individual change. We examine the health behaviour theoretical steps linking air quality data with reduced air pollution exposure and (consequently) improved public health, arguing that a combination of more ‘personalised’ air quality data and greater public engagement with these data will together better support individual action. Based on this, we present a novel framework, which, when used to shape air quality interventions, has the potential to yield more effective and sustainable interventions to reduce individual exposures and thus reduce the global public
health burden of air pollution.’

Report: Public engagement with air quality data: using health behaviour change theory to support exposure-minimising behaviours

Read the report

Air Pollutant Toxicology Round Table, December 2020

Air pollution is acknowledged as one of the five greatest health risks to humanity worldwide and the single greatest environmental health risk. Toxicology and mechanistic-based research remain essential in understanding how components of air pollution and source specific mixtures within both ambient and indoor air, drive disease progression and exacerbation.

On 3rd December 2020, the SPF Clean Air Champions convened a round table event on the toxicology and health effects of air pollution. The following report begins with recommendations for capacity building and key research priorities. This is followed by a detailed summary of the presentations and discussion from the round table.

Report: Rebuilding air pollution toxicology research in the UK: A call for action

Joining Forces to Improve Air Quality and Health, October 2020

As part of a series of planned on-line workshops and meetings, an online workshop “Joining Forces to Improve Air Quality and Health” was held over two days on 12th and 13th October 2020. The workshop was convened by the Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) Clean Air Champions, in partnership with the Met Office and National Physical laboratory, as one of the knowledge exchange events run by the SPF Clean Air Programme.

The meeting provided an opportunity for a wide range of experts who work in various air quality and health related sectors to share experiences, requirements and concerns and discuss the relevant questions and issues that lie at the heart of continued progress in this area. Delegates examined areas of potential synergies between the health and air quality communities to formulate continued collaborative work that will enable the aims of the Clean Air Programme to be effectively achieved.

Joining Forces to Improve Air Quality and Health workshop conveners and report authors: Prof Sir Stephen Holgate, Dr Jenny Baverstock, Dr Matt Hort, Mr Noel Nelson, Mr Tom Gardiner.