This is a repository copy of Pollution and inequality (Chapter 6). White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/133618/ Version: Published Version Book Section: Walker, G, Mitchell, G orcid.org/0000-0003-0093-4519 and Pearce, J (2018) Pollution and inequality (Chapter 6). In: Dalton, ARH, (ed.) Annual report of the Chief Medical Officer 2017: health impacts of all pollution – what do we know? Prof Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer. Chief Medical Officer Annual report, Department of Health . Department of Health , London . Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017 Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Foreword Pollution, most particularly air pollution, is receiving a great deal of attention in the United Kingdom at the moment. However, tackling pollution (in all its forms) has not been foremost in the minds of health policy makers in recent years. It has been the role of public health professionals of all disciplines, and the wider public health workforce, to guard the public from the health impacts of pollution. I chose to address pollution in this, my ninth, annual report because I believe it is time for policy makers to take seriously the threat to health posed by pollution, and therefore to understand that addressing pollution is disease prevention. Everyone understands that acute exposure to a toxic substance will cause ill-health. Lesser known, and understood, is the relationship between longer-term, lower level exposure to pollutants. We already know there is a link in some instances: think of the opportunities to improve health that may be at our ingertips if we can better integrate socio-demographic, health and environmental data – using this to better understand these threats. And who will beneit from this? Clearly we will all beneit but those dedicated to reducing health and environmental inequalities may take particular interest in Chapter 6 of this report, ‘Pollution and inequality’. I would like to see all forms of pollution at the forefront of professional and public attention. I hope this report helps to inform the conversation. Prof Dame Sally C Davies Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Foreword page 1 Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Foreword page 2 Editors and authors Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Editors and authors page 1 Editors and authors This report could not have been produced without the Chapter 6 Pollution and inequality generous input of the editors, Chapter Leads, Chapter Chapter authors Authors and contributors. The Chief Medical Oficer, Prof Gordon Walker, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster Professor Dame Sally Davies expresses her thanks to all those University who contributed to this report. Dr Gordon Mitchell, School of Geography, University of Leeds Editor-in-Chief Prof Jamie Pearce, School of GeoSciences, University of Dr Andrew R. H. Dalton, Public Health Specialty Registrar, Edinburgh West Midlands Deanery Project Manager and Editor Chapter 7 Environmental health – response Ms Orla Murphy, Department of Health and Social Care to pollution Chapter authors Chapter Authors Dr Naima Bradley, Head of Environmental Hazards and Emergencies Department, Public Health England Chapter 1 Chief Medical Oficer’s summary Dr Patrick Saunders, Visiting Professor of Public Health, Chapter author University of Staffordshire Prof Dame Sally C. Davies, Chief Medical Oficer, Department of Health and Social Care Dr Benjamin Fenech, Principal Noise and Health Scientist, Public Health England Chapter 2 Pollution from the health and Ms Vicki Rhodes, Senior Specialist (Special Topics), care System Environment Agency Chapter authors Prof David Pencheon, Honorary Professor, Health and Chapter 8 Pollution – data, surveillance and Sustainable Development, Medical School, University of health impacts Exeter Medical School Chapter authors Dr Andrew R. H. Dalton, Public Health Specialty Registrar, Prof Paul Elliott, Dr Frédéric B. Piel, Dr Daniela Fecht and West Midlands Deanery Dr Anna L. Hansell of UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU), MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Chapter 3 21st century chemicals Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London Chapter authors Professor Timothy W. Gant, Head of the Department of Toxicology in the Centre for Radiation, Chemicals and Chapter 9 Measurement and communication Environmental Hazards, Public Health England; Visiting Professor of health risks from pollution (Health and Medical Sciences) of the University of Surrey. Chapter authors Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Helen E. Smith, Dr Emma L. Marczylo, Dr Miriam N. Jacobs, Statistics, Open University Dr Timothy H. Marczylo, Dr Ovnair Sepai, Mr Andrew Tristem of Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Prof Helene Joffe, Professor of Psychology, University College Public Health England London Chapter 4 New horizons Prof Marian Scott, Professor of Environmental Statistics, University of Glasgow Chapter editors Prof Alistair Boxall, Professor in Environmental Science, Sir David Spiegelhalter, Winton Professor of the Public University of York Understanding of Risk, University of Cambridge Dr Andrew R. H. Dalton, Public Health Specialty Registrar, Dr Heather Walton, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Health, West Midlands Deanery King’s College London Chapter 5 Economics of pollution interventions Chapter authors Dr Laure de Preux, Assistant Professor in Economics, Imperial College Business School Prof Franco Sassi, Professor of International Health Policy and Economics, Imperial College Business School Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Editors and authors page 2 Contents Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Contents page 1 Contents A single PDF download of this report is available via www.gov.uk All of the sections of this report are also available as discrete downloads. For this reason, every section is numbered separately. For example Chapter 1, the Chief Medical Oficer’s summary of the report is numbered “Chapter 1 page 1”, “Chapter 1, page 2”. Foreword .................................................................................................. Editors and authors ....................................................................................... Contents .................................................................................................. Chapter 1 Chief Medical Oficer’s summary ................................................ Chapter 2 Pollution from the health and care System .................................. Chapter 3 21st century chemicals ................................................................ Chapter 4 New horizons ............................................................................. Chapter 5 Economics of pollution interventions ........................................... Chapter 6 Pollution and inequality .............................................................. Chapter 7 Environmental health – response to pollution .............................. Chapter 8 Pollution – data, surveillance and health impacts ......................... Chapter 9 Measurement and communication of health risks from pollution Annex 1 Glossary ..................................................................................... Acknowledgements ....................................................................................... Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Contents page 2 Chapter 1 Chief Medical Oficer’s summary Chapter author Sally C. Davies1 1 Chief Medical Oficer, Department of Health and Social Care Annual Report of the Chief Medical Oficer 2017, Health Impacts of All Pollution – what do we know? Chapter 1 page 1 Chapter 1 Chapter title Introduction As Chief Medical Oficer for England I have a statutory On researching this report I expected to ind many concrete duty to produce an annual report on the state of the actions oficial bodies could take to reduce the impact of public’s health. These reports – like me – are independent pollution on the public’s health. I have been surprised by how of Government, and call on stakeholders across the policy little we know about many of the common pollutants that spectrum to make changes that will improve our health. They surround us each day. There are some areas where we do draw on the expertise of the Chapter Leads – preeminent know enough to act, and here we should do so with urgency. academics