Joan Ryan MP urges Government to do more to tackle UK’s unsafe air

To mark Clean Air Day on 21 June, Joan Ryan MP called on the Government to do more to tackle air pollution and make the UK’s air safe to breathe.

Ms Ryan, a member of the Environmental Audit Committee – Parliament’s green watchdog – is supporting the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) campaign for the Government to adopt World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines into UK law.

Air quality is a major issue for Enfield and the whole of the borough has been declared an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) by Enfield Council.

Air pollution is now the largest environmental risk factor linked to deaths in the UK, contributing to 40,000 premature deaths across the country and more than 9,000 in London every year. The majority of these air-pollution related deaths are caused by heart disease or stroke.

Joan is also encouraging Enfield residents to help improve air quality for all by getting active and cycling or walking when they can. This will limit their pollution contribution but also protect their heart health, as air pollution levels can be significantly higher inside a car.

Joan Ryan MP said: “The quality of the air we breathe has a major impact on our health and wellbeing, particularly for those with heart and circulatory conditions whose health is at increased risk from air pollution.

“It’s important that we have better air quality so that the health of people living in Enfield North isn’t at risk from dirty air when they leave the house – a particular problem for constituents living in congested and built-up residential areas, like the Hertford Road and Bullsmoor Lane.

“Research from the British Heart Foundation has shown that even the smallest reduction can make a big difference in preventing new cases of coronary heart disease.

“That’s why I’m supporting their call for all effective action to be taken to clean up our air.”