Clean Air Day 2023: Clean up our air to look after your mind this CleanAirDay

Article dated Tuesday Jun 13, 2023 at 11:18 AM

Clean Air Day, the UK's largest campaign on air pollution is happening on Thursday 15 June 2023.

Cleaning up our air is good for us in many ways: it not only benefits our physical health and the environment but can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, heart disease and cancers – have been recognised for decades. More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.

People who breathe polluted air are more likely to develop mental health and brain conditions. Being exposed to air pollution is linked to mental health and brain conditions such as depression, anxiety and dementia. When a person breathes polluted air, small pollution particles can enter through the lungs, into the blood stream and can reach the brain.

Visit the Council's pages www.bradford.gov.uk/breathe-better-bradford/breathe-better-bradford/ to learn more about the clean air zone, what air pollution is, how it affects your health what you can do to protect yourself and others.

This Clean Air Day there are simple steps we can all take to help us cut down on the pollution we cause. Any reductions in air pollution that we make will lead to health improvements for us and in our local community.

Bradford Council, is continuing to supporting Clean Air Day and lead the way to cleaner air via its Clean Air Zone which has been implemented to reduction air pollution and improve the health of everyone in the Bradford District.

1 in every 5 of Bradford's children has a breathing problem. At least one third of childhood asthma cases in the city are caused by air pollution. There are 370 respiratory emergency attendances per week at our District's hospitals.

Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to our health, no matter who you are or where you live. It can harm every organ in your body and can shorten our lives, contribute towards chronic illness. When we breathe polluted air, it can inflame the lining of our lungs and move into our bloodstream ending up in the heart and brain, causing lung disease, heart disease, dementia and strokes. 

Everybody can do something to improve air quality in our District. Bradford Council, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and NHS Bradford District and Craven Clinical Commissioning Group would like to inspire everyone to understand what they can do to reduce air pollution and limit its impact on their health and that of others.

Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Portfolio Holder for Healthy People and Places said: "We know that Bradford has illegally high levels of air pollution and this is directly affecting the health of everyone who lives and works in the district."

"Clean Air Day is a great way for everyone to learn more about why any amount of air pollution can be damaging to our health.

"We are looking forward to introducing our Clean Air Schools Programme in the coming months which will improve road safety and air quality around schools to benefit children, parents and staff at the beginning and end of the school day."

Mel Pickup, Place Based Lead for Bradford District and Craven Health and Care Partnership and Chief Executive for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "Our health and care partnership has a strong focus on tackling health inequalities and keeping people happy, healthy at home. There is local and national evidence of the impact air pollution has on people's health especially in some of our built up, urban areas."

"We are backing Clean Air Day as part of wider efforts to improve air quality across our neighbourhoods, we also understand the reason for introducing a Clean Air Zone in Bradford to meet the legal limits for air quality. All of us can take small actions to reduce our impact on the health of people in our communities as well as our wider climate."

Information on how to get involved is available on the Clean Air Day website: www.cleanairday.org.uk

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