Europe is tightening its air quality standards: when will Britain follow suit?
Author(s)
Malmqvist, Ebba
Kelly, Frank
Brunekreef, Bert
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Air pollution, as indexed by particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), was estimated to contribute to 239,000 premature deaths in 2022 globally (1). Air pollution is also responsible for millions of new cases of cardiorespiratory diseases, diabetes, lung cancer, and dementia, as well as exacerbations of diseases in already ill people each year (2–4). In the European Union (EU), air pollution policy is coordinated across member states through a rigorous process of assessment and policymaking. Once agreed on by European Parliament, European Commission, and European Council, policy is implemented across all member states and translated into national policy. Currently, there are three major pillars of the EU’s air quality legislation: the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD), the National Emission Ceilings Directive (NECD), and a collection of source-specific directives. The EU has sharpened its limit values, but the question is whether the United Kingdom will follow suit. Will the United Kingdom create the conditions and policy to reduce the impact of air pollution, or will it fail to address these significant public and environmental health challenges?
Date Issued
2025-10-01
Date Acceptance
2025-07-02
Citation
Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 2025, 22 (10), pp.1460-1462
ISSN
2329-6933
Publisher
American Thoracic Society
Start Page
1460
End Page
1462
Journal / Book Title
Annals of the American Thoracic Society
Volume
22
Issue
10
Copyright Statement
© 2025 by the American Thoracic Society This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0. For commercial usage and reprints, please e-mail Diane Gern.
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/40607959
Subjects
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Respiratory System
Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Date Publish Online
2025-10-01