A Look at The NHS Costs Due to Air Contamination
Atmospheric contamination is a contributor to adverse human health effects. There is a tool that is generally used in estimating the health care costs of atmospheric pollution – BenMAP-CE. However, it only takes into account the hospital and emergency department admissions’ costs. The extra cost from patients with respiratory illness increases the sum by 40%.The health outcomes of polluted air appear to be even more significant, widespread, and costly than it was previously assessed.
Amongst all ecological issues which have the capacity to influence our well-being, contamination of the air is the serious one. The WHO admits that ninety nine percent of humans are breathing the air which has high limits of nitrogen dioxide. This means that 6.5 billion people around the globe suffer the influences with poor people being exposed to the threat the most.
So that there is real evidence of extensive damage attributed to pollutants in 2022. How can we tackle the problem? Read about it below.
What Society Expects from Governments
As the population increases, the burden of poor air quality and health issues is also increasing at an alarming rate. A lot of people are not aware of this issue and they do not know how to secure themselves with their loved ones from diseases. Half of the fatalities are the consequences of their exposure to atmospheric contamination from vehicle releases, power plants and industrial enterprises.
The WHO has already warned over a hundred million people living in China as well as India getting their life expectancy affected due to the influence of polluted air. The pollution may cause cancer, some heart problems, asthmatic conditions and even death. There is a growing consensus that the contamination of the air leads to over five percent of all mortality across the globe or about three million deaths in a year.
In 2022, China is predicted to have the worst atmospheric contamination situation with over three million losses of life stemming from atmospheric aerosol PM2.5 which cuts life expectancy by 8.6 months on average. The most effective way for China to enhance their atmospheric pollution is to shorten coal consumption.
Coal-based power factories are big contributors to PM2.5. Currently, China gets 80% of its power from coal, but in 2010 they began an initiative to close and substitute half of the plants by 2020. Currently, there are plans for another 40-50% reduction in the use of coal for 2030. While this plan is aimed towards reducing carbon releases, it’ll cut other contaminants such as PM2.5 as well.
China has been focusing on obtaining “pure” energy alternatives such as nuclear and hydroelectric power, but they still rely heavily on coal-based power plants that are not equipped with technology that removes contaminants from the emissions.
The government must take some steps to enhance air quality while still keeping a check on economic expansion because if they only focus on economic recovery then they will not be able to enhance quality of the air. Steps like putting a ban on diesel cars or electric buses will help in reducing pollution of the atmosphere. Governments should also put restrictions on setting up new factories near residential areas or commercial areas. They should also impose heavy taxes on factories that pollute a lot so that those facilities move elsewhere.
The Royal College of Physicians has launched a new report, “The Health of the Air,” which outlines many steps that the British Government should take in order to improve air quality and health. The summary recommends that the government should raise awareness of the health consequences of atmospheric pollution and encourage regular monitoring of those exposed to high levels.
Furthermore, the summary suggests that the U.K. should set legally binding targets for particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposure. The paper also recommends that local councils develop air pollution diffusion plans and ensure that they’re regularly monitored and, of course, evaluated.
Conclusion
Atmospheric pollution is a “silent killer.” With the number of life losses in the United Kingdom steadily rising, the time has come to take measures and get rid of its consequences on human health. We should halve air pollution and protect the British residents’ well-being.