Killing us softly every day: why the UK must wise up on air quality | Yvonne Roberts

The news that almost all of us are breathing in unacceptable levels of pollution shows the government's complacencyIn these inflationary times when money is tight, are you preoccupied with rising - or dropping - house prices? First, take a deep breath. Or better still, don't. Last week, we learned that almost every home in the UK suffers from air pollution above the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, according to the most detailed map of dirty air to date. Using the excellent addresspollution.org to check pollution levels at a click - produced by the Central Office of Public Interest (Copi), run by civic-minded creatives and makers of commercials - my house, or, rather, its position, minutes away from London's south circular, has a percentile rating of 96 relative to other UK addresses, exceeding WHO guidelines by an alarming three times.Those levels will be similar to those found in many areas in cities across the UK: the air that urbanites breathe can promote cancer, cause asthma, trigger bronchitis and kill. Living on fresh air begins to take on a wholly benevolent meaning. Continue reading...