Islington GPs to advise patients about air pollution in first-of-its-kind health project

This Car-Free Open Space will become a mini-woodland named Islington Forest for Change. Photograph: Islington Clean Air Parents

GPs in Islington will give patients advice about air quality in a first-of-its-kind project designed to combat the effects of pollution on health.

Islington Council won government funding to train doctors in giving advice about air quality and the importance of cutting down on pollution.

Training was delayed as GPs battled against the Omicron variant, but it is hoped it can get underway this month.

The scheme will run until the end of the year and will see similar projects developed nationally.

Whilst air pollution has been going down thanks to increased green measures such as low emission zones, Islington does not meet the revised World Health Organisation targets.

Islington’s environmental pollution manager Andrew Ford said nitrogen dioxide from cars has gone down and air pollution has dropped – with higher rates along main roads including Holloway, Angel and Pentonville roads when they were measured in 2019.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone and work with bus companies should see some changes, he said.

However, rates of small particulate matter (PM) 10 and 2.5 are also high, as they are across the capital.

It comes after Islington Clean Air Parents shared their concerns about the health impacts of poor air quality at the environment and regeneration scrutiny committee.

Lucy Facer asked councillors to do an exercise by speeding up their breaths to experience the breathing pace of infants.

She said it “makes them more vulnerable to pollution”.

“Air pollution is the invisible killer,” said Facer, with 72 people in Islington dying last year from illnesses linked to air pollution.

She added: “We got involved because we were desperately worried about what’s happened to our children.”

The group has worked with the council on a toolkit for schools to reduce air pollution nearby and also spearheaded Islington’s Forest for Change, which will see 200 new trees planted in the borough.

Last month, vulnerable people who suffer from asthma and other respiratory illnesses in London were warned to avoid doing strenous exercise outside because of high pollution.

Facer said: “Why are we not telling people not to drive? My daughter’s school stopped games that day, they didn’t play outside. I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.”

Cllr Caroline Russell (Green) asked: “Will GPs be giving out messages about not driving on high pollution days or will they simpy be explaining to people about how to protect their health?”

She added: “I think the council could really influence [behaviour] as it is really important from a public health perspective that it’s not simply saying to people ‘Don’t go outside’.”

She explained that the benefits of physical activity are greater than the disbenefits of breathing in polluted air, for most people in London.

Ford said that could be included in the project.