London’s air quality has led to 1,700 asthma and serious lung hospital admissions, a new study has shown.

Action must be taken to tackle London’s “toxic air” and its impacts on the health of the capital, according to an Imperial College London study.

Poor air quality caused seven per cent of asthma admissions among children in London, the research found.

London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has insisted urgent action is needed in order to prevent damage to young children and the elderly.

He said: “London’s toxic air is damaging people’s health, which is leading to many hospitalisations.

“This new analysis is another stark reminder that air pollution is damaging the health of Londoners right across our city, and that we must do everything possible to protect children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions from our filthy air.

“We have already made great progress in London in cutting air pollution and carbon emissions, but there’s clearly a long way to go and we can’t put off further action to protect the health of Londoners.”

Of 322 care homes in London in 2019, 87 per cent are also in areas exceeding the World Health Organisation’s fine particulate matter guidelines.

Although more action is needed to tackle air pollution, the study found improvements to air quality had reduced serious lung conditions and asthma by 30 per cent.

The largest improvement was among children under the age of 14 where between 2014 and 2016 where around 1,000 of those admitted to hospital with asthma.

From 2016 to 2019, air pollution admissions were reduced to 700 which is a 30 per cent reduction.

The introduction of Ultra Low Emission Zones and tightening of the Low Emission Zone standards is expected to cause a five per cent fall in CO2 emissions, a 30 per cent cut in toxic nitrogen oxide emissions and a 35 per cent cut in toxic fine particulate matter exhaust fumes.

Dr Heather Walton, from Imperial’s Environmental Research Group, and senior author of the report, concluded: “Air pollution continues to contribute to many hospital admissions for asthma and COPD in London but it is good to see that these hospital admissions have decreased from 2016 to 2019 as a result of air pollution reductions in London.

Story continues

“More policies to reduce air pollution in London should reduce these numbers further and reduce other health impacts of air pollution as well.”

Earlier this month, Mr Khan also convened leaders from national and local government as well as health experts and campaigners at London’s Clean Air and Health Summit to agree the next steps needed to tackle air pollution.

Professor Chris Whitty, Jo Churchill MP and Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah were among the attendees.

Ms Adoo-Kissi-Debrah’s nine year-old daughter Ella died in 2013 following an asthma attack and she was the first person in the UK to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.