National Clean Air Day – Thursday 20 June 2024: Theme “Together for Clean Air:”

National Clean Air Day – Thursday 20 June 2024: Theme “Together for Clean Air:”

Introduction: 

In the UK, air pollution is the largest environmental risk to public health. Clean Air Day is a global, annual, air pollution campaign in the month of June. It encourages everyone to think about what they can do to help improve air quality. Clean Air Day is in its eighth year, and the central aim is to help drive a positive shift in public knowledge and action. Clean Air Day is a chance to find out more about air pollution, share information, and make the air cleaner and healthier for everyone.

Clean Air Day takes place on the third Thursday in June and is the UK’s largest air pollution campaign, engaging thousands of people at hundreds of events across the nation, and reaching millions more through the media.

The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Department is pleased to once again be supporting and promoting Clean Air Day.

Led in the UK by the charity ‘Global Action Plan’, the sustainability charity that co-ordinates Clean Air Day, the UK’s largest campaign on air pollution, Clean Air Day brings together communities, businesses, schools, Unions, campaign groups and other organisations plus the health sector to:

  • Improve public understanding of air pollution.
  • Build awareness of how air pollution affects people’s health.
  • Explain the easy actions we can all do to tackle air pollution, helping to protect the environment and peoples’ health.

In past years, around 4,000 organisations and hundreds of thousands of individuals have taken part in hundreds of events across the UK. The campaign previously generated more than 2000 media items, and 45,000 social media posts. 95% of people surveyed supported the view that air pollution should be a priority for the UK.

2023 Theme – “Clean up our air to look after your mind this Clean Air Day”

‘Global Action Plan’, importantly chose the 2023 ‘Clean Air Day’ campaign theme as “Clean up our air to look after your mind on Clean Air Day”, drawing attention to the growing evidence base that shows air pollution can impact on the mind and brain health. By supporting Clean Air Day and supporting the initiative’s aims every day, we are collectively driving forward the need for politicians to make the right radical decisions on improving air quality and reducing the risk of developing mental health and brain conditions.

Cleaning up the air is good for people in many ways: it not only benefits physical health and the environment but can also protect our mental and brain health. The physical health impacts of air pollution – such as asthma, COPD, bronchitis, heart disease and cancers etc – have been recognised for decades. More recently, researchers are beginning to understand how air pollution can affect the brain and the mind.

People who breathe polluted air are more likely to develop mental health and brain conditions. Being exposed to air pollution is linked to mental health and brain conditions such as depression, anxiety and dementia. When a person breathes polluted air, small pollution particles can enter through the lungs, into the blood stream and can reach the brain.

2024 Theme – ‘Together for Clean Air:’

This year, Clean Air Day will be raising awareness that cars and vans are the biggest source of toxic chemicals (NOx) in our air and urging people to use their voices to call on

politicians to clean it up.

This year’s campaign will encourage people to visit the Clean Air Hub to:

  • Learn: find out more about how air pollution impacts our mental, physical and planet’s health.
  • Act: walk, wheel or use public transport to reduce your exposure and contribution to air pollution. If you drive, try leaving the car behind on Clean Air Day and one day every week.
  • Ask: get in touch with your local councillor to ask them to support clean air measures that make it easier for you to breathe clean air.

Air pollution harms the health of millions, but there are lots of simple things people and organisations can do to improve air quality and reduce our exposure to air pollution. Clean Air Day is a chance to raise awareness and find out more about air pollution (both indoor and outdoor), share information with friends, family, union members and work colleagues, and help to make the air cleaner and healthier for everyone.

According to official UK Government statistics, every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK.  The annual mortality of human-made air pollution in the UK is roughly equivalent to between 28,000 and 36,000 deaths every year. It is estimated that between 2017 and 2025 the total cost to the NHS and social care system of air pollutants (fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide), will be £1.6 billion.

The World Health Organisation and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today. Poor air quality causes heart and lung diseases, is linked to low birth weight and children’s lung development and may even contribute to mental health issues.

The World Health Organisation states that breathing cleaner air reduces the risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD.

Air pollution can harm every organ in the body and shorten lives, contribute towards chronic illness and put people more at risk from infections when polluted air is breathed in as it can inflame the lining of the lungs and move into the bloodstream, affecting every organ in the body. This can lead to lung disease, heart disease, dementia and strokes.

Global Action Plan is communicating the primary action of walking short trips instead of driving which is a great way to reconnect with the local community, breathe cleaner air, get some exercise and improve personal health. The charity is also promoting many other clean air actions this year. The prioritisation of walking enables focus on an action that can have major impact.

The ‘Clean Air Hub’ – Clean Air Day Information & Resources

A collection of everything you need to know about air pollution is in one place from the organising charity ‘Global Action Plan’. The basic facts on air pollution, health, the organiser’s ‘Clean Air Calculator’, suggestions on what you can do and a range of ‘Clean Air Day’ free resources for England, Scotland and Wales are available here on these links:

Workplace/Business Resources:

Also available to use on the organising charity ’Global Action Plan’ website is a collection of workplace resources to inspire workplaces to create cleaner air on and beyond Clean Air Day. Posters, leaflets, letters, texts, e-mail footer, pledge cards, ‘No-Idling’ leaflet, clean air travel, clean air travel choices, e-mail and intranet message, video conferencing background, press release, social media resources etc. These can be accessed at: https://www.cleanairday.org.uk/free-resources/workplace

The Clean Air & Pollution Calculator

The Air Pollution Calculator, brought to you by Global Action Plan. This tool enables you to calculate how your activity contributes to pollution levels and learn how you can make a difference for Clean Air Day 2023 and beyond: http://calculator.cleanairhub.org.uk/quiz

Air Pollution and Health Inequalities

Although air pollution can be harmful to everyone, some people are more affected because they live in a polluted area and are exposed to higher levels of air pollution. Big cities and towns experience greater pollution levels (particularly nitrogen dioxide). There’s more about air pollution & health inequalities on the ‘Clean Air Hub’: https://www.cleanairhub.org.uk/

Air pollution – a workplace issue 

Around 75 per cent of Union reps say that members are concerned about air pollution. This was one of the key findings of a survey of union reps that we carried out last year.

There is growing awareness of the harm caused by air pollution. Both the impact on our health but also the damage it is causing to the environment. Health impacts

In 2020, the inquest verdict following the tragic death of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah made legal history.  It was the first time that air pollution was recorded as a cause of death.

There is mounting evidence showing the devastating impact of air pollution. It harms our lungs, heart, brain and reproductive health. It also has lifelong impacts for children.

Worldwide it is estimated that nearly 9 million people die from air pollution related diseases each year. In Wales, Public Health Wales estimate it contributes to up to 1,400 deaths per year.

The link to climate change and nature loss.

Air pollution is closely linked to the issue of climate change. So by acting on air pollution, we can improve the health of workers and communities and help to tackle climate change.

The pollutants that contribute to air pollution are not necessarily greenhouse gases themselves. But the causes of air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions are often the same. Key sources of air pollution include transport, industrial processes and domestic burning. Air pollution also contributes to nature loss and damages ecosystems.

A workplace issue.

Work-related emissions (including work-related travel) make a large contribution to the problem. Air pollution is blighting communities. It is affecting the health of workers on their journeys to and from work. It also harms workers while they are at work (both those working indoors and out). It’s why tackling air pollution is a key priority for unions.

Trade unions in the UK have set up the Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN). TUCAN supports the call for workplace action. It has called for recognition of air pollution as an occupational health emergency. It has produced a charter and guidance for reps.

The Welsh Government’s Clean Air (Wales) Bill.

In Wales, the Wales TUC has welcomed the Welsh Government’s proposed new clean air legislation. We want to see this tackle the problem of air pollution, protect workers and provide better air quality for all. The proposal to adopt WHO guidelines on air quality and evidence-based targets is welcomed. A ‘just transition’ approach in all aspects of the Bill is needed. Particularly where clean air proposals may have implications for jobs or employment. There’s a need to ensure fairness so that workers on lower incomes are not unfairly impacted by the implementation of proposed measures. There’s a need for better access to air quality monitoring equipment and data. Mobile monitoring equipment should be made available for trade union reps who wish to carry out workplace air quality monitoring. There needs to be a more coordinated approach to enforcement. Resources need to be put into enforcement and for inspection/enforcement officers to routinely speak to trade union reps as part of workplace inspections. Theres also issues facing some of the most vulnerable workers, such as those in ‘drive-throughs’. Statutory guidance for private, public and third sector employers is welcomed but these proposals to be strengthened and expanded in scope. A key principle underlying the guidance should be that employers should work jointly with trade unions in developing measures to tackle air pollution. The guidelines should reflect TUCAN best practice and employers should be asked to publish air pollution risk assessments and work jointly with trade unions to develop workplace clean.

Air Pollution Monitoring Equipment – Offer to CWU Health and Safety Reps

The Greener Jobs Alliance (GJC) and Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) jointly took a share in the procurement of air pollution monitoring equipment with Global Action Plan (GAP). The Personal Aerosol Monitor is a miniature battery-operated laser photometer that measures airborne particle mass concentration in units of milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3). The equipment can measure to particulate matter of pm 2.5. TUCAN/GJA/GAP will loan the kit out to workplaces to support Trade Union Health and Safety Reps with workplace air pollution monitoring. Any CWU Health and Safety Rep interested in a loan of the equipment for a couple of weeks can email Janet Newsham (Chair Hazards Campaign & TUCAN) and Janet will schedule a time for you to use the equipment and from there hopefully produce some reliable, quotable, statistical evidence.

Contact details: Janet Newsham Chair Hazards Campaign/TUCAN

Email: janet@gmhazards.org.uk

Mob: 07734317158

 Greener Jobs Alliance (GJA) and Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) Newsletters.

The latest editions of the GJA and TUCAN Newsletters have been circulated attached via Letters To Branches.

TUCAN (Trade Union Clean Air Network) new Workers Guide to action on indoor workplace air pollution:

TUCAN (Trade Union Clean Air Network) and Greener Jobs Alliance both part of the UK Hazards Campaign,  have produced a new Workers Guide to action on indoor workplace air pollution:

The UK Hazards Campaign will be working across the UK, campaigning on how the climate crisis is making their work unsafe and unhealthy putting lives and livelihoods in jeopardy.  A climate crisis that is doubly impacting on workers lives by creating suffocating and deadly air.

In the UK more than 40,000 people a year will die as a result of air pollution. And it’s not just about traffic fumes but workers are exposed to toxic indoor air as well. The guide provides workers with concrete actions they can take to work with their employers to reduce the air pollution they are exposed to.

“No-one should be exposed to polluted air, be injured, develop occupational diseases or die because of work.  The vast majority of these are foreseeable and preventable.  Workplace harm is a blight on our society and for our families and loved ones.”

The Hazards Campaign calls for more urgent action to ensure that workers are not exposed to unsafe and polluted air inside and outside the workplace.

The Workers Guide provides detailed information on what employers should be doing to prevent exposure to polluted air, how ventilation and air filtration can be improved, practical actions which show what workers are being exposed to, and finally what actions workers can take to clean the air and reduce pollution at work.

‘We make the invisible visible through air monitoring and then put in place solutions to reduce pollutants and clean the air.  This is a win win situation because, healthier workers have reduced sickness and absence, there is less disruption to services and production and it helps towards achieving net zero carbon targets.’

A copy of the guide is attached:

For more information Please see:

  1. https://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/The-Whole-story-2024.pdf
  2. https://greenerjobsalliance.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Workers-Guide-to-action-on-indoor-workplace-air-pollution-WEBSITE.pdf
  3. https://www.hazards.org/climate/badclimate.htm
  4. https://gmhazards.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/International-Workers-Memorial-Day-general-circular-2024.pdf

 Wales TUC – Greener Workplaces Toolkit For Union Reps (Written BY Graham Petersen)

The aim of this toolkit is to provide information to help union officers and reps who want to take action on the climate emergency and negotiate for greener and fairer workplaces. It is designed to support the voice of workers and their unions. It provides information, tools and ideas to help union reps to campaign, organise and raise awareness. It also includes negotiating and bargaining checklists on different areas of workplace sustainability. It aims to ensure that workers, through their unions, have a central voice in the changes that will be needed in every workplace to ensure a just transition to a greener and fairer workplace can be achieved. The resources in this booklet are designed to be used on TUC and union training courses, as well as to support green action. Link to Toolkit: https://www.tuc.org.uk/greener-workplaces-just-transition-wales-tuc-toolkit-trade-unionists

‘Air Pollution’ (Asthma and Lung UK) 

Asthma and Lung UK (formerly Asthma UK the British Lung Foundation) are appealing for personal and organisational help in promoting their campaign. They say “Air pollution is a health emergency. Across the UK it is at lethal levels and too little is being done to tackle it.”

The two campaigning charities point out the following:

  • 36,000 early deaths attributed to air pollution every year in the UK.
  • 1 in every 5 people will have a lung condition in their lifetime.
  • 4 million people in the UK living with asthma.
  • In the UK, respiratory care simply isn’t good enough.
  • NHS hospital admissions for lung conditions are rising three times faster than average admissions.
  • Lung disease is now the third most common cause of death, costing the NHS more than £9 billion every year. So this issue needs to be at the top of the health agenda.
  • People living with lung conditions are often overlooked and being left behind. Their condition isn’t accurately diagnosed at an early stage – and even when they are diagnosed, they’re not given the care they need.

Asthma and Lung UK have launched a new strategy, committing to transform the nation’s lung health by challenging misconceptions about lung conditions, driving greater investment in respiratory research, and campaigning for cleaner air and better care for people with lung conditions such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The charity, which supports the 12 million people in the UK who will have a lung condition in their lifetime through its helpline, support groups, tailored website health advice and campaigning and research work, now has a new name and logo. The two former lung charities have come together to create one organisation fighting for people’s right to breathe. Asthma and Lung UK says its new strategy and brand is urgently needed to shine a spotlight on the ‘shameful’ state of the UK’s lung health.

There are a number of resources which can be used to raise awareness about the campaign on their excellent website at the following link: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/

NHS/Health Education England E-Learning on Air Pollution

On this excellent website is a bite-sized session to give health and care professionals an overview of air pollution – including key evidence, data and signposting to trusted resources to help prevent illness, protect health and promote wellbeing:

https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/Component/Details/603166

Clean Air Day Events – Health expert spokespeople available for media and events

The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change (UKHACC) Ambassadors Spokesperson Network is a volunteer group of healthcare providers who are trained and ready to speak to the media on the health impacts of the air quality crisis. The spokespeople cover a wide range of professions, including doctors, nurses, general practitioners, mental health professionals and more. They also include leaders in their field, including chairs, directors and sustainability leads of medical royal colleges and associations. The membership of the organisations that make up UKHACC totals around 1 million UK healthcare workers. You canBook a Speaker by emailing: 

tom@climateacceptancestudios.com

How Londoners can support Clean Air Day

This Clean Air Day, Global Action Plan are asking Londoners and Clean Air Day Supporters to get their local leaders and local councillors to support clean air plans and policies to clean up London’s air and make it easier to breathe clean air – whether that’s reducing the most polluting vehicles (such as the Ultra-Low Emission Zones), or enabling more people to walk, cycle or take public transport. Help spread the word and get Londoners to ask their local councillors to support solutions – like the Ultra-Low Emission Zone expansion – that make it easier to breathe cleaner air. Spread the word and use the GAP Website Comms Packwith suggested copy and images to use in social media on Clean Air Day (15 June). Download the Communication Pack – How Londoners Can Help Support Clean Air Day:-

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oST-gtb8DAInmWk8TsPWGG6b69OkUEqe/edit

Ulez just the start and similar scheme needed for buildings, experts warn

Robin McKie Guardian Science editor wrote on Sunday 6 Aug 2023 that Lowering pollution produced by houses, offices and factories is just as crucial as tackling vehicle emissions! And that imposing strict controls on car exhausts will only partially improve the quality of air people breathe in the UK, scientists have said. New measures to counter emissions of nitrogen oxides and other air pollutants will also be needed for buildings, heating plants and many other domestic and industrial sources in future. (See full article attached).

Important Clean Air Websites:

 About The Charity ‘Global Action Plan’ – The Clean Air Day Organisers and Further Information:

‘Global Action Plan’ is an environmental charity working towards a green and thriving planet where everyone can enjoy happy and healthy lives within the Earth’s limits without ruining the Earth we depend on. They aim to help people live more sustainable lifestyles, make connections between what’s good for people and good for the planet, work with young people on reducing consumerism and increasing wellbeing, bring business and people together to work on a sustainable future and help young people develop the skills and knowledge to tackle environmental issues which is good for the planet and for everyone’s future too. They tackle the root causes of our climate and nature crises through research, campaigns and collective action that reconnect human and planetary health. GAP focuses on issues where the connection between the health of people and the planet is most tangible. This allows GAP to show the deep interrelationship and drive solutions that prioritise wellbeing for all. The Charity’s key focus issue is air pollution. ‘Global Action Plan’ are a UK Charity registered in England and Wales number 1026148, and in Scotland number SC041260.

 Further information:

Global Action Plan
201 Borough High Street
London SE1 1JA
Tel: 020 3817 7636
Email: team@globalactionplan.org.uk

Website: https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day

 Global Action Plan Links:-

Events Guide: – https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/files/cad_24_events_guide_final.pdf

Events Pack: – https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day

Resources: – https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day

Petition For Clean Air: – https://www.cleanairhub.org.uk/clean-air-day

 Attachments:

  • ‘Global Action Plan’ Graphics/Posters/Resources
  • ‘Global Action Plan’ Events Guide
  • TUCAN Air Pollution Guidance for Trade Union Reps
  • TUCAN/GJA/Hazards – Air Pollution, Toxic and Hazardous Substances ppt Slides presentation.

 Note: The information and resources in this LTB and attachments are to raise awareness and for ongoing reference, information and support beyond the Clean Air Day focal point which is organised to help build widespread, long- erm support for environmental clean air initiatives. It’s not just for one day!

Yours Sincerely,

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety and Environment Officer

LTB 197-24 – National Clean Air Day – Thursday 20 June 2024 Theme Together for Clean Air

10.3.21 Air pollution + chemical exposure Clean Air Day 24 Events Guide

TUCAN-Workers-Guide-to-action-on-indoor-workplace-air-pollution

Ulez just the start and similar scheme needed for buildings – Guardian 6 Aug 23

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