More than half of London’s NHS hospitals and health centres are smothered in air pollution that is above legal limits, says a new report published by King’s College London and the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change.
The report states that University College Hospital in Fitzrovia is surrounded by air that is double the legal level for the pollutant nitrogen dioxide and ranks as the tenth most polluted NHS site in London.
A nearby clinic at the Portland Hospital is even worse off and ranks at number four in the league table of health centres surrounded by unhealthy air.
“This new finding should not put people off coming to hospitals, but it does show that across London air pollution is a major problem requiring immediate action,” says the BMJ.
Report: Castres Pauline, Dajnak David, Lott Melissa, Watts Nick. Most London hospitals and clinics exceed air pollution limits BMJ 2017; 357 :j2855.