Group items tagged

As Chair of the Council of Healthcare Professionals at Asthma + Lung UK, I'm deeply concerned about the invisible threat of air pollution on the health of our communities. It's a crisis that disproportionately affects the most disadvantaged, exacerbating health inequalities. Shockingly, for every 100 people who die from asthma in the UK, 31 are from the most deprived areas, compared to only 12 from the least. Studies have shown that the most economically disadvantaged are often those worst affected by air pollution, particularly because they often live near busy roads and yet are least likely to own a car. Wherever we live, the chance of breathing air that exceeds the World Health Organization's recommended pollution limits is alarmingly high. For the millions of Brits with lung conditions like asthma and COPD breathing in toxic air can harm their health and quality of life. Exposure to air pollution is directly linked to respiratory symptoms, hospitalisations, and the likelihood of developing respiratory diseases, even shortening life expectancy. Yet many people remain unaware of how much polluted air affects them. Often the first point of contact in healthcare, community pharmacists are well positioned to educate patients, especially those in polluted areas, about the impact of air pollution on their health.

Otrivine brings the world's first air-purifying "Air Bubble" to Glasgow in a bid to raise awareness of the devastating effect of air pollution on children's health. Air pollution is considered the world's largest environmental health threat, with 93 per cent of children breathing polluted air every day according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Air Bubble, launched to help bring this invisible crisis to the top of the agenda, is an educational architecture, using biotechnology to purify the air. The nose is one of our first lines of defence when it comes to filtering out particle pollutants from the air we breathe. As a world leader in nasal health, Otrivine is demonstrating how innovative nature-based technology can expand the functionality of our nose to 'clean' the air we breathe in polluted urban environments.