GW4-Air

Outdoor air pollution leads to 36,000 deaths every year in the UK. However, Southwest England and Wales is disproportionately underrepresented for air quality monitoring facilities and capacities.  Household air pollution leads to around 3.2 million global deaths per year according to the WHO (2020). Although these deaths occur more in less developed countries where complicated indoor sources of pollution (e.g. solid fuel burning) exist, in recent years issues like mould, damp and indoor wood burning, have been increasingly reported in Southwest England and Wales, contributing to health symptoms and premature deaths. Meanwhile, Southwest England and Wales is a unique geographical area for air quality studies, with contrasting urban and rural lifestyles, inequality in socio-economic status, differing civil lifestyles and distinctive historical roots in Cornish and Welsh mining towns. To respond to the challenges of air quality and climate change in this unique geographical setting, this new GW4 interdisciplinary network brought together academics from built environment design, engineering, exposure science, citizen science, engagement, public health expertise, as well as engaging external partners.