Reductions in Nitrogen Dioxide and Particular Matter combined with fine weather during 2020 led to cleaner air conditions compared to previous five-year average
Oxford residents with asthma had fewer hospital stays during 2020 compared to the previous five-year average largely due to reductions in air pollution, new research has found.
The study, published in BMJ Open today investigated the link between acute asthma hospital admissions and specific air pollutant levels in Oxford in the UK during 2020, which saw two national COVID-19 lockdowns between March-June and November-December.
In 2020, levels of air pollution fell significantly, with different pollutants dropping by between 18-33% when compared to average values for the previous five-year period.
The OxAria study team, led by the University of Birmingham working with the University of Oxford, Oxfordshire County and City Councils and Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group* found that the falling pollution levels strongly correlated with lower rates of acute asthma care provision for adult residents in the four postcodes in Oxford city, falling from 78 per 100k residents in 2015-19, to 46 per 100k residents, a reduction of 41%.
This is an important study to help us better understand how demand for NHS inpatient care may change when air quality is improved.
Dr Suzanne Bartington, Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Birmingham and lead author of the study said:
“The impact of lockdowns on reductions in traffic and industry led to a unique situation where air quality significantly improved for a temporary period during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study shows that for Oxford, levels of major air pollutants including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter fell sharply on a background of ongoing improvements in recent years.
“The results of air pollution levels falling may have had an impact on the number of severe asthma cases that need acute hospital care, with 41% fewer hospital stays compared to the previous five-year average. Furthermore, we also identified a 4% increase in risk of asthma hospital admissions for every 1 μg m-3 increase in mean monthly NO2, and an approximately 3% increase in risk for every 1 μg m-3 increase in mean monthly PM2.5 levels.
“This is an important study to help us better understand how demand for NHS inpatient care may change when air quality is improved. Whereas previous studies on lockdown air pollution have focused on major cities in the UK such as London or Birmingham, Oxford is more typical of a smaller city or large town where many residents live.”
Councillor Nathan Ley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health, Inequalities and Community Safety, said:
“The pandemic was an awful period for so many, but it did give us a unique opportunity to study the impact of a reduction in traffic and other pollutants on people’s health, and as this study shows the results were significant. We must now use what we have learned, thanks to this research with our partners, to improve our environment, in line with the Clean Air Strategy which we launched last year."
“Elevated levels of nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5 and PM10 contribute towards heart disease, chronic lung disease, cancers, preterm births, and many other avoidable events. The vision of Oxfordshire County Council to tackle this issue remains clear. We must continue to use all the tools at our disposal to lead the country, clean up our air and save lives."
Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice, Oxford City Council, said:
“This is yet more evidence about the link between air pollution and the health of residents. It is therefore imperative that we continue to make the necessary changes to improve air quality across Oxford."
About the National Institute for Health and Care Research
The mission of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is to improve the health and wealth of the nation through research. We do this by:
NIHR is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care. Its work in low and middle income countries is principally funded through UK Aid from the UK government.
Natural Environment Research Council
NERC is the UK's main agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences. Our work covers the full range of atmospheric, Earth, biological, terrestrial and aquatic science, from the deep oceans to the upper atmosphere and from the poles to the equator. We coordinate some of the world's most exciting research projects, tackling major issues such as climate change, environmental influences on human health, the genetic make-up of life on Earth, and much more. NERC is part of UK Research & Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid from the UK government.
About Oxfordshire County Council
Oxfordshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for Oxfordshire. It provides a wide range of services, including education, libraries, youth services, social services, public health, highway maintenance, waste disposal, emergency planning, consumer protection and town and country planning for matters to do with minerals, waste, highways and education. Last June it launched its Air Quality Strategy 2023-2030 to improve air quality across the county and maintain a downward trajectory of air pollution.
About Oxford City Council
Oxford City Council is the democratically-elected local authority for Oxford.
In partnership with others, we provide a wide range of services – including planning, housing, community centres, parks and waste collection – for approximately 152,000 residents, 106,000 people who work in Oxford and the millions of people who visit our world-famous city every year.
We have set four key priorities, all of equal importance and all interconnected:
Our vision is to build a world-class city for everyone.
About the University of Oxford
Oxford University has been placed number 1 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the eighth year running, and number 3 in the QS World Rankings 2024. At the heart of this success are the twin-pillars of our ground-breaking research and innovation and our distinctive educational offer.
Oxford is world-famous for research and teaching excellence and home to some of the most talented people from across the globe. Our work helps the lives of millions, solving real-world problems through a huge network of partnerships and collaborations. The breadth and interdisciplinary nature of our research alongside our personalised approach to teaching sparks imaginative and inventive insights and solutions.
Through its research commercialisation arm, Oxford University Innovation, Oxford is the highest university patent filer in the UK and is ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, having created more than 300 new companies since 1988. Over a third of these companies have been created in the past five years. The university is a catalyst for prosperity in Oxfordshire and the United Kingdom, contributing £15.7 billion to the UK economy in 2018/19, and supports more than 28,000 full time jobs.
Clinical Associate Professor in Environmental Health
Staff profile for Dr Suzanne Bartington, Clinical Associate Professor in Environmental Health in the Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham.
Professor of Atmospheric Science
Staff profile for Professor Francis Pope. Francis is an environmental scientist with wide ranging interests in the atmospheric sciences, human health and sustainable cities. University of Birmingham
Senior Research Fellow
Student profile for Dr Ajit Singh, Research Fellow in the Institute of Applied Health Research at the University of Birmingham.
