Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the health effects of air pollution on the (a) heart and (b) cardiovascular system.

Public Health England (PHE) raises public and professional awareness of the impacts of air pollutants, particularly those related to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, by supporting activities that aim to change behaviour, such as the annual Clean Air Day; contributing to the health messages of the Daily Air Quality Index; and supporting masterclasses for public health professionals on air quality.

In addition, PHE releases briefings and toolkits, including the PHE, Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs and Local Government Association air quality briefing for Directors of Public Health; this can be accessed at the following link:

http://www.adph.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/6.3091_DEFRA_AirQualityGuide_9web.pdf