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Impact type: Public Policy
Significance: The research provided evidence for formulation of government policies to ameliorate poor air quality, to which fine particulate matter (PM2.5), O3 and NO2 are the most important contributors; PM2.5 alone reduces average life expectancy in the UK by 6 months and costs £9bn-£20bn a year. The research has been incorporated into UK national guidance and policy-evidence documents for Defra, the Health Protection Agency, and the Environment Agencies.
Beneficiaries are the public and the environment.
Research; date; attribution: EaStCHEM research (1995-2011) (a) established reliable techniques to measure NO2 for a national protocol, and (b) quantified the impact of pollutant emissions on PM2.5 and O3 concentrations, and on hospital admissions and deaths. Heal (EaStCHEM) led the research and wrote, collaboratively in some cases, the reports and the work cited.
Reach: UK wide.
Poor air quality is an important public health issue especially in cities where traffic is the major source of pollution. It is estimated that 29,000 people die prematurely in the UK each year, and 310,000 in Europe, because of air pollution. King's research, based on the London Air Quality Network (LAQN), including emissions modelling and vehicle profiling, indicated that improvements in air quality could be achieved by restricting the entrance of specific vehicle classes into urban areas. These research outputs were utilised by the Mayor of London to introduce the Congestion Charging Scheme (CCS), from 2003 to the present, and the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ), from 2008 to the present. This research, together with King's ongoing evaluation of air quality and the impact of traffic control schemes in London, has created increasing international interest in this method of pollution control resulting in the adoption of similar interventions across Europe.
This case study is an illustrative example of the immediate and interim impact of our research with and for the organic waste industry. Specifically, it deals with effective management of the risk to the health of workers from exposure to bioaerosols. Led by Sykes, since 2006 a portfolio of research (both publicly available academic studies and confidential industrial reports) has been developed which led the Association for Organics Recycling (AfOR) to commission a technical guidance document for the composting industry in 2012. High-risk work activities and potential for harm to workers' health were identified, and recommendations on risk reduction strategies and good practice were made which have been endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive.
[Throughout this Impact Case Study, references to the underpinning research are numbered 1 to 6; sources to corroborate the impact are numbered 7 to 16.]
Research in health economics led by Dr Christopher Gerry has catalysed important changes in the university syllabus at state universities in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Croatia. Specifically, a 2011-2014 capacity-building teaching and research programme co-ordinated by Dr Gerry and funded by the Open Society Foundations has led to the introduction of health economics — a disciplinary field not previously well established in the region — at multiple universities within the region. Participants of the programme have subsequently incorporated health economics in their home institutions.
Research carried out at Newcastle has developed the understanding of the economic value of the risks to human life across a range of public services, especially transport and health. The model pioneered at Newcastle changed the way in which the risk to human life is calculated. Rather than simply calculating the loss of economic output as a result of injury or death, it takes into account individuals' `willingness to pay' in order to reduce mortality risk. The model has dominated the terms of UK policy discussion in areas in which safety is a central concern. The research has directly shaped the development of government policy and associated guidelines for a range of departments and organisations, particularly through its inclusion in the HM Treasury Green Book.
The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull and 2011 Grímsvötn eruptions in Iceland were stark reminders that global society is increasingly vulnerable to volcanic hazards. Research at the University of Leeds has shown that volcanic gases and airborne particles could be a significant health hazard to humans — potentially more fatal than seasonal `flu. Leeds scientists used computer models to demonstrate that a long-lasting, gas-rich eruption in Iceland could degrade air quality and lead to well over 100,000 deaths across Europe. In January 2012, the number of potential fatalities was used as evidence by the UK government for the decision to add large-magnitude effusive Icelandic eruptions to the UK National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies as a high priority risk with potentially widespread effects on health, agriculture and transport. Leeds researchers continue to advise the UK government on the mitigation of potential volcanic hazards through the Civil Contingencies Secretariat.
Dr Covey's research has focused on understanding the public perception of hazards and how this might feed through into their preferences for safety prioritisation. Her work at Durham has changed Government policies and has had significant impacts on how UK-wide investment decisions are made. It has saved the railway industry millions of pounds in unnecessary upgrade costs and placed a monetary value on the impact of air pollution on health for the first time. Her work has allowed the views of the public to be fed into decisions that could affect their own safety and has provided more accurate and robust figures for the valuation of safety.
Health inequalities are recognised as a critical UK policy issue with life expectancy gaps of up to 28 years between the least and most deprived areas. This case-study demonstrates how Durham University research has led to: (a) changing health service commissioning (with County Durham and Darlington Primary Care Trust [PCT]): (b) influencing NHS funding policy (by generating Parliamentary debate); as well as (c) contributing to the development of the new public health system in England and Wales (as part of the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post-2010 [Marmot Review]).
Working closely with scientists at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the University of Southampton has developed new methods for space-time modelling that have trebled the accuracy of air pollution forecasts. The USEPA has adopted the research as its official forecasting method to protect the American public and agriculture. More than 19 million children and 16 million adult Americans suffering from respiratory conditions such as asthma now benefit by being able to adjust their outdoor activities based on the forecasts, and improved data has fed into policy debates on carbon emission regulations. Success in the USA has led the EPSRC to fund a similar project in the UK and Australia's national science agency is using Southampton-developed software for its air pollution forecasts.
Research undertaken by Professor King and his research group on the political economy of public health has generated three types of impact: global media coverage; extensive debate among stakeholders and the general public; and influencing the political agenda.