People living in Salford are more likely to be admitted to hospital or die from a lung condition than just about anywhere else in England, according to new research.
Salford has the second worst rate in England, with only Knowsley residents suffering more. Eight of the 10 worst areas in the country are in the North West.
The charity, Asthma and Lung UK, looked at deaths and hospital admissions for people suffering conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition which is mostly caused by smoking.
Sarah Woolnough, chief executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “It’s appalling that people across the North West are struggling to breathe, are being rushed to hospital in an emergency and that so many are dying avoidably from their lung conditions. We know that people in more deprived areas are more likely to have worse lung health, often with no choice but to live in poorer quality housing, more polluted areas with higher smoking rates.”
Charity Mums for Lungs has been campaigning in Salford ahead of the local elections in May, asking for people to send postcards to the leaders of the four main parties, to show there is an urgent need for more to be done to combat air pollution.
Liz Godfrey, Manchester coordinator for Mums for Lungs, said: “As a result of breathing this toxic air, we have some of the highest rates of hospital admissions for childhood asthma in the country and over 1,200 people die prematurely in Greater Manchester every year.
“All 10 regions in Greater Manchester have annual rates of air pollution above legal limits and it is the people living in some of the poorest and worst affected boroughs in the city, close to main arterial roads who are suffering the most. We need to start putting measures in place which will actually make a tangible difference to vehicle emissions in Manchester. Only then can we create a city where residents can walk, scoot or cycle without breathing in poisonous air which risks permanently damaging our bodies.”
Asthma + Lung UK says that despite the tireless work of NHS doctors and nurses, levels of basic care for people with lung conditions is patchy. The reasons for such high rates of emergency admissions and deaths in some areas are likely due to health inequalities.
Asthma + Lung UK can provide help and support to anyone worried about any lung symptoms or lung condition on the Helpline 0300 222 5800 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) or the website, which has vital health information on topics such as managing COPD, and health advice about asthma.
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