A study shows that the impact of air pollution on GP and A&E workloads may be greater than previously thought. Put another way, improving air quality could ease pressure on the NHS.

Researchers compared the timing of 114,930 GP and 9,878 A&E respiratory visits in Bradford with air pollution measured around the city. Polluted days were followed by increased health service use for breathing problems, with impacts persisting for more than 100 days.

A third of GP and half of A&E respiratory visits were attributed to nitrogen dioxide that was above World Health Organization (WHO) daily guidelines. This pollutant mainly comes from diesel vehicles and was estimated to cost the NHS in Bradford about £1.95m over the four-year study. There is also the hidden cost of time away from work and lost education, as well as the way that illness affects people’s lives.