Air pollution and your health

Planning how you travel to work or school is a great opportunity to help reduce air pollution.

Active travel by walking, wheeling and cycling reduces air pollution and can also improve your general fitness and mental health. It also helps create a better environment for those around you. Research has found that children who travel actively to school breathing clean air learn better.

Public transport is generally better for the environment than using a car. If you need to use a car, try to choose the least polluting vehicle you can, drive carefully, and support government initiatives such as low emission zones that improve the air for all. Spending extended periods of time inside cars can also be bad for your health - try to limit the amount of time you spend in vehicles if you can.

Useful links:

• School streets are streets which temporarily restrict motor traffic around schools at drop-off and pick-up times, allowing children to walk, cycle or scoot more safely to school
• Plan your route to school using the Cleaner Air Route for London.
• Find out how you can adjust the time when you travel, which could have significant benefits
• Find more ways to protect yourself and your family when you are out and about

Cooking at home is generally the cheapest and healthiest option. It’s important to make sure your home is well ventilated when you cook. Use windows, doors and an effective extractor fan to reduce smoke and fumes. Frying generally produces the most pollution and cooking with gas can produce additional toxic substances. Try to opt for induction or electric hobs and cookers if you can.

• Find out more about gas cooking
• Read more about clean air for kitchens

Mould can be dangerous and exacerbate health conditions.

Awaab Ishak, a two-year old child died in December 2020 because of a severe respiratory condition. In 2022, a coroner at Rochdale coroner's court ruled that this was caused by prolonged exposure to black mould in his home. To help families in certain types of rental accommodation Awaabs Law came into effect in October 2025.

Mould can be prevented with good ventilation, a warm home and avoiding humidity and condensation, but it can be difficult to deal with and may need professional help.

• Indoor air guidance from Asthma and Lung UK
• Information on condensation, damp and mould from the Centre for Sustainable Energy

A warm, well insulated and ventilated home is a healthy home. Most forms of central heating, if regularly serviced, are safe, but wood or coal burning stoves are not.

Lighting fires in our homes is one of the largest sources of small particle air pollution in the UK. Wood burners have become increasingly popular in recent years, as a way of creating a "cosy" atmosphere as well as false perceptions that they are greener or cheaper sources of heat.

Burning wood creates pollution inside and outside the home, which is dangerous for our health and the environment. Many people are unaware of the negative impacts of wood burning, even when using the most “eco-friendly” stoves or “ready to burn” wood. Evidence shows that it tends to be the wealthiest who use wood burners in cities – yet everyone, including the most vulnerable, experiences the consequences in neighbouring homes and communities.

• Information on how using a wood burning stove harms your health
• Information about why wood burners are associated with worse lung function

The best advice is not to buy one and if you have one already only use it if you have no other way to stay warm.

If you wish to discuss any of this in more detail you can speak to your GOSH clinician, GP, or contact the GOSH PALS.

Other research:

• An Air Pollution Companion from the Royal College Of Paediatrics and Child Health
• A Breath of Fresh Air report 2025 from the Royal College of Physicians (for an authoritative deep dive)
• Institute of Health Visitors resources