Request ID: FOI-3091-2223 Date published: 14 March 2023
You asked
Can you provide me with the annual figures of deaths caused by the 'poor air quality' of London? Do you have figures for, for example, deaths in the years 2000, 2010, 2020, 2021, 2022? If so, these would be gratefully received.
We answered
Our Ref: FOI-3091-2223
Thank you for your request received on 21 February 2023 asking for information about deaths in London caused by poor air quality.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm we hold some of the information you require.
The statistic relating to 4,000 deaths is taken from the following report:
https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/london_health_burden_of_current_air_pollution_and_future_health_benefits_of_mayoral_air_quality_policies_january2020.pdf The report was commissioned by City Hall and undertaken by Imperial College and it is based on the report finding that ‘in 2019, in Greater London, the equivalent of between 3,600 to 4,100 deaths were estimated to be attributable to air pollution, considering that health effects exist even at very low levels. This calculation is for deaths from all causes including respiratory, lung cancer and cardiovascular deaths’. The report goes into detail as to how the statistic was calculated and provides a breakdown by borough in the summary tables.
The forecast number of deaths that would be prevented by London-wide ULEZ is set out in Chapter 6.2 of the Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA). You may also want to look at the Air Quality Health Impact Assessment (AQHIA) which can be found in Appendix A of the IIA: