It doesn’t have to be International Women’s Day to post about issues affecting half of the world’s population - though we’ve been guilty of that ourselves!
After our first blog on this topic, we have spotted a few new studies on the impact on women, but nothing all-encompassing:
a new study has looked at the link between menstrual cycles and exposure to air pollution
this article points out that prolonged exposure to air pollution could impact hormone levels during menopause
this study shows that there may be an association between air pollution and polycystic ovary syndrome, although it is not conclusive
similarly, there may be some link to endometriosis (as a result of pollutants disrupting hormones), but more study is needed
and finally, this slightly older study looks specifically at the risk around breast cancer from exposure to particulate matter.
What do they have in common? Well, disruption of hormones seems to be a common thread. It is well known that diseases and conditions affecting women are under-explored in the medical field. Perhaps more focus on women would also bring even more urgent evidence for addressing air pollution to improve public health.
But it is not just the physiological side that we need to take into account. As we set out in our last blog and Clean Air Fund have also summarised, different lifestyles for women (on average) could mean more or less exposure to air pollution. For example, some recent evidence was presented at a conference that Louise spoke at last month - this shows that women are more likely to walk or take the bus and less likely to cycle (see the last 5 minutes or so of the talk). Cycling is arguably one of the best forms of transport to limit air pollution exposure, so lower uptake amongst women is a concern.
So what is being done? Inevitably, the answer is not enough. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has called for a much greater focus on air pollution’s impact on women. Let’s hope more strong voices join them.
Clean Air Day is around the corner!
It’s just a week away! Global Action Plan are asking everyone to write to their MP to demand action on air pollution. Louise will be joining their walk next Thursday morning from Great Ormond Street Hospital to Parliament where health professionals will be demanding action.
Any health professionals reading this blog can sign the open letter. And on Clean Air Day itself, it is anticipated that the Royal College of Physicians will launch a new report on the health challenges of air pollution, an update to their influential 2016 report Every Breath We Take.
But will it be an actual Clean Air Day? We’ll be keeping an eye on our and other monitors and hope we don’t see more of the shocking recent readings! Right next to our monitor, there is a great climate adaptation event taking place on 19th - if you’re local, join to ask about action on clean air!