“The national limits for Particulate Matter are set at a level far higher than the WHO…”
Dated 20 Apr 2021, from the coroner for Inner South London. Sent to 13 organisations or people.
A coroner wrote this report after an inquest, to warn the organisations below about a risk of further deaths.
The 56-day response deadline
Deadline passedReplies were due by 15 Jun 2021. A reply may have been sent and not yet published.
Organisations that receive a report must reply to the coroner within 56 days, saying what they will do or why they will do nothing. We show whether a response is published on judiciary.uk.
- Report dated20 Apr 2021
- Deadline15 Jun 2021
- Published on judiciary.uk21 Apr 2021
- Today23 Oct 2026
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Responses from each recipient
| Sent to | Response |
|---|---|
| Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Response published, not yet matchedA response is published with this report. We haven’t yet matched it to the organisation it’s from, so it may be this one’s. |
| Department for Transport | Response published, not yet matchedA response is published with this report. We haven’t yet matched it to the organisation it’s from, so it may be this one’s. |
| Department of Health and Social Care | Response published, not yet matchedA response is published with this report. We haven’t yet matched it to the organisation it’s from, so it may be this one’s. |
| Mayor of London | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| London Borough of Lewisham | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| General Medical Council | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| Health Education England | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| Nursing and Midwifery Council | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| Royal College of Physicians | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| Royal College of General Practitioners | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| National Institute for Health and Care Excellence | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
| British Thoracic Society | Response publishedPublished on judiciary.uk in April 2021. |
Some responses were published as scans, so their text was read automatically. Check the wording against the original before you quote it.
The coroner’s concerns
– (1) The national limits for Particulate Matter are set at a level far higher than the WHO guidelines. The evidence at the inquest was that there is no safe level for Particulate Matter and that the WHO guidelines should be seen as minimum requirements. Legally binding targets based on WHO guidelines would reduce the number of deaths from air pollution in the UK. (2) There is a low public awareness of the sources of information (such as UK-Air website) about national and local pollution levels. Greater awareness would help individuals reduce their personal exposure to air pollution. It was clear from the evidence at the inquest that publicising this information is an issue that needs to be addressed by national as well as local government. The information must be sufficiently detailed and this is likely to require enlargement of the capacity to monitor air quality, for example by increasing the number of air quality sensors. (3) The adverse effects of air pollution on health are not being sufficiently communicated to patients and their carers by medical and nursing professionals. The evidence at the inquest was that this needs to be addressed at three levels: a. Undergraduate. I am informed that undergraduate teaching is the responsibility of the GMC, Health Education England and the NMC. b. Postgraduate. I am informed that postgraduate education is the responsibility of the Royal Colleges, in this case the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and the NMC. c. Professional guidance. In this case relevant organisations are NICE and the British Thoracic Society.
An extract. Read the full report, including the circumstances of the death, on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary website.
- Source
- judiciary.uk, Prevention of Future Deaths reports, 2021-0113
- Added to Minute Book
- 8 Oct 2026
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- We show short extracts and link to the original. We don’t host the full report.
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, judiciary.uk. Open Government Licence v3.0
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