By Phil Clarke
LONDON — Britain is experiencing the world's worst ever asthma epidemic as high summer temperatures smother big cities in petrochemical smog and ozone. The epidemic began after violent thunderstorms on June 24; at its height, hospitals were inundated with people suffering breathing problems and ran out of the asthma-relieving drug Salbutamol. One doctor described the effect of the epidemic on medical services as "the equivalent of every major hospital having to cope with an air crash".
The epidemic is similar, but on a much larger scale, to those which occurred once in Birmingham and twice in Melbourne during the 1980s. As afternoon temperatures soared to 35 degrees, high levels of ultra-violet radiation interacted with fumes from car exhausts to produce a Los Angeles-style smog, including poisonous ozone and benzene concentrations. At least 200 deaths have been caused by the smog.
The asthma epidemic is just one part of the sustained growth of respiratory disease in Britain. One in seven British children now has asthma — one of the preventable diseases growing throughout the advanced countries. Its development in Britain is associated not with pollution in general, but with the benzene and nitrogen dioxide emissions from cars in particular.
Ninety-four per cent of benzenes come from car emissions, as does 75% of nitrogen dioxide. The privatisation of bus services and the impending privatisation of British Rail are forcing a run-down in the country's public transport system, with a consequent growth in the number of private cars. Britain's 57 million population now owns 30 million cars, a trend which is being propelled by the government's huge road building program.
During the asthma epidemic, the department of the environment declared that air quality was "good" and the ozone levels "low". Roger Higman, air pollution campaigner at Friends of the Earth, commented: "Whoever heard of a level five times higher than the recommended average being described as 'low'? If [the government's] own advisers say pollution over a certain level causes health risks, it should warn people and not disguise the facts".
No government warnings about the danger of melanoma and other skin cancers has been issued during the warm weather.