Episode 107: The heart of the matter: air quality beyond the lungs.

In this episode of the RCP Medicine Podcast, respiratory consultant and clinical lead for environmental sustainability Dr Thom Daniels joins host Dr David Charles to explore why air quality should be treated as a core clinical issue rather than a distant environmental concern. Drawing on landmark coroner’s cases, including the deaths of Ella Adoo Kissi Debrah and Awaab Ishak, they examine how outdoor and indoor pollution contribute to asthma, COPD, cardiovascular disease, stroke, dementia and health inequalities across the life course. The discussion covers practical ways to ask about air quality in consultations, from unexplained coughs to secondary prevention clinics, and sets out simple, evidence informed advice clinicians can offer to patients. They also consider policy and global perspectives, racial and social justice dimensions, and how clinicians can support patients who feel fatalistic about the environment.

Resources 

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/policy-and-campaigns/policy-documents/a-breath-of-fresh-air-responding-to-the-health-challenges-of-modern-air-pollution/ 

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/news-and-media/news-and-opinion/air-pollution-linked-to-30-000-uk-deaths-in-2025-and-costs-the-economy-and-nhs-billions-warns-royal-college-of-physicians/

https://www.rcp.ac.uk/media/5r2kmmi4/rcp-full-report-a-breath-of-fresh-air-responding-to-the-health-challenges-of-modern-air-pollution.pdf

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