[JURIST] UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes Baskut Tuncak [official profile] on Tuesday said [press release] that the UK must take steps to control exposure to pollution and toxic chemicals for all citizens but particularly children:

Air pollution plagues the UK. Children, women of reproductive age, the elderly and those of poor health are the most threatened by toxic air, with poorer communities often exposed at higher levels. Some 30-40,000 premature deaths per year are estimated for the UK, with over 9,000 in London alone. During my visit, London’s air pollution hit record highs. UK cities regularly exceed EU standards for air quality. Pediatricians refer to the present state of the impacts of pollution and contamination on children’s health as a “silent pandemic.”

This report comes at the end of a two week visit by invitation from the UK government. Tuncak listed a variety of factors that could aggravate the situation, highlighting Brexit.

Air pollution has been a focus in the UK in recent months but has been a persistent issue. In November the European Environment Agency reported the UK had one of the highest levels of premature deaths [JURIST report] from nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution in the EU. In the same month, the UK High Court ruled for ClientEarth [JURIST report], a law-based advocacy group, in its latest air pollution challenge against the UK government. In 2013 the UK Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that the government has been failing to meet EU air quality standards and reached out to the European Court of Justice for guidance.