Hospital admissions in the under 3s in Manchester have risen by a third
Members of Manchester Mums for Lungs at the Our Manchester Our Air event.
Image: Sarah Pull
We've uncovered a 33 per cent increase in the number of babies and toddlers admitted to Manchester hospitals with breathing problems between 2023 and 2024.
Mayor Andy Burnham and city councillors are failing to get air pollution under legal levels, contributing to an epidemic of serious lung problems and respiratory illnesses.
New figures obtained by us under the Freedom of Information Act show that in the last two years, nearly 8,500 children were admitted to the specialist paediatric respiratory services at Manchester University Foundation NHS Trust or seen as outpatients.
The most up-to-date verified figures from DEFRA’s Air Quality Compliance Hub show that Manchester has the worst air pollution levels in the country. The annual limit set by the Government for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) is 40μg m⁻³ , while Manchester’s was 55 μg m⁻³.
“Air pollution affects us from before birth through to old age, with children particularly at risk as they are growing and developing. I often see kids with these preventable illnesses and wish our leaders would take the action needed to address this.’”
Image taken from Mancunian Matters.
Levels of NO2 in Manchester have increased by 6 per cent since 2021, and it is the only local authority in exceedance of legal limits that is continuing to see an upward trajectory.
Road transport is the largest contributor to illegal levels of Greater Manchester’s air pollution, and it’s thought that air pollution contributes to 1 in 20 deaths each year in the region.
We are calling for the Mayor and local councils to take more action to reduce air pollution at source, including creating a strategy to reach the World Health Organization’s guideline levels, and a clear plan to phase out the most polluting diesel cars and vans in Manchester.
There are still 468,000 diesel cars, trucks and vans in Greater Manchester, and no clear plan to reduce the emissions from them.