On Wednesday, the UK's highest appeal court ruled that the government has breached European Union air quality laws by failing to reduce pollutants, and now faces EU fines of more than £300 million a year.
In today's guest blog, meteorologist and weather forecaster Clare Nasir says the government needs to act fast to save lives.
What do you think - do you worry about air quality, or does it never cross your mind? Did you know that so many lives are lost through air pollution? Tell us here on the thread, and if you blog on this, don't forget to post your URL.
"I became an ambassador for the Healthy Air Campaign when my daughter was a year old. She'd been born 8 weeks prematurely, and suffered from breathing issues. As a new mother, I was horrified by what I discovered about the effects of poor air quality -  a serious public health risk that the government has tried to sweep under the carpet, until yesterday's Supreme Court ruling that they have failed to protect our health from air pollution.
In the UK, air pollution, mostly produced from traffic fumes, causes three times more deaths than the likes of obesity or alcohol. The figure is a staggering 29,000 people a year. The levels of air pollution in many parts of the UK are illegal, and some large cities such as London, Glasgow Manchester and Birmingham have levels of pollution two or three times the legal limit set by the EU, based on guidance from the World Health Organisation.
Exposure to dirty air over a long period of time causes heart attacks, strokes and respiratory disease. Even the healthiest amongst us are at risk. Taking a stroll close to a busy road, shopping in town, cycling to work or spending time in a city park exposes you to all types of pollutants. Terrifyingly, it's an invisible threat that can take years to manifest.
Even worse there is strong evidence that children living near busy roads grow up with underdeveloped lungs - children are particularly vulnerable to the health effects of air pollution, which makes the government's failure to act even more unacceptable.
This isn't new information, after all - back in 2010, a parliamentary report published all the finer details, which should have been a loud wake up call. But unlike other campaigns such the Department of Health's Stop Smoking, there hasn't been a big public awareness agenda to inform of this killer health issue.
After my daughter's first two stressful months in hospital, she was discharged. I started to relax into motherhood and felt elated to be a 'normal mum', walking in our local area with Sienna in her new pram. We'd often head out to the parks in North London -  but to get there I'd find myself walking along a part of the busy A1. Â
Once I realised quite how vulnerable my daughter's brand new respiratory system was to all the nasties in the air, I started to search out alternative routes - but it's hard to avoid busy roads in London. I was shocked that, in all the advice offered to new parents, no-one had pointed out the dangers of air pollution.  At 18 months, Sienna was using an inhaler every day.
My Grandmother always said that she felt that prams and pushchairs today are scarily close to the ground - and all the awful stuff that is spewed from exhausts -Â compared to those in her day.
She could vividly remember bringing up two children in London before the Clean Air Act of 1956, their mouths and noses being caked with soot some mornings. But today's pollution, being invisible, is simply not considered by most parents.
We were lucky - we moved to Cheshire when Sienna was two and a half, and now live on the outskirts of a town.  I've really noticed the effect on her health - the inhaler comes out far less often, and it's no longer something that weighs on my mind as I go out of the door.
But I'm very aware that we can't all move out of the cities, and that's why I'm thrilled at yesterday's Supreme Court declaration that those in power had indeed failed in their duty to protect the British people from the harmful effects of air pollution.
But to ensure that the government acts and acts fast, we need people to speak out to demand a cleaner environment for our families. I want my child to step out of the house tomorrow and be able to breathe easy, whether she is in the countryside or the centre of Manchester.
We want parents to be heard by government, demanding cleaner air for our families. Sign up to the Healthy Air Campaign, or get in touch to find out what you can do to get involved."
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Guest blog: UK air pollution leads to 29,000 premature deaths a year - it's time to act
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KateMumsnet · 03/05/2013 10:40
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