WHEN you think about the impact air pollution has on the body, the first thing that probably springs to mind is lung disease.
But fast-growing evidence suggests dirty air can cause harm across the body.
In fact, the World Health Organisation estimates nearly seven million people die prematurely every year from a range of conditions triggered by poor air.
Last week a global study published in the Lancet Planetary Health journal that looked at data across two decades and 100 countries even showed a link between rising air pollution and increased antibiotic resistance.
Overuse of antibiotics has already led to the drugs becoming less effective and for resistant “superbugs” to emerge, leaving people vulnerable to infections which, according to the NHS, “can be serious and challenging to treat”.