GSK Consumer Healthcare and Global Action Plan are forming a new partnership to help families minimise their exposure to air pollution.

GSK Consumer Healthcare, through The Clean Breathing Institute, and the charity Global Action Plan are working together to provide vital information and advice on the health impacts of air pollution for families across the UK.

Global Action Plan and The Clean Breathing Institute (TCBI) share a combined mission to drive awareness of the impact of air pollution on individuals and to advise them as to how to minimise their exposure to it. The mutually beneficial strategic partnership is grounded in science and expert advice.

Air pollution affects our health from our first breath to our last. The World Health Organisation and the UK Government recognise that air pollution is the largest environmental health risk we face today^[1], ^[2]. It causes heart and lung diseases, is linked to low birth weight and children’s lung development, and may even impact mental health^[3]. Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK^[4].

The health impacts of air pollution are of significant concern to parents and how it may affect their children and other family members including the elderly. To date there has been a lack of clear and accessible evidence-based information available for people throughout the UK.

The partnership will:

• Establish a new set of recommendations as part of the Clean Air Day campaign that enable every family in the UK to find out what to do to protect their health and improve local air quality.
• Ensure 100,000 more people understand how to minimise their exposure to air pollution, as part of a media campaign which will raise awareness of air pollution and its negative health effects amongst millions of the British public.
• Elevate the voices of those whose health is being harmed by air pollution but who are rarely heard and taken account of, bringing these important insights to the attention of those shaping air quality policy.

“Air pollution is a growing concern around the world for which people who live in environments with poor air quality struggle to find solutions. The Clean Breathing Institute has been set up to provide education to healthcare professionals and individuals to help them in their day to day lives and to enable us to focus research to seek new ways to support people who need help on a daily basis”, said Dr. Caroline Tillett, Interim Head of R&D for GSK Consumer Healthcare, Research and Development / CEO, The Clean Breathing Institute.

“We are compelled to act on the growing body of scientific evidence on the effects of poor air quality on our collective health. This challenge requires an unprecedented, coordinated response to equip individuals, health professionals and communities with practical actions that will lead to better health outcomes for millions. We are delighted to partner with Global Action Plan to raise collective awareness of Clean Air Day in the UK” said Jonathan Girling, Category Lead, Respiratory, GSK Consumer Healthcare.

Chris Large, Senior Partner of Global Action Plan, said: “We are delighted to be working with GSK on our shared goal to reduce the impact of air pollution on the quality of life for millions of people across the UK. There are simple steps we can all take to beat air pollution and if we work together we can breathe cleaner air. The public has been lacking a single go-to hub for this information and advice. The Clean Air Day website will now ensure that families feel equipped to avoid the health impacts of pollution and improve the quality of the air in their neighbourhoods.”

Global Action Plan works with individuals, businesses, local authorities, government, hospitals, schools and other organisations to tackle the causes and health impacts of air pollution. As coordinators of Clean Air Day, the nation's largest air pollution campaign, the charity mobilises thousands of people to learn about, and get involved in, pollution reducing activities.

Clean Air Day, organised by Global Action Plan, is the most significant UK wide air pollution public engagement campaign which in 2018 achieved over one billion opportunities for the public to hear about the issue. It is supported by Defra and 200 public organisations including Public Health England and The Royal College of GPs.

The Clean Breathing Institute is a scientific institute, supported by GSK Consumer Healthcare, which aims to unite scientists, innovators, healthcare professionals, businesses, academic, institutional and patient organisations 

1. WHO, How air pollution is destroying our health
2. UK Government Health matters
3. WHO, How air pollution is destroying our health
4. Associations of long-term average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide with mortality; the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. 2018