NHS can lead in reducing pollution to improve public health, says chief medical officer

The chief medical officer for England has urged the NHS to act as an example to the rest of the country by cutting its pollutant footprint.

Sally Davies said, “We all know the environmental impacts of pollution, but what is less recognised is the impact on health.” She was speaking at the launch of her latest annual report,1 which examines the effects on health from air, light, noise, and chemical pollution.

In researching the report Davies said that she had expected to find many concrete actions that official bodies could take to reduce the impact of pollution …