Air pollution is one of the UK’s biggest killers.
But what can we do about it?
Walk or cycle rather than taking the car, especially for short trips reducing emissions and keeping you active. Consider public transport or car sharing.
Where possible, cyclists, runners and walkers should stay away from pollution hotspots such as main roads and road junctions by taking back streets or parks because pollution levels can fall by a factor of 10 just by moving a few metres away from exhaust fumes and particles from tyres. Children are much closer to the source of pollution when walking beside roads. They also have a faster metabolic rate and breathe more rapidly, and tend to inhale more pollution, proportionate to their size, than adults.
Keep vehicle windows closed and recycle air when in 
heavy traffic, so that you don’t vent pollution into the car from the vehicle in front. Service your vehicle so that it runs with minimum exhaust emissions.
Rain helps to ‘clean’ the air both by washing out the pollutants and bringing with it fresher air, so don’t be afraid to walk in the rain.
Indoor pollution can be as much of a problem as outdoor pollution but it tends to be a different soup of chemical pollutants from the ones we encounter outside. We spend up to 90% of our time indoors and our centrally-heated, carpeted, product-filled, electronic aids, airtight homes don’t help. Smoking won’t help either.
Ventilating your home is an important step to take in reducing risk. Opening a couple of windows for a few minutes each day will help to ventilate your home, without losing much heat in winter. However, if you live on a busy main road, try to aim for times when the road is less busy.
Indoor plants like spider plants, swiss cheese plants, rubber plants, peace lilies and parlour palms help to soak up indoor pollution.
Get involved and contact Wycombe District Council and let them know that the public is concerned about air quality and will back them in taking measures to improve the quality of the air we breathe in High Wycombe.