They say it presents a 'major public health emergency'
The British Heart Foundation has warned heart attack and stroke deaths related to toxic air could exceed 3,700 in Devon over the next decade.
It comes as they warn disease deaths attributed to particulate air pollution could exceed 15,000 over the next decade in the South West of England, unless the new Government takes bold action.
The charity says it presents a 'major public health emergency' which must be urgently addressed. It is calling for World Health Organization guidelines on particulate matter to be adopted in to UK law, and met by 2030.
It has also launched a new campaign, 'You're full of it', showing how we're all inhaling dangerous levels of polluted air every day.
Jacob West, Executive Director of Healthcare Innovation at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Every day, millions of us across the country are inhaling toxic particles which enter our blood and get stuck in our organs, raising our risk of heart attacks and stroke.
“Make no mistake – our toxic air is a public health emergency, and we haven’t done enough to tackle this threat to our society.
“We need to ensure that stricter, health-based air quality guidelines are adopted into law to protect the health of the nation as a matter of urgency. Clean Air legislation in the 1950s and 60s, and more recently the smoking ban in public places, show that government action can improve the air we breathe.”
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