2. National Air Quality Context

2.1 Air pollution impacts on everyone's health and is a major public health concern with the young, elderly and those with chronic health conditions being particularly susceptible. The impacts on human health are well documented with up to 36,000 annual deaths in the UK attributed to long term exposure to man-made pollution with the science continuing to evolve.

2.2 In 2014 Public Health England published a report to estimate the number of deaths associated with the long term exposure to particulate matter. New Forest District has the lowest reported figures compared to the other local authorities in Hampshire, (4.9% of deaths of people over 25 are attributed to long term exposure to particulate matter, Hampshire = 5.3%, England = 5.6%).