Mr McCartney Retweeted content that claims “not one single case of death from ambient air pollution has been recorded in recent history”.
The article claims that headlines and figures about the harm caused by air pollution are sensationalist and lack hard evidence, since there have been “no real-life cases presented to show a direct causal link to anyone dying from ambient vehicle exhaust emissions”.
However, air pollution (or transport-related air pollution) is not listed as a cause of death on death certificates, and therefore it is near-impossible to make accurate counts.
That is where statistical constructs are used, in order to determine the damage air pollution is causing.
The Retweet in question rejects the notion that air pollution causes 40,000 lives to be cut short every year in the U.K.
This data can be traced back to a report by the Royal College of Physicians. It looks at PM2.5, which stands for particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers across. Essentially, it is things in the air that are not gas.
PM2.5 can be natural, such as pollen, or made by humans, such as smoke particles from vehicle exhausts.
It can travel around the body and cause damage.
According to the Government, 12% of PM2.5 in the U.K. is from road transport.
However, there are also other sources of air pollution, such as ammonia, nitrogen oxide (35% from road transport), sulphur dioxide, and non-methane volatile organic compounds (5% from transport).
While there may not yet be exact figures to determine the health effects – and deaths caused by – transport-related air pollution, it is misleading to imply that this means there aren’t any – or that they are sensationally overstated.
Mr McCartney, as a fan of classic cars, may not appreciate the attention placed on their emissions, but science continues to examine the effects.
Fact Check: Karl McCartney 