Professor Dame Sally Davies has warned that the impact of air, light and noise pollution has yet to be fully recognised in terms of health, as she warned of a daily cocktail of pollution.
England's chief medical officer said that the NHS could lead the way in cutting pollution levels, encouraging services to be brought out of hospitals and closer to people's homes to prevent unnecessary vehicle journeys.
Davies said: “With factors like air, light and noise, the public is exposed to a daily cocktail of pollutants. Some of these can be linked to chronic conditions like heart disease and asthma. This increases the risk for some of the most vulnerable members of our society and places a huge burden on our health service."