Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) is a group of scientific experts who provide independent and authoritative advice to the UK government on the health effects of air pollution.[1] Its core members are typically senior academics or professionals drawn from fields such as atmospheric chemistry, environmental health, epidemiology, and toxicology; a single lay member helps to ensure the committee's technical work is accessible to the public.
COMEAP's periodic reports often make headline news on issues such as how many people die from air pollution,[2][3] and the connections between air pollution and disease.[4] In 2001, COMEAP warned that long-term exposure to particulates increases risk of premature death, especially from cardiovascular disease.[5] One of its recent reports, issued in 2022, reviewed almost 70 epidemiological studies and concluded that air pollution is likely to increase the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older people.[6]
COMEAP has also reported on the relative risks of breathing air pollution in different situations. In January 2019, for example, it reported that pollution from particulates is up to 30 times higher on the London Underground than on streets in the roads above, with the Northern Line having the worst air quality.[7][8]
COMEAP also advises on how to best communicate air pollution risks to the public (such as through the 1–10 point warning scale used in London) and how people should change their behaviour when air pollution levels are high.[9]
COMEAP has issued numerous reports on air pollution and health, including:
COMEAP's current chair is Anna Hansell; previous chairs have included Frank J Kelly, Jon Ayres, and Sir Stephen Holgate. Other members have included Roy M. Harrison, Jonathan Grigg, David Newby, and H. Ross Anderson.[10][11][12]
