CLIMATE CHANGE WILL MEAN MORE EARLY DEATHS FROM SUMMER SMOG - HUHNE

1.35.12pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 1st May 2007

On the day that air quality figures for 2006 are released, the Liberal Democrats have published research showing that smog and ozone are causing thousands of premature deaths.

In 2006 there were at least 5,000 premature deaths because of pollutants. If the current unusually high temperatures continue throughout the summer it will be even worse this year.

Research shows that ground-level ozone, a major air pollutant, is exceeding dangerous levels and:

· Over 29,000 premature deaths have been caused from the pollutant since 1997

· Average ozone levels have risen from 49 micrograms per cubic metre in 1997 to 63 in 2006

· Levels of ozone are higher in rural areas than urban areas (74 compared with 61 micrograms per cubic metre)

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment Secretary, Chris Huhne MP, said:

"Summer smogs are as deadly as the peasouper winter smogs of the fifties. This is a major public health issue that the Government should address with the same urgency as violent crime.

"The Government has failed to get a grip on the problem of 'invisible smog' from low level ozone which is a direct consequence of Labour's failure to tackle road traffic use.

"During the last heatwave in August 2003 there were 2,000 additional deaths due to a combination of poor air quality caused by high levels of ozone and particulates, and from heat exhaustion.

"This problem is likely to get worse with predicted rises in road traffic and the impact of rising summer temperatures that will result from climate change."