FOI Ref: FOI/2022/3841
You asked
Please supply the following information:
How many deaths are recorded in Greater Manchester as a direct result of car emissions
How many deaths are recorded in Greater Manchester as contributed by car emissions
We said
Thank you for your request.
Causes of death are certified in most cases by a doctor, who records the sequence of medical conditions and relevant events leading to, or contributing to, the death, based on the deceased's healthcare records and other available information, such as laboratory tests or post-mortem investigation. Some deaths are certified by a coroner who determines the causes of death following an inquest, based on all the available evidence.
It is unusual for wider contextual factors such as exposure to car emissions, pollution or air quality to be recorded among the causes of death. One death in England and Wales in the period 2001 to 2021 had exposure to air pollution (International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision (ICD-10) code Z581) recorded on the death certificate.
No deaths in Greater Manchester in the period 2001 to 2021 had exposure to car emissions recorded on the death certificate in either part 1 or part 2 of the death certificate.
It may be more informative to consider epidemiological studies which estimate numbers or proportions of deaths which can be attributed to exposure to pollution or poor air quality. A number of reports have been published by Public Health England (now the UK Health Security Agency) on different aspects of air pollution and health.
The UK Health Security Agency can be contacted at InformationRights@UKHSA.gov.uk.