Let’s clean the air in Manchester through collective action.

Air pollution is real, toxic and one of the most important challenges facing Greater Manchester. It increases our risk of getting lung cancer, heart disease and having a stroke, and is particularly problematic for people with respiratory problems.

The 15 June was the first ever National Clean Air Day in the UK and Greater Manchester was one of the key cities involved, marking the day with many awareness raising events across the city.

The University of Manchester is committed to improving air quality and people’s health. Dr Sheena Cruickshank, senior lecturer in Immunology, is currently involved in Britain Breathing, an exciting new citizen science project that encourages hay fever and asthma suffers to share their symptoms through an app to help researchers better understand what causes allergies . You can find out more on the Britain Breathing website.

Sheena and her colleagues have also created a video detailing the negative consequences of air pollution and the efforts made to improve air quality in Greater Manchester.

Commenting on the initiative, Sheena said: “Air pollution is incredibly important and something that affects us all. I am delighted that the University was able to help with the making of this film by sharing our research and access to our facilities.”

Another amazing project, coordinated by Professor Ann Caress, empowers people with chest problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to exercise and live a happy life. Ann organised a dancing event where people with breathing illnesses challenged themselves to dance and overcome their respiratory problems. This project was funded through the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health’s “Engaging Our Communities” funding. You can watch the video here.