Breathing in a Time of COVID

Air pollution has been a concern in London for centuries, at times cloaking the city in thick smog and reeking of effluence and smoke. These problems are largely a thing of the past as the substances floating around in London’s air have changed, becoming finer and less visible. However, research into the effects of air pollution still suggests that nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in particular are responsible for higher incidences of asthma, heart disease and even dementia in the city. Interventions to improve the air are often costly and inconvenient and presume that it is possible to manage the air and how we breathe it.

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped many relationships people have with the air they breathe. Advice and policies to reduce the spread of the virus were similarly based on the idea that it was possible and necessary to manage the air by controlling how, where and with whom we breathe. Such interventions were also costly and inconvenient but were also widely adhered to.

My research looks at how these different public health emergencies have been discussed as problems requiring intervention in order to understand the motivations behind widespread engagement with or dismissal of restrictive policies and advice.

• Methods. This research was based upon interviews and extensive analysis of media reports, policy documents and outreach materials from advocacy groups.