Protecting our health from air pollution We’ve been funding research to show how air pollution can damage your heart and blood vessels, as well as campaigning to influence Government policy. Air pollution takes an estimated six months off the average life expectancy in the UK, and is associated with up to 11,000 heart and circulatory deaths every year. Globally, air pollution is attributed to 1 out of every 5 deaths from heart attack and stroke. We’ve been working for over a decade to understand how air pollution damages the heart and blood vessels, and using the evidence to lobby for improvement in air quality.