The air we breathe: Air pollution and health past and present (hybrid)
23 Oct 2025, 17:30 - 20:00
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Since the industrial revolution, rising air pollution has had a devastating effect on human health. Today, long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution contributes to around 1,800 to 2,700 premature deaths each year in Scotland.
Join our speakers as they explore historical and current action to address air pollution effects on health.
- Hear from Louise Williams on “Auld reekie”? Fighting for clean air in Edinburgh, exploring the history of air pollution health and public health activity in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Louise is the Archivist for Lothian Health Services Archive (LHSA), NHS Lothian’s archive based in the University of Edinburgh’s Heritage Collections. LHSA looks after historic and significant records from local hospitals and about healthcare in the Lothian region. Louise is responsible for the day-to-day running of the archive, which includes helping people to access collections, answering public queries, managing holdings, and running outreach events.
- Hear from Professor Jill Belch on the work of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on air pollution health and actions to reduce preventable ill health. Jill Belch is a Professor of Vascular Medicine at the University of Dundee. She is a founder Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Science. Her research interests centre on cardiovascular disease and the troubling effects of air pollution on this system led to her research in air pollution effects on health. She is passionate about equality and is concerned air pollution and other climate change issues will seriously disadvantage those already without resource. She is the Medical School’s Chair of the Sustainability committee, and co-chairs the short-term working group on Air Pollution at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
Joining us in person? Drop in activities at the exhibition launch include:
- Show and Tell showcasing nursing history through objects from the RCN Archives and Lothian Health Services Archive.
- Add your reflections on climate change to our creative question panel.
If you are joining online you will need access to the internet via a computer or smart phone.
This event is part of the event series accompanying the ‘You Mean the World: Nursing in a climate crisis’ exhibition which explores the history of air pollution and of recycling and re-use in nursing and shows how talented nursing teams are taking climate action today – from green social prescribing to developing sustainable nursing tools. The exhibition is open for visitors Mondays to Thursdays 10 – 4pm.
This event is open to all.
If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact us on scotland.library@rcn.org.uk or 0131 662 6163.
Read the full terms and conditions for our events.
Library Team
scotland.library@rcn.org.uk
0131 662 6163
RCN Scotland Headquarters (Edinburgh)
42 South Oswald Road
Edinburgh
EH9 2HH
2.5 miles from Edinburgh Waverley Station
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Page last updated - 25/06/2025
