Melville House UK: The Invisible Killer (Paperback)

The Rising Global Threat of Air Pollution — And How We Can Fight Back

Gary Fuller

An urgent examination of one of the biggest global crises facing us today, air pollution, looking at the rise of the problem, how we understand it and what needs to change.

**For sale only in the UK and its territories.**

More than 90% of the world’s population is exposed to air pollutant concentrations exceeding World Health Organisation guideline levels. Having air that is healthy to breathe is one of the greatest challenges of the 21^st Century. Some of this is unfinished business from the last 60 years, but as more and more of us live in cities, more of us are living close to pollution sources. Europe is wrestling with air pollution from diesel transport and in China and India they are facing air pollution problems that they have never met before.

The air pollution that we breathe every day is largely invisible to us but it is having a significant impact on our health and that of our children. The Invisible Killer will take you on a journey from London to Los Angeles to Beijing, challenging our ideas of what creates air pollution and how we measure it, and introducing us to incredible individuals whose groundbreaking research paved the way to today’s understanding, often at their own detriment.

Dr Fuller argues that to change the future of our planet and collective global health, city and national government action is essential. It is not for lack of evidence that air pollution harm persists. Instead it remains in place due to a lack of political will to make changes to our urban lives, to persuade the public and to make polluters bear the full cost of the harm that they do.

DR. GARY FULLER is an air pollution scientist at King’s College London. His research focuses on the sources of urban air pollution and how these affect people’s health. He led the development of the London Air Quality Network, making information on air pollution more accessible to the public. He writes the Pollutionwatch series for the Guardian and was one of Evening Standard’s “Progress 1000” selections, highlighting London’s most influential people in 2017.

“Fuller’s point, throughout this book, is that air pollution is shamefully ignored or sidelined… He conjures atmospheres that writers of historic novels would envy… an admirably clear book and an appropriately urgent one.” – The Sunday Times

“An important read…The Invisible Killer provides many sobering facts about the air pollution crisis and exposes governments and industries for sweeping the problem under the carpet… However, the book also offers a glimpse of what the future could hold if governments decide to work side-by-side with scientists like Gary Fuller and we all make small changes in our lifestyles.” – The Lancet

“Provides important insights… it is recommended reading for everyone, as it is only through convincing the general public of the need for change will the mistakes of the past be avoided and the future impact of air pollution be reduced.” – Institution of Environmental Sciences

“Takes us on a breathless, alternative tour.” – The Evening Standard