As smog engulfs Britain, read our essential guide to air pollution

Those with lung and heart problems are asked to avoid strenuous activity as air quality falls to its lowest possible level across Britain.

17:06 03 April 2014

Britain is currently engulfed by thick smog caused by a combination of dust blown in from the Sahara Desert and harmful emissions from both the UK and Europe. Because of this, people with lung and heart problems have been warned to avoid strenuous activity as air quality falls to its lowest possible level across parts of the country. 

 

Aside from sand particles from the Sahara desert, traffic pollutants combined with the ozone when sunlight reacts with nitrogen dioxide causes air quality to worsen. 

 

Dr Keith Prowse, former chairman of the British Lung Foundation and an honorary medical adviser, said: "People with asthma or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) should make sure they have their reliever inhalers with them, and those who use preventer inhalers may have been told to double their dose.

 

"The best advice is not to go out when pollution levels are high and not to take part in strenuous exercise."

 

Meanwhile, Dr Carol Cooper, a London GP, said that wearing face mask is not a must-have. "A good piece of advice is not to bother. They're not generally very effective and wearing one can actually make breathing more difficult.

 

"Wearing a face mask in somewhere like southeast Asia is more of a cultural thing than a medical one."

 

It’s unlikely that the dust will cause much disruption to air travel, so don’t expect a repeat of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull’s havoc-wreaking back in 2010. 

 

On the whole, our air quality has actually been improving substantially in the last few decades. 

 

A change in wind direction and some showers should wash away this bout of dust.