Let’s try a new genre of post! Instead of links, here are a few statistics / collected bits that I’ve been thinking about recently.
(This is also a not-very-subtle way to find collaborators on any of the below work - if you’re interested in making progress on any of the below, drop me a line.)
Lead exposure in the UK:
IHME estimates that 200,000 children in the UK have elevated blood lead levels. This isn’t overly surprising; 34% of homes are connected to lead pipes, many homes still contain lead paint, and contaminated sites remain unremediated.
The UK successfully identified and intervened to limit further exposure for just 226 children of those 200,000 children in 2023. The lack of action on lead probably knocks about 1% off UK GDP.
Air conditioning:
Where 30 degree heat was once a rarity in the UK, it is now a regular occurrence. British homes - and lifestyles - have not kept up, and heat deaths have risen sharply.
During 2022's heat wave, the rate of heat-related deaths in the UK was 10x that in Sweden, and about twice that of the Netherlands. That heat wave was estimated to to have killed perhaps 3000 Britons. London's rate of heat related deaths now exceeds any other northern European city, and is similar to that of Rome and Valletta.
Breast cancer:
In the US and the UK, breast cancer survival rates are relatively high; about 85% of those diagnosed will be alive five years later. In Nigeria, just 33% of those diagnosed with breast cancer will be alive five years later and just 11% will be alive 10 years later (Atoyebi et al 2023).
This is largely (though not entirely) because it’s often diagnosed very late in Nigeria. Some 78% of breast cancer cases in sub-Saharan Africa are diagnosed at an advanced stage (Jedy-Agba et al 2018) and more than 40% of cases are not diagnosed for over a year (Birnbaum et al 2018).