Anna Louise Hansell is a British physician who is Professor of Environmental Epidemiology and Director of the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability at the

University of Leicester The University of Leicester ( ) is a public university, public research university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park, Leicester, Victoria Park. The university's predecessor, Univ ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Hansell studied the relationship between pollution and

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Education and early career

Hansell originally studied medicine. She spent six years working in clinical medicine, before specialising in public health. Hansell completed her doctoral research at

Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

on the epidemiology of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

(COPD) in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. After completing her doctoral degree she was awarded a

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of Burroughs Wellcome, one of the predec ...

clinical research fellowship.

Research and academic service

Her research considers environmental noise and

air pollution Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

. As part of this effort, Hansell made use of historical data and models to estimate black smoke and sulphur dioxide levels across the United Kingdom in 1971, 1981, 1991 and 2001. She demonstrated that living in high levels of air pollution in the past increased people's risks of

respiratory disease Respiratory diseases, or lung diseases, are pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange difficult in air-breathing animals. They include conditions of the respiratory tract including the trachea, bronchi, ...

decades after exposure. For example, people who lived in polluted areas in 1971 had a 14% greater risk of dying in 2002 than people who lived in low pollution areas. Hansell has studied the impact of air pollution on birth outcomes, working primarily with mothers in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Her work showed that in 3% of babies born with a

low birth weight Low birth weight (LBW) is defined by the World Health Organization as a birth weight of an infant of or less, regardless of gestational age. Infants born with LBW have added health risks which require close management, often in a neonatal inten ...

the low weight can be attributed to maternal residential exposure to air pollutants. She went on to demonstrate that exposure to

, particularly

PM10 Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defined ...

particulates due to road traffic, in the

first trimester Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring gestates inside a woman's uterus. A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Conception usually occurs following vaginal intercourse, but can also ...

and early life can reduce children's lung function. In 2014 Hansell launched the Small Health Area Statistics Unit Environment and Health Atlas. The atlas visualised local risk factors for fourteen different diseases, as well as providing details about common environmental agents. Hansell has continued to study the COPD throughout her career, combining data from the

UK Biobank UK Biobank is a long-term prospective biobank study in the United Kingdom (UK) that houses the de-identified biological samples and health-related data of half a million people. The volunteer participants aged 40-69 were recruited between 2006 ...

with air pollution monitoring systems. She showed that annual increases of 5 μgm⁻³

PM2.5 Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defined ...

particulates in air was comparable to two years of ageing. These investigations allowed her to identify that i populations who live in areas where PM2.5 levels are above the maximum levels recommended by the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

, COPD is four times higher than in people who experience

passive smoking Passive smoking is the inhalation of tobacco smoke, called passive smoke, secondhand smoke (SHS) or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), by individuals other than the active Tobacco smoking, smoker. It occurs when tobacco smoke diffuses into the ...

. She has also demonstrated that people who live in low income households are considerably more likely to be detrimentally impacted by air pollution. Alongside investigating the impact of air pollution, Hansell has studied the impact of noise pollution on mortality. By combining data on hospital admissions and mortality of a cohort of over three million people who live around

Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport , also colloquially known as London Heathrow Airport and named ''London Airport'' until 1966, is the primary and largest international airport serving London, the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdo ...

, Hansell showed that deaths due to stroke, heart and circulatory disease are more likely in areas with high levels of aircraft noise. During the

, it became apparent that air pollution might play a role in the severity of

. Hansell investigated the relationships between air pollution and rates of mortality due to coronavirus. Alongside her own research, Hansell provided expert advice on the relationship between pollution, health and viral infection. She remarked that the lockdown in the United Kingdom would result in significant reductions in air pollution, in line with travel restrictions and reduced industry operation.

Academic service

She was appointed the President of Epidemiology in the

Royal Society of Medicine The Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) is a medical society based at 1 Wimpole Street, London, UK. It is a registered charity, with admission through membership. Its Chief Executive is Michele Acton. History The Royal Society of Medicine (R ...

in 2005. In 2010 Hansell was made Assistant Director of the UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit at

. Hansell is a member of the

Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...

Environmental Hazards Programme Board, as well as the

Government of the United Kingdom His Majesty's Government, abbreviated to HM Government or otherwise UK Government, is the central government, central executive authority of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.

Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hansell, Anna Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Academics of the University of Leicester Alumni of Imperial College London British environmental scientists British women medical doctors British women epidemiologists British epidemiologists Air pollution in the United Kingdom