Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7.1 Air Pollution and Human Health: From Local
to Global Issues
Bert Brunekreef
Professor of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht
University, The Netherlands, P.O. Box 80176 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands
1. Introduction
Air pollution from fossil fuel combustion has been known to affect human health
for centuries. More detailed insights developed in the 20th century, as a result of
studies prompted by severe air pollution episodes such as those in the Meuse
Valley, Belgium in 1930, and London, UK in 1952. In the Meuse Valley, stagnant
weather conditions prevented local, industry-generated pollutants from dispersing
during several days in December 1930 (1). Several dozens of people died
suddenly, and the episode attracted worldwide attention. In December 1952,
stagnant weather conditions prevented local pollution dominated by coal smoke
from dispersing in London, UK. It was initially estimated that some 4,000 people
died as a result, but later estimates, taking into account delayed effects in the
following months, put the figure at perhaps as high as 10,000 (2). In the second
part of the 20th century, pollution abatement measures were taken in many
developed countries as a result of these dramatic events, and urban pollution levels
declined. Emphasis shifted to secondary pollutants formed in the atmosphere as a
result of chemical reactions, notably ozone and fine particles. Many studies have
been published on the health effects of these pollutants, showing that day-to-day
variations in their levels are associated with adverse health outcomes including
mortality even at very low levels of exposure. For ozone, the associations with
mortality are a relatively recent finding that was confirmed by three independent
reviews (3-5). Associations between particulate matter and health have been
reported from many areas (6). This review discussed six dimensions of associations
between ambient PM and health: (1) short term exposure and mortality; (2) long
term exposure and mortality; (3) time scales of exposure; (4) the shape of the
concentration-response function; (5) cardiovascular disease; and (6) biological
plausibility.
2. Health Effects of Air Pollution in Asia
Although most studies published so far are from developed countries, there is an
increasing flow of publications coming from developing parts of the world where
