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quality, raised uncertainty. So the spatial representation given by background is
better than this given by stations located near the source of pollution. In general, all
of these models can be used to create maps that provide information on air quality.
According to different definitions 9 , atmospheric pollution is not evaluated in
terms of how chemically (or biologically) pure the atmosphere is but rather in
relation to the damaging consequences that atmospheric pollution has on humans
and on human health. The tools necessary for air quality management need more
than measurements data that provides information on the concentration of different
pollutants present in the atmosphere. The tools used need to be used in conjunction
with investigations carried out into the effects of pollution on human health, as well
as the effects of pollution on vegetation and on the planet as a whole. This essential
link in the cognitive chain has its own uncertainty and vulnerability and makes the
relationship between knowledge and action in the field of atmospheric pollution
more complex.
6.3.3. Evaluating and mapping the impacts of pollution in order to improve
prevention
The use of GISs provides an answer to the problem of atmospheric pollution,
which is defined by its harmful effects. Therefore, in order to develop relevant
prevention strategies, it is necessary to have an understanding of what these harmful
effects are.
6.3.3.1. Definition and evaluation of the health risks associated with atmospheric
pollution
The definition of atmospheric pollution in 1967 focused on its discomfort
effects. As time went by, and as people became more aware of the actual impacts of
pollution, a better definition of atmospheric pollution could be given. It also became
easier to provide a better explanation of the negative effects that pollution had on
human health. These negative effects were no longer effects that simply caused
discomfort to the population, but were considered as being objective risks from
which it was possible to associate certain diseases with the presence of invisible, yet
toxic pollutants present in the atmosphere. The damaging effects of these pollutants
extend largely beyond human health. With the introduction of LAURE in 1996, it
became clear that such pollution with harmful effects could occur not only on a
global scale, but also in closed spaces on a local level. It then became a question of
9 Definition according to the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1967: There is
pollution in the air whenever a foreign substance or a significant variation in the proportion of
its components are capable of creating harmful effects (based on current scientific
knowledge), or of creating discomfort. Definition according to LAURE 1996: Pollution is the
direct or indirect introduction of substances into the atmosphere or into closed spaces by
mankind. These substances have damaging consequences on human health, and damage
biological resources and ecosystems as well as influencing climate change, deteriorating
material goods and leading to excessive olfactory damage.
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