Comparative Health Impact Assessment of Local and Regional Particulate Air Pollutants in Scandinavia

Abstract

Detailed knowledge on the effects of air pollutants on human health is a prerequisite for the development of effective policies to reduce the adverse impact of ambient air pollution. The second edition of WHO's Air quality guidelines (AQG) for Europe, formulated in 1996, summarizes systematically the effects of several air pollutants. These guidelines have been used extensively to establish regulatory frameworks for air quality assessment and management. To support the development of European Union policy on clean air for Europe (CAFÉ), this WHO Working Group (WG) was convened to review systematically the most recent scientific evidence on the adverse health effects of particulate matter (PM), ozone (O 3 ) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ). The review focused on studies that were published after the second edition of the WHO AQG was produced, and which have been influential in changing our views on health-related aspects of the substances under consideration. The WG adopted a recommendation to use fine particulate matter, (PM 2.5 ), as the indicator for health effects induced by particulate pollution such as increased risk of mortality in Europe, to supplement the commonly used PM 10 (which includes fine and coarse particles). It also acknowledged the evidence that ozone produces short-term effects on mortality and respiratory morbidity, even at the low ozone concentrations experienced in many cities in Europe. Based on these findings the WG recommended that WHO should update exposure-response relationships for the most severe health outcomes induced by particulate matter and ozone presented by AQGs. The WG also concluded that an update of the current WHO AQG for nitrogen dioxide, which is also an important precursor for the formation of ozone and particulate matter, was not warranted. Keywords OZONE -adverse effects NITROGEN DIOXIDE -adverse effects AIR POLLUTANTS, ENVIRONMENTAL -adverse effects META-ANALYSIS AIR -standards GUIDELINES © World Health Organization -2003All rights in this document are reserved by the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The document may nevertheless be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced or translated into any other language (but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes) provided that full acknowledgement is given to the source. For the use of the WHO emblem, permission must be sought from the WHO Regional Office. Any translation should include the words: The translator of this document is responsible for the accuracy of the translation. The Regional Office would appreciate receiving three copies of any translation. Any views expressed by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors. IntroductionIn most countries in Europe, ambient air quality has improved considerably in the last few decades. However, there is a large body of evidence suggesting that exposure to air pollution, even at the levels commonly achieved nowadays in European countries, leads to adverse health effects. In particular, exposure to pollutants such as particulate mat...

Personal exposures and indoor, residential outdoor, and urban background levels of fine particle trace elements in the general population

“…This corresponds well with the estimate made by Forsberg et al (2005), which was that around 70% of the ambient PM 10 was of long-range origin. For several elements that have sources related to a certain trajectory class, similar or larger differences can be found.…”

“…Forsberg et al (2005) estimate the average local contribution to PM 10 to be about 30%, with it being somewhat lower in southern Sweden and up to around 50% in northern Sweden. This means that around 70% of the PM 10 is of non-local origin, i.e.…”

Important research questions in allergy and related diseases: nonallergic rhinitis: a GA2LEN paper

“…Moreover, policies such as AIRNET (91,152,153) supporting the Clean Air for Europe program (154), and Towards Healthy Dwellings in Europe (90) should be considered.…”

Exposure to fine particles (PM2.5 and PM1) and black smoke in the general population: personal, indoor, and outdoor levels

“…Our results suggest that one measurement site may be enough to reflect the outdoor levels of fine particles, provided that the urban background station is placed at a representative location. The large impact of long-range transported air pollution in the Nordic countries (Forsberg et al, 2005) is likely to contribute to the homogenously distributed PM 2.5 concentrations within a city. Good agreement between residential outdoor and urban background levels was also found for BS, in contrast to the study from Copenhagen (Sorensen et al, 2005), in which no significant association between outdoor and ambient levels was reported for BS.…”