Air quality impacts on health

Abstract

In this chapter, we provide a broad overview of the evidence linking air pollution with adverse health effects, focusing on criteria pollutants (CO, NO2, O3, SO2 and particulate matter). We begin with a brief historical background including a description of air pollution events which gave rise to modern air pollution control legislation. We then describe types of research evidence, their advantages and disadvantages and their role in understanding effects on human health. Following this is a review of factors which determine vulnerability to effects of air pollution and which influence exposure and dose. Next we summarize the most influential studies from the worldwide scientific literature (restricted to effects observed in humans), as well as highlighting a number of Canadian studies. Finally, we briefly discuss policy implications and identify gaps in the evidence which must be addressed by future research in order to ensure that exposure and health risks of air pollution are understood accurately and can be reduced effectively.