Oxidative stress: its role in air pollution and adverse health effects

Increasing concern exists over the adverse effects of air pollution on human health.Epidemiological studies have shown a clear association between cardiovascular morbidity,decreased lung function, increased hospital admissions, mortality, and airborne concentrations of photochemical and particulate pollutants. Human exposure chamber studies of specific pollut-ants have shown that short term exposure leads to an acute inflammatory effect on normal human airways in a small (10–20%) proportion of healthy individuals. The consequences of long term exposure to air pollution are more difficult to access but are generally believed to be much worse. Studies in both children and adults have shown that exposure to…

• MR
  Medical Research Council