Air pollution and public health: emerging hazards and improved understanding of risk

Despite past improvements in air quality, very large parts of the population in urban areas breathe air that does not meet European standards let alone the health-based World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines. Over the last 10 years, there has been a substantial increase in findings that particulate matter (PM) air pollution is not only exerting a greater impact on established health endpoints, but is also associated with a broader number of disease outcomes. Data strongly suggest that effects have no threshold within the studied range of ambient concentrations, can occur at levels close to PM2.5 background concentrations and that they follow a mostly linear concentration-response function. Having…

• NI
  National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit
• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research
• SR
  Sight Research UK

  Awards: NE/I008039/1, NE/I007806/1
• KC
  King's College London
• PH
  Public Health England
• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• MR
  Medical Research Council

  Award: MR/L01341X/1
• NE
  Natural Environment Research Council

  Awards: NE/I007806/1, NE/I008039/1