Environment and Public Health: Air Pollution and Chronic Diseases

Abstract

Air pollution is a major environmental risk to human health and wellbeing, and a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Particularly affected are the vulnerable populations of women, pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly, who make up the majority of the world’s poor. In this work, we present a series of pieces of evidence linking the main air pollutants to chronic diseases in adults and children. The WHO has concluded that air pollution affects children’s neurodevelopmental and cognitive abilities, and can cause chronic diseases, such as childhood asthma and cancer. Epidemiological studies have shown significant effects caused by PM 2.5 and PM 10 particles toward mortality from different types of cancer. Finally, household air pollution increases the risk for a wide range of adverse cardiorespiratory, pediatric, and maternal health outcomes, particularly in poorer low- and middle-income countries.

Keywords

• air pollution
• chronic diseases
• cancer
• public health