Quantification of health benefits related with reduction of atmospheric PM₁₀ levels: implementation of population mobility approach

Int J Environ Health Res. 2011 Jun;21(3):189-200. doi: 10.1080/09603123.2010.520117.

Abstract

This study is focused on the assessment of potential health benefits by meeting the air quality limit values (2008/50/CE) for short-term PM₁₀ exposure. For this purpose, the methodology of the WHO for Health Impact Assessment and APHEIS guidelines for data collection were applied to Porto Metropolitan Area, Portugal. Additionally, an improved methodology using population mobility data is proposed in this work to analyse number of persons exposed. In order to obtain representative background concentrations, an innovative approach to process air quality time series was implemented. The results provide the number of attributable cases prevented annually by reducing PM(10) concentration. An intercomparison of two approaches to process input data for the health risk analysis provides information on sensitivity of the applied methodology. The findings highlight the importance of taking into account spatial variability of the air pollution levels and population mobility in the health impact assessment.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Air Pollutants / analysis*
  • Air Pollutants / toxicity
  • Cities / epidemiology
  • Environmental Monitoring / methods*
  • Environmental Monitoring / statistics & numerical data
  • Epidemiological Monitoring
  • Particulate Matter / analysis*
  • Particulate Matter / toxicity
  • Population Dynamics* / statistics & numerical data
  • Portugal / epidemiology
  • Risk Assessment / statistics & numerical data
  • Time Factors
  • Urban Health / statistics & numerical data
  • Urban Population* / statistics & numerical data

Substances

  • Air Pollutants
  • Particulate Matter