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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2020) | Viewed by 73074

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bing-Fang Hwang

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Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, Taichung 40402, Taiwan
Interests: air pollution; pregnancy outcomes; asthma; gene-environment interaction; occupational and environmental epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that in 2012 around 7 million people died–one in eight of total global deaths–as a result of air pollution exposure. This finding more than doubles previous estimates and confirms that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk. Reducing air pollution could save millions of lives.

This Special Issue of IJERPH aims to advance the field of air pollution within the area of disease burden. This Issue will focus on the novel topic of air pollution in the context of disease’s etiology or disease burden. It aims to focus on the effects of air pollution on respiratory, cardiovascular, and brain symptoms/diseases. This Issue welcomes both quantitative and qualitative studies and is intended to include papers that assess the effects of air pollution on the development of diseases, as well as the health impacts. Identification of the sources apportionment and sensitive exposure windows increases the accuracy and precision of risk assessment, and provides the possibility of focusing on preventive efforts in a cost-effective manner.

Prof. Dr. Bing-Fang Hwang
Guest Editor

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Keywords

Air pollution
Health effects
Health burden
Sensitive exposure window
Risk assessment
Control strategy

Related Special Issue

Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution: Second Edition in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (3 articles)

Published Papers (13 papers)

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19 pages, 1542 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Ultrafine Particles in Ambient Air on Primary Health Care Consultations for Diabetes in Children and Elderly Population in Ljubljana, Slovenia: A 5-Year Time-Trend Study

by Vesna Viher Hrženjak, Andreja Kukec, Ivan Eržen and Dalibor Stanimirović

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(14), 4970; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17144970 - 10 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2270

Abstract

Epidemiological studies indicate that exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP) in ambient air represents an important environmental public health issue. The aim of this study was to determine the association between UFP in ambient air and the daily number of consultations in the primary health care unit due to diabetes mellitus in children and elderly population of the Municipality of Ljubljana. A 5-year time-trend ecological study was carried out for the period between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2017. The daily number of primary health care consultations due to diabetes mellitus among children and elderly population was observed as the health outcome. Daily mean UFP concentrations (different size from 10 to 100 nm) were measured and calculated. Poisson regression analysis was used to investigate the association between the observed outcome and the daily UFP, particulate matter fine fraction (PM_2.5), and particulate matter coarse fraction (PM₁₀) concentrations, adjusted to other covariates. The results show that the daily number of consultations due to diabetes mellitus were highly significantly associated with the daily concentrations of UFP (10 to 20 nm; p ≤ 0.001 and 20 to 30 nm; p ≤ 0.001) in all age groups and in the elderly population. In observed the population of children, we did not confirm the association. Findings indicate that specified environmental challenges should be addressed by comprehensive public health strategies leading to the coordinated cross-sectoral measures for the reduction of UFP in ambient air and the mitigation of adverse health effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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13 pages, 1283 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollution and Emergency Department Visits for Mental Disorders among Youth

by Mieczysław Szyszkowicz, Roger Zemek, Ian Colman, William Gardner, Termeh Kousha and Marc Smith-Doiron

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4190; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124190 - 12 Jun 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3854

Abstract

Although exposure to ambient air pollution has been linked to mental health problems, little is known about its potential effects on youth. This study investigates the association between short-term exposure to air pollutants and emergency department (ED) visits for mental health disorders. The National Ambulatory Care Reporting System database was used to retrieve ED visits for young individuals aged 8–24 years in Toronto, Canada. Daily average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), and daily maximum 8 h ozone (O₃) were calculated using measurement data from seven fixed stations. A case-crossover (CC) design was implemented to estimate the associations between ED visits and air pollution concentrations. Mental health ED visits were identified using International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes, with seven categories considered. Models incorporating air pollutants and ambient temperature (with lags of 0–5 days) using a time-stratified CC technique were applied. Multivariable regression was performed by sex, three age groups, and seven types of mental health disorders to calculate relative risk (RR). The RRs were reported for one interquartile range (IQR) change in the air pollutant concentrations. Between April 2004 and December 2015 (4292 days), there were 83,985 ED visits for mental-health related problems in the target population. Several exposures to air pollutants were shown to have associations with ED visits for mental health including same day exposure to fine particulate matter (IQR = 6.03 μg/m³, RR = 1.01 (95% confidence interval: 1.00–1.02), RR = 1.02 (1.00–1.03)) for all and female-only patients, respectively. One-day lagged exposure was also associated with ED visits for PM_2.5 (RR = 1.02 (1.01–1.03)), for nitrogen dioxide (IQR = 9.1 ppb, RR = 1.02 (1.00–1.04)), and ozone (IQR = 16.0 ppb, RR = 1.06 (1.01–1.10)) for males. In this study, urban air pollution concentration—mainly fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide—is associated with an increased risk for ED visits for adolescents and young adults with diagnosed mental health disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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15 pages, 1201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Particulate Matter Education on Self-Care Knowledge Regarding Air Pollution, Symptom Changes, and Indoor Air Quality among Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

by Su-Er Guo, Miao-Ching Chi, Su-Lun Hwang, Chieh-Mo Lin and Yu-Ching Lin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 4103; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17114103 - 09 Jun 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2951

Abstract

The burden of illness resulting from adverse environmental exposure is significant. Numerous studies have examined self-care behaviors among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but seldom assess these behaviors in relation to air pollution. The study aims to examine the effects of particulate matter (PM) education on prevention and self-care knowledge regarding air pollution, symptom changes, and indoor PM concentration levels among patients with COPD. A longitudinal, quasi-experimental design using a generalized estimating equation examined the effectiveness of the education intervention. Participants were 63 patients with COPD, of whom only 25 received intervention. Levels of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ decreased in the first-month follow-up in the experimental group. Improvement of knowledge and prevention regarding PM in the first and third months were also greater in the experimental group compared to the control. Regarding the COPD assessment test and physical domain scores, the experimental group exhibited a greater improvement in the first-month follow-up. Scores on the psychological domain significantly changed in the sixth-month follow-up. The PM education coordinated by nurses improved the health of participants, maintaining six-month effects. Further studies should evaluate the practice barriers and effects of health education on preventive self-care behaviors regarding indoor PM among patients with COPD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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13 pages, 737 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Industrial Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Status among Residents in an Industrial Area in Central Italy

by Giulia Paolocci, Lisa Bauleo, Ilenia Folletti, Nicola Murgia, Giacomo Muzi and Carla Ancona

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(11), 3795; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17113795 - 27 May 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2834

Abstract

The area of Civitavecchia (Lazio region, Central Italy) has been a reason of concern in the past because of environmental air contamination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between air pollution from different sources and respiratory symptoms and lung function in the population. A sample of 1177 residents underwent medical examination and lung function tests. Information on individual characteristics, histories of exposure and medical history were collected through a validated questionnaire. Long-term exposure to industrial, harbour, biomass combustion emissions (PM₁₀) and urban traffic (NO_x) at residential address was assessed using a Lagrangian dispersion model. The associations between exposure and wheezing and dyspnea were assessed using logistic regression models, while modified Poisson regression models were used to evaluate cough with phlegm. Relationships between exposure and lung function were analysed using linear mixed-effects models and cross-correlation. PM10 emissions from the harbour were associated with lower lung function parameters (FEV1: β = –0.12, 95% CI –0.21 –0.03; p = 0.02; FEV1/FVC: β = –1.67, (–3.10 –0.23); p = 0.02. This association was observed also in healthy subjects, but not in females. We found, even if at low exposure level, an effect of environmental PM₁₀ exposure from harbour on lung function. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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13 pages, 1870 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Particulate Matter on the Incidence of Respiratory Diseases in the Pisan Longitudinal Study

by Salvatore Fasola, Sara Maio, Sandra Baldacci, Stefania La Grutta, Giuliana Ferrante, Francesco Forastiere, Massimo Stafoggia, Claudio Gariazzo, Giovanni Viegi and on behalf of the BEEP Collaborative Group

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(7), 2540; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072540 - 08 Apr 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 2981

Abstract

The current study aimed at assessing the effects of exposure to Particulate Matter (PM) on the incidence of respiratory diseases in a sub-sample of participants in the longitudinal analytical epidemiological study in Pisa, Italy. Three hundred and five subjects living at the same address from 1991 to 2011 were included. Individual risk factors recorded during the 1991 survey were considered, and new cases of respiratory diseases were ascertained until 2011. Average PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 exposures (µg/m³, year 2011) were estimated at the residential address (1-km² resolution) through a random forest machine learning approach, using a combination of satellite data and land use variables. Multivariable logistic regression with Firth’s correction was applied. The median (25th–75th percentile) exposure levels were 30.1 µg/m³ (29.9–30.7 µg/m³) for PM₁₀ and 19.3 µg/m³ (18.9–19.4 µg/m³) for PM_2.5. Incidences of rhinitis and chronic phlegm were associated with increasing PM_2.5: OR = 2.25 (95% CI: 1.07, 4.98) per unit increase (p.u.i.) and OR = 4.17 (1.12, 18.71) p.u.i., respectively. Incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was associated with PM₁₀: OR = 2.96 (1.50, 7.15) p.u.i. These results provide new insights into the long-term respiratory health effects of PM air pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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18 pages, 1443 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association of Ambient Air Pollution with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Incidence in Ten Large Chinese Cities, 2006–2013

by Tianan Yang, Yexin Liu, Weigang Zhao, Zhenjiao Chen and Jianwei Deng

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(6), 1824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17061824 - 11 Mar 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2873

Abstract

Large cities in China are experiencing severe ambient air pollution. Although China accounts for more than 45% of new cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma worldwide in 2018, few studies have examined the association between ambient air pollution and the high nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) incidence in China. Thus, we aim to investigate whether exposure to ambient air pollution (including nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and PM₁₀) would significantly affect NPC incidence in large Chinese cities. We collected panel data of ten Chinese provincial cities about local NPC incidence, air pollution level, meteorology, and city profiles during 2006 to 2013 to construct a two-way fixed-effects model to explore the association between ambient air pollution and NPC incidence, as well as possible regional and gender differences behind the association. We found that NO₂ had the strongest association with NPC incidence, and the relative risks were 2.2995 (95% CI, 1.2567–4.2075) for males and 1.3010 (95% CI, 0.8212–2.0620) for females, respectively. Under cumulative exposure, it was still NO₂ that had the strongest association with NPC incidence, with a relative risk of 1.8836 (95% CI, 1.2416–2.8577), compared to 1.0857 (95% CI, 0.9474–1.2450) and 1.0547 (95% CI, 0.8790–1.2663) for SO₂ and PM₁₀, respectively. In addition, males were found more sensitive to ambient air pollution than females. We also found that southern Chinese cities were more sensitive to NO₂ than northern cities, which might be related to a higher humidity there. Our study reveals that exposure to ambient air pollutants like SO₂, PM₁₀, and particularly NO₂, is significantly positively associated with NPC incidence in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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11 pages, 792 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollution and Incidence of Lung Cancer by Histological Type in Korean Adults: A Korean National Health Insurance Service Health Examinee Cohort Study

by Da Hye Moon, Sung Ok Kwon, Sun-Young Kim and Woo Jin Kim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 915; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030915 - 02 Feb 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3343

Abstract

Studies have reported associations between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and lung cancer. However, there have been inconsistent reports of such associations with lung cancer by histological type. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the association of long-term exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter up to 10 μm (PM₁₀) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) with lung cancer incidence by histological subtype in South Korea. This population-based cohort study included 6,567,909 cancer-free subjects from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database for 2006–2007. We linked population data to Korea Central Cancer Registry data to confirm lung cancer incidence for 2006–2013. Individual exposures to PM₁₀ and NO₂ were assessed as five-year average concentrations predicted at subjects’ district-specific home addresses for 2002–2007. We divided these exposures into two categories based on the 75th percentile. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) of lung cancer incidence for the upper 25% exposure compared to the low 75% by histological subtypes at diagnosis after adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 27,518 lung cancer were found between 2006 to 2013. The incidence of lung cancer was higher in males, smokers, drinkers and subjects with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Overall, we did not find an increased risk of lung cancer with higher exposure to PM₁₀ or NO₂. However, high exposure to PM₁₀ was associated with increased risk of adenocarcinoma in comparison with lower exposure in males and current smokers (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.03–1.25). This study showed that long-term air pollution exposures were associated with an elevated risk of lung adenocarcinoma in male smokers in Korea. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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13 pages, 2396 KiB

Open AccessArticle

How Birth Season Affects Vulnerability to the Effect of Ambient Ozone Exposure on the Disease Burden of Hypertension in the Elderly Population in a Coastal City in South China

by Jing Huang, Tianfeng He, Guoxing Li and Xinbiao Guo

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(3), 824; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030824 - 28 Jan 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2384

Abstract

Birth season is an important factor that reflects prenatal nutritional conditions during early development, and which might have lifelong impacts on health. Moreover, ambient ozone pollution has been considered an important environmental risk factor for hypertension. However, whether birth season affects vulnerability to the effect of ambient ozone exposure on late-life hypertension is still unknown. A flexible case–crossover design was used to explore the effect of ambient ozone exposure on the disease burden of hypertension using years of life lost (YLL) in the elderly population in a coastal city in South China from 2013 to 2016. The influence of birth season was also explored. Ozone exposure was significantly associated with increased YLL from hypertension. The association was higher in the elderly individuals who were born in autumn than in those born in other seasons. Specifically, every 10 μg/m³ increase in ozone was associated with 0.68 (95% CI: 0.27, 1.10) YLL from hypertension in the elderly population born in autumn, while nonsignificant associations were found for those born in other seasons. The birth season, which affects the nutritional condition during early development, could affect vulnerability to the effect of ambient ozone exposure on the disease burden of hypertension in late life. The findings highlighted the importance of taking birth season into consideration when exploring the hypertensive effects of ozone exposure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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12 pages, 297 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Incidence Rate and Predictors of Globus Pallidus Necrosis after Charcoal Burning Suicide

by Chung-Hsuan Ku, Wen-Hung Huang, Ching-Wei Hsu, Yu-Chin Chen, Yi-Chou Hou, I-Kuan Wang, Hsiang-Hsi Hong, Yen-Li Wang, Cheng-Hao Weng and Tzung-Hai Yen

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(22), 4426; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16224426 - 12 Nov 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2586

Abstract

Objective: This study examined predictors of globus pallidus necrosis as there was a paucity of literature of globus pallidus necrosis resulted from carbon monoxide poisoning after charcoal burning suicide. Methods: A total of 67 patients who had attempted charcoal burning suicide were recruited and stratified into two subgroups based on either presence (n = 40) or absence (n = 27) of globus pallidus necrosis. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and radiographic data were obtained for cross-sectional analysis. All patients were followed to investigate the risks for mortality. Results: The patients aged 36.8 ± 11.1 years (67.2%) were male. Patients with globus pallidus necrosis were younger (p = 0.044) and had less hypertension (p = 0.015) than patients without globus pallidus necrosis. Furthermore, patients with globus pallidus necrosis suffered from severer medical complications, i.e., fever (p = 0.008), acute myocardial injury (p = 0.022), acute rhabdomyolysis (p = 0.022), and neuropsychiatric symptoms (p < 0.001) than patients without globus pallidus necrosis. Moreover, patients with globus pallidus necrosis received less hyperbaric oxygen therapy than without necrosis (p = 0.024). Two patients (3.0%) died on arrival. In a multivariable regression model, it was revealed that acute myocardial injury (odds ratio 4.6, confidence interval 1.1–18.9, p = 0.034) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (odds ratio 8.0, confidence interval 2.0–31.4, p = 0.003), decreased blood bicarbonate level (odds ratio 0.8, confidence interval 0.7–1.0, p = 0.032), and younger age (odds ratio 0.9, confidence interval 0.9–1.0, p = 0.038) were significant predictors for globus pallidus necrosis. Conclusion: Although patients who had attempted charcoal burning suicide had a low mortality rate (3.0%), globus pallidus necrosis was not uncommon (59.7%) in this population. Further studies are warranted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

13 pages, 844 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improved Cook-stoves and Environmental and Health Outcomes: Lessons from Cross River State, Nigeria

by Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke, Chinyere Augusta Nwajiuba, Jane Munonye, Uwazie Iyke Uwazie, Nkechinyere Uwajumogu, Christian Obioma Uwadoka and Jonathan Ogbeni Aligbe

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(19), 3520; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193520 - 20 Sep 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 5526

Abstract

This paper studies a topic in the triangle of environment, development and health—the effectiveness of the improved cooking solution. While a range of improved cook-stoves (ICS) is available in the market, since decades with a number of new entrants from recent years, adoption is still low in many developing regions, such as sub-Saharan Africa, also because stove performance is sometimes found to be deficient. However, in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, few improved cook-stove interventions are on-going. Incidentally, there is little evidence on the effect of improved cook-stoves on different components of health and environmental outcomes in rural Nigeria. This study, using cross-sectional data from Cross River State, the State with the largest forest area in the country, analyzed the impacts of locally designed improved cook-stoves on the environmental and health outcomes of rural women. A sample of four hundred (400) married women was drawn from eight rural communities with the highest concentration of improved cook-stove users. The woman in-charge of cooking in each household was the respondent. Also, in each household, the household head (if different from the primary cook) was interviewed. Using inverse propensity score weighting for data analysis, we found significant fuel and time savings from the adoption of the cook-stove. However, this study found no evidence of the reduction of indoor air pollution associated diseases given stove design and users’ behavior. This underscores the need to revisit the design of the stove and consider users’ cooking behavior in the design. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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22 pages, 6610 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Clusters of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate and Their Association with Polluted Zones in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area

by Francisco Manuel Gasca-Sanchez, Jesus Santos-Guzman, Ricardo Elizondo-Dueñaz, Gerardo Manuel Mejia-Velazquez, Cecilia Ruiz-Pacheco, Deborah Reyes-Rodriguez, Elsie Vazquez-Camacho, José Ascencion Hernandez-Hernandez, Rosa del Carmen Lopez-Sanchez, Rocio Ortiz-Lopez, Daniel Olvera-Posada and Augusto Rojas-Martinez

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(14), 2488; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142488 - 12 Jul 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4018

Abstract

This study examines the spatial structure of children with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and its association with polluted areas in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA). The Nearest Neighbor Index (NNI) and the Spatial Statistical Scan (SaTScan) determined that the CLP cases are agglomerated in spatial clusters distributed in different areas of the city, some of them grouping up to 12 cases of CLP in a radius of 1.2 km. The application of the interpolation by empirical Bayesian kriging (EBK) and the inverse distance weighted (IDW) method showed that 95% of the cases have a spatial interaction with values of particulate matter (PM₁₀) of more than 50 points. The study also shows that 83% of the cases interacted with around 2000 annual tons of greenhouse gases. This study may contribute to other investigations applying techniques for the identification of environmental and genetic factors possibly associated with congenital malformations and for determining the influence of contaminating substances in the incidence of these diseases, particularly CLP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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17 pages, 426 KiB

Open AccessReview

Attributable Risk to Assess the Health Impact of Air Pollution: Advances, Controversies, State of the Art and Future Needs

by Annunziata Faustini and Marina Davoli

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(12), 4512; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124512 - 23 Jun 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2932

Abstract

Despite the increased attention given to the health impact assessment of air pollution and to the strategies to control it in both scientific literature and concrete interventions, the results of the implementations, especially those involving traffic, have not always been satisfactory and there is still disagreement about the most appropriate interventions and the methods to assess their effectiveness. This state-of-the-art article reviews the recent interpretation of the concepts that concern the impact assessment, and compares old and new measurements of attributable risk and attributable fraction. It also summarizes the ongoing discussion about the designs and methods for assessing the air pollution impact with particular attention to improvements due to spatio-temporal analysis and other new approaches, such as studying short term effects in cohorts, and the still discussed methods of predicting the values of attributable risk (AR). Finally, the study presents the more recent analytic perspectives and the methods for directly assessing the effects of not yet implemented interventions on air quality and health, in accordance with the suggestion in the strategic plan 2020−2025 from the Health Effect Institute. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

27 pages, 2166 KiB

Open AccessReview

Indoor Air Pollution, Related Human Diseases, and Recent Trends in the Control and Improvement of Indoor Air Quality

by Vinh Van Tran, Duckshin Park and Young-Chul Lee

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17(8), 2927; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082927 - 23 Apr 2020

Cited by 316 | Viewed by 33691

Abstract

Indoor air pollution (IAP) is a serious threat to human health, causing millions of deaths each year. A plethora of pollutants can result in IAP; therefore, it is very important to identify their main sources and concentrations and to devise strategies for the control and enhancement of indoor air quality (IAQ). Herein, we provide a critical review and evaluation of the major sources of major pollutant emissions, their health effects, and issues related to IAP-based illnesses, including sick building syndrome (SBS) and building-related illness (BRI). In addition, the strategies and approaches for control and reduction of pollutant concentrations are pointed out, and the recent trends in efforts to resolve and improve IAQ, with their respective advantages and potentials, are summarized. It is predicted that the development of novel materials for sensors, IAQ-monitoring systems, and smart homes is a promising strategy for control and enhancement of IAQ in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Burden of Disease Attributable to Air Pollution)

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