Limited data suggest that outdoor air pollution (such as ambient air pollution or traffic-related air pollution) and indoor air pollution (such as second-hand smoking and biomass fuel combustion exposure) are associated with the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but there is insufficient evidence to prove a causal relationship at this stage. It also appears that outdo...

This paper presents an integrated exposure monitoring system, based on an expansion of existing air quality monitoring systems using dispersion modelling. The system allows: (1) identifying geographical areas whose inhabitants are most exposed to ambient pollution; (2) identifying how many people in an area are exposed to concentrations of pollution exceeding air quality guidelines; (3) describ...

BACKGROUND Industrial air pollution is a growing challenge to humane health, especially in developing countries, where there is no systematic monitoring of air pollution. Given the importance of the availability of valid information on population exposure to air pollutants, it is important to design an optimal Air Quality Monitoring Network (AQMN) for assessing population exposure to air pollut...

1.1 Ambient air pollution Uncontrolled dispersion of engineered nanoparticles may affect human health, similarly to what has been found for exposure to particles in ambient air. Particulates (in contrast to gases) are suspected to be the major factor driving the adverse effects of e.g. traffic air pollution. Human exposure to ultrafine particles in the ambient air has been associated with adver...

The London fog episode in 1952 was a sentinel event that indicated that short-term exposure to ambient air pollution could adversely influence the health of persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A review of autopsy records indicated a doubling of cases with COPD as a major finding compared with other periods [1]. The association between greater levels of ambient air polluti...