The urban health effects and impact of anthropogenic and natural air pollution
The differential role that airborne particulate matter (PM) size fractions, sources, and components play in producing adverse health effects is not fully understood. Specific gaps include the role of PM generated by traffic and the effects of PMs generated by natural sources. Source specific air pol...
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| Tipo de recurso: | tesis doctoral |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2009 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | CBUC, CESCA |
| Repositorio: | TDR. Tesis Doctorales en Red |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:www.tdx.cat:10803/7195 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://www.tdx.cat/TDX-0311110-150730 http://hdl.handle.net/10803/7195 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | pollution air physiological aspects particles environmental health epidemiologia efectes fisiològics gas d'escapament motors automòbil contaminació aire matèria partículas higiene ambiental epidemiology automóviles exhaust gas 614 |
| Sumario: | The differential role that airborne particulate matter (PM) size fractions, sources, and components play in producing adverse health effects is not fully understood. Specific gaps include the role of PM generated by traffic and the effects of PMs generated by natural sources. Source specific air pollution epidemiological research still lacks integration in the risk assessment process, a fundamental tool to inform policy makers and the public about the current situation or the impact of future or past air pollution policies. This thesis addresses both these gaps. To explore the effects of PM from different sources, we investigated the association between different PM size fractions and mortality in Barcelona, Spain and used PM chemical composition data to help determine the different sources and components linked to toxicity. To illustrate that local air pollution risk assessments are useful tools in evidence-based public health, we estimated the health and economic benefits that would result from different scenario of improved air quality in the Barcelona metropolitan area and in two communities of Southern California. These case studies include new methods to integrate into the risk assessment process the recent epidemiological evidence related to the effects of traffic exposure.This thesis contributes to a better understanding of the link between particulate matter size fraction, sources, and components and health effects, and to improve air pollution health impact assessment methods. Both contributions have important implications for public health and air pollution public policy. |
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