Hygiena 2020, 65(3):106-114

Epidemiological evidence of ambient air pollution health effects

Andrea Dalecká1 ,2, Barbara Hermanová1,2, Tomáš Janoš2, Petra Riedlová1,2, Vítězslav Jiřík1,2
1 Centrum epidemiologického výzkumu, Ostravská univerzita, Ostrava, Česká republika
2 Ústav epidemiologie a ochrany veřejného zdraví, Ostravská univerzita, Ostrava, Česká republika

The aim of this work is to summarize the results of epidemiological studies related to the impact of long-term exposure to air pollution on health and to provide a comprehensive overview of the methodology of health risk and impact assessment. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution is considered to be a significant determinant of health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution contributes annually to 7.6% of deaths (estimate from 2016), and to a decrease in the number of healthy life years. Based upon the results of cohort studies and meta-analyses, the relations between exposure and biological effects were estimated. To effectively manage the risks of air pollution, the World Health Organization has adopted a unified methodology for health impact estimation. The conclusions can be used to communicate about risks with the public, as well as a basis for developing action plans and research priorities at national and international levels. Those health effects are expressed using the Years of Life Lost (YLLs) due to premature deaths or life in disability (YLDs), which originate as a consequence of long-term exposure of inhabitants to air pollutants, especially to particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters less or equal than 2.5 µm and 10 µm (PM2.5, PM10) and to nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The relations between the exposure and consequences have been described in serious diseases of civilization, which include cerebrovascular diseases (IHD, stroke), malignant tumours of the trachea, bronchi, and lungs (LC), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and others.

Keywords: environmental epidemiology, Environmental Burden of Disease, air pollution, Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs)

Received: January 2020; Accepted: June 26, 2020; Published: August 21, 2020  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Dalecká A, Hermanová B, Janoš T, Riedlová P, Jiřík V. Epidemiological evidence of ambient air pollution health effects. Hygiena. 2020;65(3):106-114.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Patel MM, Quinn JW, Jung KH, Hoepner L, Diaz D, Perzanowski M, et al. Traffic density and stationary sources of air pollution associated with wheeze, asthma, and immunoglobulin E from birth to age 5 years among New York City children. Environ Res. 2011 Nov;111(8):1222-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Jedrychowski WA, Perera FP, Maugeri U, Majewska R, Mroz E, Flak E, et al. Long term effects of prenatal and postnatal airborne PAH exposures on ventilatory lung function of non-asthmatic preadolescent children. Prospective birth cohort study in Krakow. Sci Total Environ. 2015 Jan 1;502:502-9. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    3. World Health Organization. Health risks of air pollution in Europe - HRAPIE project [Internet]. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2013 [cited 2020 Jun 26]. Available from: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/238956/Health_risks_air_pollution_HRAPIE_project.pdf.
    4. Raaschou-Nielsen O, Andersen ZJ, Beelen R, Samoli E, Stafoggia M, Weinmayr G, et al. Air pollution and lung cancer incidence in 17 European cohorts: prospective analyses from the European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects (ESCAPE). Lancet Oncol. 2013 Aug;14(9):813-22. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Hamra GB, Guha N, Cohen A, Laden F, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Samet JM, et al. Outdoor particulate matter exposure and lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Sep;122(9):906-11. Erratum in: Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Sep;122(9):A236. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Hart JE, Spiegelman D, Beelen R, Hoek G, Brunekreef B, Schouten LJ, et al. Long-term ambient residential traffic-related exposures and measurement error-adjusted risk of incident lung cancer in the Netherlands cohort study on diet and cancer. Environ Health Perspect. 2015 Sep;123(9):860-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Silverman DT, Samanic CM, Lubin JH, Blair AE, Stewart PA, Vermeulen R, et al. The Diesel Exhaust in Miners study: a nested case-control study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Jun 6;104(11):855-68. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Armstrong BG, Gibbs G. Exposure-response relationship between lung cancer and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Occup Environ Med. 2009 Nov;66(11):740-6. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. EPA. Toxicological review of benzo(a)pyrene. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2017.
    10. IARC. Outdoor air pollution. IARC Monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risks to humans. Volume 109. Geneva: WHO Press; 2016.
    11. Guerreiro CBB, Horálek J, de Leeuw F, Couvidat F. Benzo(a)pyrene in Europe: ambient air concentrations, population exposure and health effects. Environ Pollut. 2016 Jul;214:657-67. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Widziewicz K, Rogula-Kozłowska W, Majewski G. Lung cancer risk associated with exposure to benzo(a)pyrene in Polish agglomerations, cities, and other areas. Int J Environ Res. 2017 Nov;11:685-93. Go to original source...
    13. Jiřík V, Dalecká A, Vašendová V, Janoutová J, Janout V. How serious are health impacts in one of the most polluted regions of Central Europe? Rev Environ Health. 2017 Mar 1;32(1-2):177-83. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Turner MC, Krewski D, Diver WR, Pope CA 3rd, Burnett RT, Jerrett M, et al. Ambient air pollution and cancer mortality in the Cancer Prevention Study II. Environ Health Perspect. 2017 Aug 21;125(8):087013. doi: 10.1289/EHP1249. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Pedersen M, Stafoggia M, Weinmayr G, Andersen ZJ, Galassi C, Sommar J, et al. Is there an association between ambient air pollution and bladder cancer incidence? Analysis of 15 European cohorts. Eur Urol Focus. 2018 Jan;4(1):113-20. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Castaño-Vinyals G, Cantor KP, Malats N, Tardon A, Garcia-Closas R, Serra C, et al. Air pollution and risk of urinary bladder cancer in a case-control study in Spain. Occup Environ Med. 2008 Jan;65(1):56-60. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    17. Villeneuve PJ, Goldberg MS, Crouse DL, To T, Weichenthal S, Wall C, et al. Residential exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution and incident breast cancer in a cohort of Canadian women, Environ Epidemiol. 2018 Sep;2(3):e021. doi: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000021. Go to original source...
    18. White AJ, Bradshaw PT, Hamra GB. Air pollution and breast cancer: a review. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2018 Jun;5(2):92-100. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Schmidt CW. Air pollution and breast cancer in postmenopausal women: evidence across cohorts. Environ Health Perspect. 2018 Mar 27;126(3):034001. doi: 10.1289/EHP3200. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    20. White AJ, Keller JP, Zhao S, Kaufman JD, Sandler DP. Air pollution, clustering of particulate matter components and breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2019 Mar;28(3):624-5. Go to original source...
    21. Hüls A, Krämer U, Herder C, Fehsel K, Luckhaus C, Stolz S, et al. Genetic susceptibility for air pollution-induced airway inflammation in the SALIA study. Environ Res. 2017 Jan;152:43-50. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Kim KN, Kim JH, Jung K, Hong YC. Associations of air pollution exposure with blood pressure and heart rate variability are modified by oxidative stress genes: a repeated-measures panel among elderly urban residents. Environ Health. 2016 Mar 25;15:47. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Cascio WE. Proposed pathophysiologic framework to explain some excess cardiovascular death associated with ambient air particle pollution: insights for public health translation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 Dec;1860(12):2869-79. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. Mordukhovich I, Coull B, Kloog I, Koutrakis P, Vokonas P, Schwartz J. Exposure to sub-chronic and long-term particulate air pollution and heart rate variability in an elderly cohort: the Normative Aging Study. Environ Health. 2015 Nov 6;14:87. doi: 10.1186/s12940-015-0074-z. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    25. Lepeule J, Laden F, Dockery D, Schwartz J. Chronic exposure to fine particles and mortality: an extended follow-up of the Harvard Six Cities study from 1974 to 2009. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Jul;120(7):965-70. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    26. Gan WQ, Koehoorn M, Davies HW, Demers PA, Tamburic L, Brauer M. Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and the risk of coronary heart disease hospitalization and mortality. Environ Health Perspect. 2011 Apr;119(4):501-7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    27. Newell K, Kartsonaki C, Lam KBH, Kurmi O. Cardiorespiratory health effects of gaseous ambient air pollution exposure in low and middle income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Environ Health. 2018 Apr 18;17(1):41. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0380-3. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    28. Zhang P, Dong G, Sun B, Zhang L, Chen X, Ma N, et al. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease in Shenyang, China. PLoS One. 2011;6(6):e20827. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020827. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    29. Stafoggia M, Cesaroni G, Peters A, Andersen ZJ, Badaloni C, Beelen R, et al. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and incidence of cerebrovascular events: results from 11 European cohorts within the ESCAPE project. Environ Health Perspect. 2014 Sep;122(9):919-25. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Miller KA, Siscovick DS, Sheppard L, Shepherd K, Sullivan JH, Anderson GL, et al. Long-term exposure to air pollution and incidence of cardiovascular events in women. N Engl J Med. 2007 Feb 1;356(5):447-58. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    31. Downward GS, van Nunen EJHM, Kerckhoffs J, Vineis P, Brunekreef B, Boer JMA, et al. Long-Term exposure to ultrafine particles and incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in a prospective study of a Dutch cohort. Environ Health Perspect. 2018 Dec;126(12):127007. doi: 10.1289/EHP3047. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    32. DeVries R, Kriebel D, Sama S. Outdoor air pollution and COPD-related emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and mortality: a meta-analysis. COPD. 2017 Feb;14(1):113-21. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    33. Ghanbari Ghozikali M, Heibati B, Naddafi K, Kloog I, Oliveri Conti G, Polosa R, et al. Evaluation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) attributed to atmospheric O3, NO2, and SO2 using Air Q Model (2011-2012 year). Environ Res. 2016 Jan;144(Pt A):99-105. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    34. Schikowski T, Mills IC, Anderson HR, Cohen A, Hansell A, Kauffmann F, et al. Ambient air pollution: a cause of COPD? Eur Respir J. 2014 Jan;43(1):250-63. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Schikowski T, Adam M, Marcon A, Cai Y, Vierkötter A, Carsin AE, et al. Association of ambient air pollution with the prevalence and incidence of COPD. Eur Respir J. 2014 Sep;44(3):614-26. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    36. Atkinson RW, Carey IM, Kent AJ, van Staa TP, Anderson HR, Cook DG. Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution and the incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a national English cohort. Occup Environ Med. 2015 Jan;72(1):42-8. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    37. Pujades-Rodríguez M, McKeever T, Lewis S, Whyatt D, Britton J, Venn A. Effect of traffic pollution on respiratory and allergic disease in adults: cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses. BMC Pulm Med. 2009 Aug 24;9:42. doi: 10.1186/1471-2466-9-42. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    38. Fisher JA, Puett RC, Hart JE, Camargo CA Jr, Varraso R, Yanosky JD, et al. Particulate matter exposures and adult-onset asthma and COPD in the Nurses' Health Study. Eur Respir J. 2016 Sep;48(3):921-4. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    39. Andersen ZJ, Hvidberg M, Jensen SS, Ketzel M, Loft S, Sørensen M, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution: a cohort study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Feb 15;183(4):455-61. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    40. Lindgren A, Stroh E, Montnémery P, Nihlén U, Jakobsson K, Axmon A. Traffic-related air pollution associated with prevalence of asthma and COPD/chronic bronchitis. A cross-sectional study in Southern Sweden. Int J Health Geogr. 2009 Jan 20;8:2. doi: 10.1186/1476-072X-8-2. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    41. U.S. EPA. Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) For Particulate Matter (Final Report, Dec 2009) [Internet]. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2009 [cited 2020 Jun 26]. EPA/600/R-08/139F. Available from: https://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/risk/recordisplay.cfm?deid=216546.
    42. World Health Organization. Air quality guidelines - global update 2005 [Internet]. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Offi ce for Europe; 2006 [cited 2020 Jun 26]. Available from: http://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/outdoorair/outdoorair_aqg/en/.
    43. GBD 2015 Risk Factors Collaborators. Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015. Lancet. 2016 Oct 8;388(10053):1659-724.
    44. Murray CJ. Quantifying the burden of disease: the technical basis for disability-adjusted life years. Bull World Health Organ. 1994;72(3):429-45. Go to PubMed...
    45. Ostro B. Outdoor air pollution: assessing the environmental burden of disease at national and local levels. Geneva: WHO; 2004.
    46. World Health Organization. Burden of disease from ambient air pollution for 2016: description of method. Geneva: WHO; 2018.
    47. World Health Organization. Review of evidence on health aspects of air pollution - REVIHAAP Project: Technical Report. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2013.
    48. World Health Organization. WHO methods and data sources for global burden of disease estimates 2000-2016. Geneva: WHO; 2018.
    49. Mathers CD, Vos T, Lopez AD, Salomon J, Ezzati M, editors. National burden of disease studies: apractical guide. Edition 2.0. Geneva: WHO; 2001.
    50. Mathers CD, Ho J. WHO methods and data sources for global burden of disease estimates 2000-2015. Geneve: WHO; 2017. Go to original source...
    51. World Health Organization. Ambient air pollution: a global assessment of exposure and burden of disease. Geneva: WHO; 2016. Go to original source...
    52. Cohen AJ, Brauer M, Burnett R, Anderson HR, Frostad J, Estep K, et al. Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2015. Lancet. 2017 May 13;389(10082):1907-18. Erratum in: Lancet. 2017 Jun 17;389(10087):e15. Erratum in: Lancet. 2018 Apr 21;391(10130):1576. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    53. Murray CJ, Acharya M. Age weights and discounting in health gaps reconsidered. In: Murray CJ, Salomon JA, Mathers CD, Lopez AD, editors. Summary measures of population health: concepts, ethics, measurement and applications. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002. p. 678-84.
    54. World Health Organization. World health statistics 2016: monitoring health for the SDGs. Geneva: WHO; 2016.
    55. Niu Y, Chen R, Kan H. Air pollution, disease burden, and health economic loss in China. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2017;1017:233-42. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    56. Dimovska M, Mladenovska R. Losing years of human life in heavy polluted cities in Macedonia. Open Access Maced J Med Sci. 2019 Feb 6;7(3):428-34. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    57. Etchie TO, Sivanesan S, Adewuyi GO, Krishnamurthi K, Rao PS, Etchie AT, et al. The health burden and economic costs averted by ambient PM2.5 pollution reductions in Nagpur, India. Environ Int. 2017 May;102:145-56. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    58. Kříž J. Prevence a ekonomika. Hygiena. 2011;56(3):89-94. Go to original source...
    59. Boovarahan SR, Kurian GA. Mitochondrial dysfunction: a key player in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases linked to air pollution. Rev Environ Health. 2018 Jun 27;33(2):111-22. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    60. Martens DS, Nawrot TS. Ageing at the level of telomeres in association to residential landscape and air pollution at home and work: a review of the current evidence. Toxicol Lett. 2018 Dec 1;298:42-52. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    61. Tumolo MR, Panico A, De Donno A, Mincarone P, Leo CG, Guarino R, et al. The expression of microRNAs and exposure to environmental contaminants related to human health: a review. Int J Environ Health Res. 2020 May 12:1-23. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    62. Lewtas J. Air pollution combustion emissions: characterization of causative agents and mechanisms associated with cancer, reproductive, and cardiovascular effects. Mutat Res. 2007 Nov-Dec;636(1-3):95-133. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    63. Martens DS, Cox B, Janssen BG, Clemente DBP, Gasparrini A, Vanpoucke C, et al. Prenatal air pollution and newborns' predisposition to accelerated biological aging. JAMA Pediatr. 2017 Dec 1;171(12):1160-7. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    Return to the content