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Research papers on Air pollution and health

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  2. Environmental and Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A Review

    Ioannis Manisalidis, E. Stavropoulou, Agathangelos Stavropoulos, et al. · 2020 · Frontiers in Public Health · 4,322 citations

    One of our era's greatest scourges is air pollution, on account not only of its impact on climate change but also its impact on public and individual health due to increasing morbidity and mortality. There are many pollutants that are major factors in disease in humans. Among them, Particulate Matter (PM), particles of variable but very small diameter, penetrate the respiratory system via inhalation, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, reproductive and central nervous system dysfunctions, and cancer. Despite the fact that ozone in the stratosphere plays a protective role against ultraviolet irradiation, it is harmful when in high concentration at ground level, also affecting the

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  5. Breathing in danger: Understanding the multifaceted impact of air pollution on health impacts.

    Fu Chen, Wanyue Zhang, M. F. B. Mfarrej, et al. · 2024 · Ecotoxicology and environmental safety · 141 citations

    Air pollution, a pervasive environmental threat that spans urban and rural landscapes alike, poses significant risks to human health, exacerbating respiratory conditions, triggering cardiovascular problems, and contributing to a myriad of other health complications across diverse populations worldwide. This article delves into the multifarious impacts of air pollution, utilizing cutting-edge research methodologies and big data analytics to offer a comprehensive overview. It highlights the emergence of new pollutants, their sources, and characteristics, thereby broadening our understanding of contemporary air quality challenges. The detrimental health effects of air pollution are examined tho

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  6. Particulate Air Pollution and Health Effects for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Causes in Temuco, Chile: A Wood-Smoke-Polluted Urban Area

    Pedro A. Sanhueza, Monica A. Torreblanca, Luis A. Díaz‐Robles, et al. · 2009 · Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association · 128 citations

    Temuco is one of the most highly wood-smoke-polluted cities in the world. Its population in 2004 was 340,000 inhabitants with 1587 annual deaths, of which 24% were due to cardiovascular and 11% to respiratory causes. For hospital admissions, cardiovascular diseases represented 6% and respiratory diseases 13%. Emergency room visits for acute respiratory infections represented 28%. The objective of the study presented here was to determine the relationship between air pollution from particulate matter less than or equal to 10 microm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10; mostly PM2.5, or particulate matter <2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter) and health effects measured as the daily number of deaths,

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  7. Air pollution and human health risks: mechanisms and clinical manifestations of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases

    Habib Allah Shahriyari, Yousef Nikmanesh, Saeid Jalali, et al. · 2021 · Toxin Reviews · 88 citations

    Nowadays one of the main agents morbidity and mortality, in worldwide, is exposure to air pollution. Based on reported health organization, air pollution is the second most important factor in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and chronic diseases. The main source which has been found to exert harmful effects on human are particle matter (PM), Ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfide dioxide (SO2), metals, and polyaromantic hydrocarbon (PAHs). The purpose of this review was the epidemiological literature on the health endpoint of exposure to air pollutants has on cardiovascular diseases (HACD) and respiratory diseases (HARD). About 1125 papers were retrieved according to various databases:

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  8. The Effect of Long-term Exposure to Air Pollution and Seasonal Temperature on Hospital Admissions with Cardiovascular and Respiratory Disease in the United States: a Difference-in-Differences Analysis

    M. Yazdi, Ya-Guang Wei, Q. Di, et al. · 2022 · The Science of the total environment · 63 citations

    Background Few studies have simultaneously examined the effect of long-term exposure to air pollution and ambient temperature on the rate of hospital admissions with cardiovascular and respiratory disease using causal inference methods. Methods We used a variation of a difference-in-difference (DID) approach to assess the effects of long-term exposure to warm-season temperature, cold-season temperature, NO2, O3, and PM2.5 on the rate of hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease (CVD), myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke, and respiratory diseases from 2001 to 2016 among Medicare beneficiaries who use fee-for-service programs. We computed the rate of admissions by zip code and yea

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  9. Global, regional, and national mortality burden attributable to air pollution from landscape fires: a health impact assessment study.

    Rong-Bin Xu, Ting-Ting Ye, Wen-Zhong Huang, et al. · 2024 · Lancet · 60 citations

    BACKGROUND Landscape fire-sourced (LFS) air pollution is an increasing public health concern in the context of climate change. However, little is known about the attributable global, regional, and national mortality burden related to LFS air pollution. METHODS We calculated country-specific population-weighted average daily and annual LFS fine particulate matter (PM2·5) and surface ozone (O3) during 2000-19 from a validated dataset. We obtained the relative risks (RRs) for both short-term and long-term impact of LFS PM2·5 and O3 on all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality. The short-term RRs were pooled from community-specific standard time-series regressions in 2267 communitie

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  10. Does respiratory health contribute to the effects of long-term air pollution exposure on cardiovascular mortality?

    Tamara Schikowski, Dorothea Sugiri, Ulrich Ranft, et al. · 2007 · Respiratory Research · 58 citations

    BACKGROUND: There is growing epidemiological evidence that short-term and long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution may increase cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In addition, epidemiological studies have shown an association between air pollution exposure and respiratory health. To what extent the association between cardiovascular mortality and air pollution is driven by the impact of air pollution on respiratory health is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate whether respiratory health at baseline contributes to the effects of long-term exposure to high levels of air pollution on cardiovascular mortality in a cohort of elderly women. METHOD: We analyzed data fro

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  11. Assessing Adverse Health Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low Levels of Ambient Air Pollution: The HEI Experience and What’s Next?

    H. Boogaard, Dan L. Crouse, Eva Tanner, et al. · 2024 · Environmental Science & Technology · 51 citations

    Although concentrations of ambient air pollution continue to decline in high-income regions, epidemiological studies document adverse health effects at levels below current standards in many countries. The Health Effects Institute (HEI) recently completed a comprehensive research initiative to investigate the health effects of long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution in the United States (U.S.), Canada, and Europe. We provide an overview and synthesis of the results of this initiative along with other key research, the strengths and limitations of the research, and remaining research needs. The three studies funded through the HEI initiative estimated the effects of long-term ambien

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  12. Short-term associations between fine particulate air pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in 337 cities in Latin America

    Nelson Gouveia, J. L. Rodriguez Hernandez, J. Kephart, et al. · 2024 · The Science of the Total Environment · 48 citations

    Ambient air pollution is a health concern in Latin America given its large urban population exposed to levels above recommended guidelines. Yet no studies have examined the mortality impact of air pollutants in the region across a wide range of cities. We assessed whether short-term levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from modeled estimates, are associated with cardiovascular and respiratory mortality among adults in 337 cities from 9 Latin American countries. We compiled mortality, PM2.5 and temperature data for the period 2009–2015. For each city, we evaluated the association between monthly changes in PM2.5 and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality for sex and age subgroups using

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  13. The effects of particulate matter air pollution on respiratory health and on the cardiovascular system

    Zala Jenko Pražnikar, Jure Pražnikar · 2012 · Slovenian Journal of Public Health · 46 citations

    The effects of particulate matter air pollution on respiratory health and on the cardiovascular system Particulate matter (PM) is a major component of urban air pollution and has a significant effect on human health. Natural PM sources are volcanic eruptions, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living vegetation and sea spray. Traffic, domestic heating, power plants and various industrial processes generate significant amounts of anthropogenic PM. PM consists of a complex mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances suspended in the air. The chemical composition of particles is very complex and depends on emission sources, meteorological conditions and their

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  14. Air pollution and its impacts on health: Focus on microplastics and nanoplastics.

    Yung-Li Wang, Yen-Chung Lin, Wen-Chih Liu, et al. · 2025 · Ecotoxicology and environmental safety · 43 citations

    Air pollution represents a significant public health concern, contributing to approximately 6.7 million premature deaths annually. Among the various pollutants, particulate matter (PM)2.5, emitted from fossil fuel combustion, poses a significant health risk. It induces oxidative stress and increases respiratory and cardiovascular disease risk. Recently, particulate plastics, classified as microplastics (MPs) (less than 5 mm) or nanoplastics (NPs) (less than 1 μm), have been identified as environmental contaminants. It has been demonstrated that plastic particles, including MPs and NPs, can gain access to the human body via inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, resulting in various adver

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  15. Economic and Public Health Impacts of Transportation-Driven Air Pollution in South Asia

    Saman Janaranjana Herath Bandara, N. Thilakarathne · 2025 · Sustainability · 40 citations

    South Asia, a rapidly urbanizing and industrializing region, faces critical air quality challenges, with transportation emissions becoming a major source of urban pollution. These emissions contribute significantly to public health issues, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, while imposing substantial economic burdens on affected populations. This study aims to examine regional trends, evaluate the economic impact of transportation-driven air pollution, and offer actionable insights for policy development. Using a narrative review approach, the study synthesizes evidence on air quality, transportation emissions, and public health in major South Asian cities. Key findings revea

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  17. Air Pollution-Induced Neurotoxicity: The Relationship Between Air Pollution, Epigenetic Changes, and Neurological Disorders

    S. Kalenik, Agnieszka Zaczek, Aleksandra Rodacka · 2025 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 35 citations

    Air pollution is a major global health threat, responsible for over 8 million deaths in 2021, including 700,000 fatalities among children under the age of five. It is currently the second leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. Key pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10), ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide, have significant adverse effects on human health, contributing to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Among these, particulate matter poses the most significant threat due to its highly complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds with diverse sizes, compositions, and origi

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  18. Antioxidant genes and susceptibility to air pollution for respiratory and cardiovascular health

    Elaine Fuertes, Diana A. van der Plaat, Cosetta Minelli · 2020 · Free Radical Biology and Medicine · 34 citations

    Oxidative stress occurs when antioxidant defences, which are regulated by a complex network of genes, are insufficient to maintain the level of reactive oxygen species below a toxic threshold. Outdoor air pollution has long been known to adversely affect health and one prominent mechanism of action common to all pollutants is the induction of oxidative stress. An individual's susceptibility to the effects of air pollution partly depends on variation in their antioxidant genes. Thus, understanding antioxidant gene-pollution interactions has significant potential clinical and public health impacts, including the development of targeted and cost-effective preventive measures, such as setting ap

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  19. Health Impacts of Urban Environmental Parameters: A Review of Air Pollution, Heat, Noise, Green Spaces and Mobility

    Ainhoa Arriazu-Ramos, Jesús Miguel Santamaría, Aurora Monge-Barrio, et al. · 2025 · Sustainability · 32 citations

    This literature review examines the relationship between the urban environment and human health, focusing on five key parameters: air pollution, extreme temperatures, noise, green spaces, and urban mobility. A systematic review was conducted using indexed scientific databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed) and technical reports, following predefined search terms and exclusion criteria. A total of 131 publications were selected and analyzed. The study highlights the negative health effects of air pollution, heat, and noise—particularly on the respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, and reproductive systems—especially in vulnerable populations including older adults, children, pregnant wom

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  20. The interaction between air pollution, weather conditions, and health risks: a systematic review.

    Britta Rackow, H. König, M. Wall, et al. · 2025 · The Science of the total environment · 24 citations

    INTRODUCTION Both weather and air pollution can harm public health. However, the evidence on the synergistic effects of both remains inconclusive. Therefore, the aim of this study was to summarise the evidence regarding the bidirectional interaction between weather, air pollution, and their effects on health. METHOD We searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies from Europe or North America published from 2010 to 2024. The results of all study outcomes were narratively synthesised and grouped by pollutants, weather parameters, and health outcomes. RESULTS Among 62 included studies, we examined results for ozone (O₃) (n = 39), particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM₁₀) (n = 18) and 2

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  21. Air Pollution and Effects of Tropospheric Ozone (O3) on Public Health

    Pavlos Vongelis, N. Koulouris, P. Bakakos, et al. · 2025 · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · 23 citations

    Air pollution is a significant and widespread issue that presents serious challenges for both human health and the environment because of the presence of a variety of harmful substances in the air, such as tropospheric ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). In this research, the aim is to evaluate the current evidence for the harmful effects of air pollution on human health, focusing on tropospheric ozone, and to highlight the need for further research in the future. The objective is to evaluate recent data on the respiratory and cardiovascular risks caused by air pollution, the potential association between climate chang

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  22. Assessing AQI of air pollution crisis 2024 in Delhi: its health risks and nationwide impact

    Abhranil Bhuyan, T. Bordoloi, Rabin Debnath, et al. · 2025 · Discover Atmosphere · 22 citations

    Air pollution is a broad concern around the world due to its severe impacts on health as well as on the environment. In India, Delhi's growing air pollution has attained dangerous levels in 2024, ranking it among the world's most polluted cities. The city's Air Quality Index (AQI) regularly falls into the "severe" or "hazardous" categories, worsened by industrial pollutants, landfills, deforestation, urbanization, industrial expansion, improper waste management, traffic pollution, smoking, construction dust, and seasonal stubble combustion. The health impacts are extreme, ranging from respiratory disorders like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to developmental problems

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  23. Emerging concern on air pollution and health: Trade-off between air pollution exposure and physical activity

    Pengpeng Wu, Qian Guo, Yu-Chen Zhao, et al. · 2024 · Eco-Environment & Health · 20 citations

    Air pollution is a major contributor to the global disease burden, especially affecting respiratory and cardiovascular health. However, physical activity is associated with improved lung function, a slower decline in lung function, and lower mortality. The public is more likely to be exposed to air pollution during outdoor physical activity. However, studies on how long-term and short-term exposure to air pollution interacts with physical activity yield inconsistent results, and the thresholds for air pollution and physical activity remain unclear. Thus, more studies are needed to provide sufficient evidence to guide the public to safely engage in outdoor physical activity when exposed to ai

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  24. The impact of air pollution on neurodegenerative diseases: a narrative review of current evidence

    Nicholas Aderinto, A. Ajagbe͓, G. Olatunji, et al. · 2025 · The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine · 17 citations

    This narrative review explores the relationship between air pollution and neurodegenerative diseases (NDs). Historically, air pollution has been linked primarily to respiratory and cardiovascular issues, but recent evidence suggests that it may also impact neurological health. With the global increase in neurodegenerative diseases, understanding environmental risk factors has become crucial. The review synthesizes findings from recent studies, highlighting the potential role of air pollutants—particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and heavy metals—in the onset and progression of NDs. Key mechanisms under investigation include brain inflammation and micro

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