Respiratory Trials·org

Topic

Occupational & environmental

Exposure, surveillance, and the diseases they cause.

Air pollution kills, measurably and everywhere. Across 652 cities, each 10 µg/m3 of PM10 raised daily all-cause mortality by 0.44%, with parallel rises in cardiovascular and respiratory death and no evident safe threshold (MCC-652). Traffic-related particulates and woodsmoke are separately associated with COPD hospitalisation and death (Gan 2013).

A 0.44% increase reads as trivial until it is applied to every death in every city every day. This is the evidence base for tightening air quality standards rather than merely meeting them.

Air pollution and chronic lung disease

Trial Year Therapy Effect Finding
Gan 2013 cohort study 2013 Ambient air pollution Traffic-related particulates and woodsmoke were both associated with COPD hospitalisation and death

Air pollution and mortality

Trial Year Therapy Effect Finding
MCC-652 time-series analysis 2019 Particulate air pollution Every 10 µg/m3 of particulate pollution raised daily mortality by about half a percent, worldwide

Key references

Guidelines, standards and reviews for this topic.