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A Comparison of the Health Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter Air Pollution from Five Emission Sources

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  • Neil J. Hime

    (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, 431 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney, NSW 2037, Australia
    The Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney Medical School, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia)

  • Guy B. Marks

    (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, 431 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney, NSW 2037, Australia
    South West Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Goulburn Street, Liverpool, Sydney, NSW 2170, Australia
    Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, 1 Campbell Street, Liverpool, Sydney, NSW 2170, Australia)

  • Christine T. Cowie

    (Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney, 431 Glebe Point Road, Glebe, Sydney, NSW 2037, Australia
    South West Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Goulburn Street, Liverpool, Sydney, NSW 2170, Australia
    Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, 1 Campbell Street, Liverpool, Sydney, NSW 2170, Australia)

Abstract

This article briefly reviews evidence of health effects associated with exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution from five common outdoor emission sources: traffic, coal-fired power stations, diesel exhaust, domestic wood combustion heaters, and crustal dust. The principal purpose of this review is to compare the evidence of health effects associated with these different sources with a view to answering the question: Is exposure to PM from some emission sources associated with worse health outcomes than exposure to PM from other sources? Answering this question will help inform development of air pollution regulations and environmental policy that maximises health benefits. Understanding the health effects of exposure to components of PM and source-specific PM are active fields of investigation. However, the different methods that have been used in epidemiological studies, along with the differences in populations, emission sources, and ambient air pollution mixtures between studies, make the comparison of results between studies problematic. While there is some evidence that PM from traffic and coal-fired power station emissions may elicit greater health effects compared to PM from other sources, overall the evidence to date does not indicate a clear ‘hierarchy’ of harmfulness for PM from different emission sources. Further investigations of the health effects of source-specific PM with more advanced approaches to exposure modeling, measurement, and statistics, are required before changing the current public health protection approach of minimising exposure to total PM mass.

Suggested Citation

  • Neil J. Hime & Guy B. Marks & Christine T. Cowie, 2018. "A Comparison of the Health Effects of Ambient Particulate Matter Air Pollution from Five Emission Sources," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-24, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:15:y:2018:i:6:p:1206-:d:151363
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Yi Sun & Frank Bochmann & Annette Nold & Markus Mattenklott, 2014. "Diesel Exhaust Exposure and the Risk of Lung Cancer—A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-29, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Monika A. Zielinska & Jadwiga Hamulka, 2019. "Protective Effect of Breastfeeding on the Adverse Health Effects Induced by Air Pollution: Current Evidence and Possible Mechanisms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-29, October.
    2. Janusz Kulejewski & Jerzy Rosłon, 2023. "Optimization of Ecological and Economic Aspects of the Construction Schedule with the Use of Metaheuristic Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-26, January.
    3. Yuan Liu & Xun He & Wanzhang Wang & Chenhui Zhu & Ruibo Jian & Jinfan Chen, 2022. "Agri-Environment Atmospheric Real-Time Monitoring Technology Based on Drone and Light Scattering," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Nan Zhang & Chunmei Geng & Jia Xu & Liwen Zhang & Penghui Li & Jinbao Han & Shuang Gao & Xinhua Wang & Wen Yang & Zhipeng Bai & Wenge Zhang & Bin Han, 2022. "Characteristics, Source Contributions, and Source-Specific Health Risks of PM 2.5 -Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons for Senior Citizens during the Heating Season in Tianjin, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(8), pages 1-13, April.
    5. Fabrizio Minichilli & Francesca Gorini & Giovanni De Filippis & Elisa Bustaffa & Anna Maria Raho & Anna Melcarne & Fabrizio Quarta & Giuseppe Maggiore & Adele Idolo & Francesca Serio & Tiziana Grassi , 2022. "Risk Factors for Lung Cancer in the Province of Lecce: Results from the PROTOS Case–Control Study in Salento (Southern Italy)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-22, July.
    6. Xiao Gong & Jianing Mi & Chunyan Wei & Ruitao Yang, 2019. "Measuring Environmental and Economic Performance of Air Pollution Control for Province-Level Areas in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-19, April.

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