Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A One-Health Perspective

Air pollution is ubiquitous and generally composed of a mixture of water vapor, gases, particulate matter, and air toxics.  The sources, the proportion of air pollution’s components and concentrations are largely determined by the human activities at a specific location or geographical region.  Principal sources of air pollution in Southeast Asia include vehicular exhaust, biomass burning, sea salt aerosol, power plant, and industrial emissions and agricultural burning.  Of the pollutants in the air pollution mixture, extensive scientific evidence demonstrates that both short-term and long-term exposures to particulate matter and ozone can detrimentally impact human health and ecological integrity, with additional evidence that other pollutants such as SO2 and NO2 can also have detrimental impacts. Government led regulations have been an important and effective way to reduce the harmful emissions, lower exposures to pollutants and protect public health and ecological integrity.  However, the factors driving emissions are varied, and lasting solutions will require greater understanding of the interrelationship among these factors both human and ecological.  The One-Health perspective provides a holistic framework from which to design research that might guide more durable solutions.

Impact/Purpose

One-Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach—working at the local, regional, national, and global levels—with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

Citation

Cascio, W. Health Impacts of Air Pollution: A One-Health Perspective. Presented at Michigan State University Institute for Global Health, Durham, NC, August 31, 2023.

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