Air Pollutants and Health

This focus area encompasses the systematic survey, synopses and review of the scientific literature on air pollution and health. The survey, synopses and reviews are available in an electronic database: LUDOK. The focus area also includes several large-scale epidemiological studies that investigate the effect of air pollutants and of passive smoking on the emergence and development of respiratory diseases amongst adults – SAPALDIA – and children – SCARPOL. Within the framework of SAPALDIA, the University of Zurich (PD Dr N. Probst) is collaborating closely with the ISPM on the analysis of the interaction of pollutants with subjects ’ genetic information. These Swiss projects are also part of European research activities such as ECRHS and PATY. They constitute the empirical basis for other interdisciplinary assessment of health costs from traffic air pollution through Switzerland: MfM-U. A central element of the epidemiological research in this area is estimating individual exposure of the population NO2-Modell, SCARPOL-SAPALDIA, EXPOLIS-chem. Prof. Sally Liu, who is affiliated to the ISPM as guest Professor and conducts large-scale exposure assignement and environmental epidemiological projects on the investigation of particulate matter on health in the USA, has effectively strengthened this research area.

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