An assessment of estimates concerning public health impacts of current patterns of air pollution is presented. Although the individual health risks of air pollution are considered relatively small, the public health consequences can be considerable. It is found that air pollution causes 6% of total mortality covering some 40,000 attributable cases annually in Austria, France and Switzerland. About half the mortality caused by air pollution could be attributed to motor traffic also accounting for 25,000 cases of bronchitis, 0.5 million asthma attacks and over 16 million person days of restricted activities. Traffic related air pollution is considered to remain a key target for public health action in Europe with the assessment results being used in decisions on environmental health policy options.
Abstract