Emerging issues on risks to health from air pollution: results from the WHO-HRAPIE survey of experts

摘要

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe is currently implementing project "Health Risks of Air Pollution in Europe-HRAPIE" with financial support from the European Commission. This project will provide scientific evidence-based advice on health aspects of air pollution in support of the comprehensive review of European Union's air quality policies scheduled for 2013. As part of the project, an electronic survey tool is being developed asking questions relating to the identification of specific new emerging issues in order to answer the general question: "Is there evidence of new emerging issues on risks to health from air pollution, either related to specific source categories (e.g. transport, biomass combustion, metals industry, refineries, power production), specific gaseous pollutants or specific components of particulate matter (e.g. size-range like nano-particles and ultra-fines, raw earth metals, black carbon (EC/OC)?" Methods: This project is still ongoing. The electronic survey tool will be disseminated by WHO to key stakeholders and expert institutions with an interest in air quality issues, including ISEE members based in Europe, by Mar 2013. The online tool will be available for a limited period of time (few weeks) for input. Specific questions on the nature of the professional activity of the people surveyed, as well as other demographic questions, will be asked but answers will remain anonymous. All responses to the survey will be analyzed collectively for trends, and a report summarizing findings and discussing implications of results will be prepared by May 2013. We expect that findings collated from the survey will represent a timely evaluation of emerging issues on health risks from air pollution related to specific source categories.This will inform and provide guidance for consideration of this evidence in subsequent work on policy formulation.