Air Issues and Human Health - How High a Priority?

摘要

A question that should be fundamental to all those involved in the analysis of the adverse impacts of air quality is "how high a priority is this compared with other public health concerns?" The complexities present in the air quality debate include confounding between individual pollutants, the meaning of increased mortality and morbidity statistics for individuals, uncertainties about actual (rather than ambient) exposures, and questions about thresholds for effects. These complexities are such that future proposed control initiatives need careful discussion from a strategic level that includes a broader view of air quality plus attention to the major determinants of human health, to ensure that actions taken maximize health benefits from a community perspective. Only by formally discussing specific air pollutants within this broader context will we be positioned to develop optimum control strategies.