Separating People from Pollution: Individual and Community Interventions to Mitigate Health Effects of Air Pollutants

摘要

Efforts to minimize people’s exposure to air pollution historically have focused on curbing emissions from tailpipes and smokestacks. But increases in vehicle-kilometers traveled—that is, more cars spending more time on the road—have tempered that effect.Moreover, residential areas, hospitals, and schools often are built adjacent to main traffic arteries, where emissions are highest.An international group of public health researchers now says it’s time to start separating people from sources of air pollution as a means of protecting public health [EHP 119(1):29– 36; Giles et al.].