Introduction to JA&WMA Special Issue on Air Quality and Human Health

摘要

As a result of the U.S. Clean Air Act, great progress has been made in improving the nation's air quality over the past five decades. It has been demonstrated that this improvement in ambient air quality has contributed to increased life expectancy. Despite the substantial reduction in high concentration levels of criteria pollutants and air toxics, however, the health effects of air pollution and the interplay between climate change and air quality still remain a major concern worldwide. Recognizing the need to improve our understanding of the complex relationships among climate change, extreme weather events, air pollution, and human health, this issue of JA&WMA includes a grouping of nine papers on this important topic.