Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia

The document is Module 5 of the Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia, focusing on the impacts of common air pollutants. It details the health effects of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone, carbon monoxide, and lead, while explaining exposure assessment and epidemiological study designs. The text also covers the economic valuation of health outcomes, the management of indoor air pollution—particularly from biomass fuels in developing countries—and the environmental effects of pollution on visibility, materials, and vegetation. Additionally, it discusses the Global Burden of Disease approach and the indirect health risks associated with climate change.

• Urban air pollution in Asia is linked to an estimated 537,000 premature deaths annually, with indoor air pollution causing more than double that number.
• Particulate matter (PM) exposure is associated with increased all-cause, cardiopulmonary, and lung cancer mortality, with no evidence of a threshold below which no adverse effects occur.
• Sulphur dioxide (SO2) is readily absorbed in the upper respiratory tract and can cause reduced lung function and increased respiratory symptoms, with asthmatics being particularly sensitive.
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) acts as a strong oxidant that can reduce host defence against infectious pulmonary disease and is often used as a marker for traffic-related emissions.
• Ozone (O3) is a potent oxidant that induces inflammatory reactions in the respiratory tract and is associated with increased daily mortality and morbidity, such as school absenteeism and asthma admissions.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) causes tissue hypoxia by binding to haemoglobin to form carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb), which particularly affects the brain, exercising muscles, and the fetus.
• Lead (Pb) exposure in children is linked to decrements in intelligence quotient (IQ), with effects potentially observed at blood lead levels below 25 µg/dl.
• Climate change indirectly affects health through extreme weather events, such as heat waves, and the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria and dengue fever.
• Indoor air pollution from biomass fuels is a major health risk for 2.5 billion people; technical interventions like improved stoves can reduce exposure by 50% to 70%.
• Air pollution damages non-living materials through abrasion, direct and indirect chemical attacks, and electrochemical corrosion, often influenced by moisture and temperature.
• Air pollutants cause visible and subtle injury to vegetation, including chlorosis (loss of chlorophyll) and reduced crop yields, with ozone causing regional-scale effects.
• Economic assessment of air pollution uses methods such as Willingness-to-Pay (WTP), Value of a Statistical Life (VOSL), and the Human Capital Approach (HCA) to inform cost-benefit analyses.

APA

Haq, G., & Schwela, D. (2008). Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module5-IMPACTS-AirQualityManagement.pdf

Chicago

Haq, Gary, and Dieter Schwela. Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2008. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module5-IMPACTS-AirQualityManagement.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haq |first1=Gary |last2=Schwela |first2=Dieter |title=Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2008 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module5-IMPACTS-AirQualityManagement.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{haq2008foundation, author = {Haq, Gary and Schwela, Dieter}, title = {{Foundation Course on Air Quality Management in Asia}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Atmospheric/Cleanair/download/Module5-IMPACTS-AirQualityManagement.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }