Air pollution: The last 35 years

Perceptions of the effects on health of air pollutants have changed dramatically over the past thirty five years. It is now clear that current, historically low, concentrations of air pollutants have significant effects on health and that these effects bear most heavily on deaths and illness caused by cardiovascular diseases. Epidemiological studies have provided the evidence for these conclusions; toxicological studies have provided explanations, not yet complete, for these effects. Most emphasis has been placed on the effects of airborne particles and the evidence for their effects is convincing. Less attention has been paid to the effects of gaseous air pollutants: it may be that their effects have been, and are, under-estimated. Recent work has allowed the effects on health of air pollutants to be quantified at both a national and global scale. This work has led to the realization that the effects are large and that air pollutants continue to pose an important threat to health.