Airpollution and Health ERS Booklet Project

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Airpollution and HealthERS Booklet Project

• Initiative / Publisher ERS and ELF
• Project oversight and review ERS Environmental
  Health Committee (Chair Dr. F. Forastieri)
• Authors
• Prof. Nino Kuenzli, Laura Perez and Dr. Regula
  Rapp
• Centre for Research in Environmental
  Epidemology, CREAL Barcelona, Spain and Insitute
  for Social and Preventive Medicine Basel,
  Swizterland

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Vision

• European physicians and health professionals are
  respected advocates for better health

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General Background

• A causal role of air pollution in morbidity and
  mortality - However, European air quality
  regulation lags far behind WHO targets, thus
• EU air quality standards tolerate a very large
  burden for health which could be prevented if
  air quality was improved
• Air quality in many European cities is worse than
  Los Angeles, where air quality has improved !
• EU regulation to be reviewed (political process
  starts late 2009)
• Opportunity for health professionals to advocate
  for clean air

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New evidence suggests association between
long-term exposure to O3 life
expectancyJerrett et al, NEJM 2009
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Physicians role

• European physicians play a strong role in
  influencing tobacco laws and smoking behaviour.
  They ARE good advocates for better health. They
  can become advocates for clean air.
• Patients have access to correct and false
  information about health effects of air pollution
  and protection ?
• Patients ask what they should do
• Recent evidence suggests that living close to
  busy roads to be a health hazard LOCAL concerns
  and policy discussions.
• While better air quality is the only sustainable
  solution, people want to know how they can
  protect themselves and their children

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Does living close to traffic cause new-onset of
asthma in ADULTS ?First evidence comes from
Europe
RHINE Study Modig et al, ERJ 2009 on line
Kuenzli et al, SAPALDIA Study Thorax 2009 on
line
Jacquemin et al, ECHRS Study, Epidemiology 2009
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What to tell patients?
Wear a mask? Use air cleaners? Drink more orange
juice? Change your genes? Move house? Stop
running?
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The ERS Booklet Project

• A state-of-the-art easy-to-read, well designed
  booklet on Air pollution and Health, written and
  peer reviewed by leading research authorities
• Printed version in English, distributed to all
  ERS members
• Also available on-line
• Translations and further printed versions by
  interested parties (funders)?

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Structure of Booklet

• 8 Chapters
• Short summary lead text conclusions in each
  chapter
• Separate short text boxes on hot topics
• Graphs and Tables
• References for interested readers
• European focus

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Content

• Background info on pollutants, sources, air
  quality in Europe
• Summary on how evidence for health effects is
  established
• Review of acute and chronic health effects on the
  lung and other organs
• Benefits of reducing air pollution (intervention
  studies)
• What can doctors and policy makers do

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BENEFITS OF IMPROVED AIR Respiratory symptom
prevalence decreases! Schindler et al, - AJRCCM
2009 on line
?- improved PM10 increased ?
?- improved PM10 increased ?
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Schedule

• English version
• editing Oct 2009
• printing Dec 2009
• Dissemination in the Year of the Lung 2010
• Other languages
• Translation could start as of Sep 2009 editing
  / formating

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Potential role for National Lung Societies (or
other partners)

• Sponsor translation (estimated costs 5000 per
  language) (pdf for internet)
• Print for X-1000 people
• Lead in local distribution of printed version
• Lead in local dissemination (distribution of
  reference to online-versions, advertisment etc.)