Impact of climate change on non-communicable diseases due to increased ambient air pollution

  • Background: The impacts of air pollutants on health range from short-term health impairments to hospital admissions and deaths. Climate change is leading to an increase in air pollution. Methods: This article addresses, based on selected literature, the relationship between climate change and air pollutants, the health effects of air pollutants and their modification by air temperature, with a focus on Germany. Results: Poor air quality increases the risk of many diseases. Climate change is causing, among other things, more periods of extreme heat with simultaneously increased concentrations of air pollutants. The interactions between air temperature and air pollutants, as well as their combined effects on human health, have not yet been sufficiently studied. Limit, target, and guideline values are of particular importance for health protection. Conclusions: Measures to reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gases must be more strictly implemented. An essential step towards improving airBackground: The impacts of air pollutants on health range from short-term health impairments to hospital admissions and deaths. Climate change is leading to an increase in air pollution. Methods: This article addresses, based on selected literature, the relationship between climate change and air pollutants, the health effects of air pollutants and their modification by air temperature, with a focus on Germany. Results: Poor air quality increases the risk of many diseases. Climate change is causing, among other things, more periods of extreme heat with simultaneously increased concentrations of air pollutants. The interactions between air temperature and air pollutants, as well as their combined effects on human health, have not yet been sufficiently studied. Limit, target, and guideline values are of particular importance for health protection. Conclusions: Measures to reduce air pollutants and greenhouse gases must be more strictly implemented. An essential step towards improving air quality is setting stricter air quality limit values in Europe. Prevention and adaptation measures should be accelerated in Germany, as they contribute to climate-resilient and sustainable healthcare systems. This is part of a series of articles that constitute the German Status Report on Climate Change and Health 2023.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Susanne Breitner-Busch, Hans-Guido Mücke, Alexandra Schneider, Elke HertigORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-opus4-1081900
Frontdoor URLhttps://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/108190
URL:https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0257-176904/11272-0
Parent Title (English):Journal of Health Monitoring
Publisher:Robert-Koch-Institut
Place of publication:Berlin
Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2023
Publishing Institution:Universität Augsburg
Release Date:2023/10/02
Volume:8
Issue:S4
First Page:103
Last Page:121
DOI:https://doi.org/10.25646/11655
Institutes:Medizinische Fakultät
Medizinische Fakultät / Professur für Regionalen Klimawandel und Gesundheit
Dewey Decimal Classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften
Licence (German):CC-BY 3.0: Creative Commons - Namensnennung (mit Print on Demand)