Air Pollution and Health: Past Successes and Future Challenges

1. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Scientific and technical issues: the role of the World Health Organization Michal Krzyzanowski WHO ECEH Bonn Office Convention/WHO Task Force on Health

2. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES • Joint Convention/WHO Task Force on Health • Created by the 15th Session of EB (1997) • Reporting to EB through WGE • Secretariat: WHO ECEH • 7 Annual TFH Meetings – 12-14 parties • «Permanent» members: France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland

3. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES TFH products: 1999: “Health risks of particulate matter from LRTAP – preliminary assessment” 2000: Preliminary assessment of health risks of heavy metals (Cd, Hg, Pb) 2003: “Health risks of persistent organic pollutants from long-range transboundary air pollution” 2003/4: “Modelling and assessment of health impacts of PM and O3” In preparation: a) “Health risks of particulate matter from LRTAP” b) “Health risks of ozone from LRTAP”

4. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES “Systematic Review of health aspects of air pollution in Europe”: selected results on particulate matter • Fine particles strongly associated with mortality and other health outcomes; • Long term exposure to current ambient PM concentrations may lead to marked reduction in life expectancy; • No threshold PM concentration below which ambient PM has no effect on health

5. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Long term exposure to PM and risk of mortality TFH 2003: “..apply the relative risk for all cause mortality… in the extended American Cancer Society (ACS) cohort study Pope et al. (2002).” RR= 1.06 (1.02-1.11) per 10 µg/m3 PM2.5 Source: Pope et al, JAMA 2002

6. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Particulate matter

7. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Selected characteristics of PM10

8. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Loss of life expectancy Due to PM2.5 from anthropogenic sources 2000 2010 Loss of Life expectancy in months Source:EMEP & IIASA

9. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Summary relative risk estimates (95% CI) for 10g/m3 increase in pollutant for all cause and cause-specific mortality (Anderson et al, WHO 2004)

10. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Ozone concentrations (SOMO35) EMEP & IIASA estimates (average meteorology) 2000 2020 (no further climate measures)

11. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES The effects of air pollution on children's health and development • Conclusions on causal associations: • PM and respiratory deaths in post-neonatal period • Ambient air poll & lung function development (pre & post natal) • PM and O3 exposure and asthma aggravation • Pb and neurobehavioural development • Several suggestions for causal associations in available data

12. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Conclusions of WHO assessments • Significant health effects occurr at pollution levels common in Europe; LRTAP contributes significantly to the risk • The evidence is sufficient to reduce levels of air pollutants including PM, NO2 and ozone. • Combination of local AND regional/international measures is necessary to reduce health burden of air pollution

13. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Happy Birthday

14. WHO European Centre for Environment and Health WHO European Centre for Environment and Health CLRTAP: 22th Session of the Executive Body 25th Anniversary Special Event: PAST SUCCESSES AND FUTURE CHALLENGES Schematic illustration of different PM10 levels in different locations (modified from Lentschow et al., 2000)