Air Pollution Monitoring for Health Research and Patient Care. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report

Abstract

Air quality data from satellites and low-cost sensor systems, together with output from air quality models, have the potential to augment high-quality, regulatory-grade data in countries with in situ monitoring networks and provide much-needed air quality information in countries without them. Each of these technologies has strengths and limitations that need to be considered when integrating them to develop a robust and diverse global air quality monitoring network. To address these issues, the American Thoracic Society, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences convened a workshop in May 2017 to bring together global experts from across multiple disciplines and agencies to discuss current and near-term capabilities to monitor global air pollution. The participants focused on four topics: 1 ) current and near-term capabilities in air pollution monitoring, 2 ) data assimilation from multiple technology platforms, 3 ) critical issues for air pollution monitoring in regions without a regulatory-quality stationary monitoring network, and 4 ) risk communication and health messaging. Recommendations for research and improved use were identified during the workshop, including a recognition that the integration of data across monitoring technology groups is critical to maximizing the effectiveness (e.g., data accuracy, as well as spatial and temporal coverage) of these monitoring technologies. Taken together, these recommendations will advance the development of a global air quality monitoring network that takes advantage of emerging technologies to ensure the availability of free, accessible, and reliable air pollution data and forecasts to health professionals, as well as to all global citizens.

Using Satellites to Track Indicators of Global Air Pollution and Climate Change Impacts: Lessons Learned From a NASA‐Supported Science‐Stakeholder Collaborative

“…Satellite remote sensing has transformed our ability to track the world's progress in mitigating global air pollution and climate change (Cromar et al, 2019;Duncan et al, 2016;Krotkov et al, 2016). The researcher-stakeholder collaborations supported by NASA HAQAST and its Indicators Tiger Team have accelerated the transfer of NASA science from a variety of satellite sensors (OMI, MODIS, etc.)…”

Mobilizing for Community Benefits to Assess Health and Promote Environmental Justice near the Gordie Howe International Bridge

“…In and of themselves, HIAs should not be considered a ‘benefit.’ However, funding for public health to achieve its core functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance [ 39 ] is limited, even though efforts to address environmental justice do fall within public health’s purview, if done with communities, to address health inequities [ 40 ]. State environmental agencies are often limited in their ability to extensively monitor air toxins and mobile source emissions [ 41 ]. Many frontline communities experiencing existing cumulative impacts advocate for health studies and, in the case of the GHIB, the CBC advocated that this be part of the community benefits for residents who were concerned about the additional environmental exposures associated with its development and operation.…”

External Environmental Pollution as a Risk Factor for Asthma

“…Many countries have established parameters that would be safer for one's health and agree on the need to update these variables periodically [26]. Measurements over time of the concentrations of some air pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), particulate matter (PMx), and ozone (O 3 ), serve as markers of the environmental situation in a given area [6].…”

“…It has been called a "silent killer" by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1] because its effects often go unnoticed and are not easily measured, nor it is associated with health problems by the lay population [2]. However, air pollution is a major cause of premature death [3][4][5][6][7]. Another WHO recent alert is about that 90% of the world's population breathes inadequate air-a fact that has not had the expected repercussions [8].…”